Baby showers to me are all about celebrating mummy to be and offering her some love and support and plenty of useful advice to help her along the way. It’s about getting the girls together, nibbling yummy cupcakes, lots of giggles, the odd game here and there and a glass or 2 of champagne. It’s very British, it’s rather reserved and it’s lots of fun! Mum-to-be goes away feeling loved and supported and the guests go away feeling they’ve been part of something a little bit special.

Some ladies are now choosing to reveal the gender of their baby to their guests during their baby shower, which is fabulous. Unwrap a delicious cupcake to reveal pink or blue sponge and you’ve instantly got your guests attention at the delight of finding out the gender of the baby. It’s a fun way of passing on the news to your nearest and dearest if you choose to do so.

So, where do reveal parties fit in to this? I read the Daily Mail article with interest and a little trepidation as I saw other people’s views on these events and their growing popularity. It seems that the parents-to-be also find out the gender of the baby at the reveal party and it’s only the cake designer who actually knows about it before-hand. The cake designer is handed an envelope from the sonographer with the ‘surprise’ news inside, she then makes a cake with a pink or blue filling and all is revealed at the party. This is a very different concept to the ‘reveal cake’ a mother-to-be slices in to at a baby shower to reveal the news to her guests. We work on the notion that the parents know this news first and have come to terms with it rather than receiving such a surprise in front of everyone. Here is a quote from the article and I have to say I totally agree with Siobhan:

“Finding out the gender of your child so publicly can put a lot of pressure on parents,’ says Netmums founder Siobhan Freegard. ‘It’s a very emotional moment and some might not be prepared for their own reaction.”….. “Telling friends is lovely, but I’d be cautious about finding out at a gender reveal party.”

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2145411/Would-YOU-want-learn-unborn-babys-sex-slicing-cake.html#ixzz1v8N9NdBB

Below is a photo of a baby shower reveal cake made by our lovely cake designer Stacey. It fits with the Happi Tree owl baby shower theme perfectly and inside the sponge is pink. The mum-to-be was delighted to cut in to her cake and finally share the gender of her baby with her guests.

Introduce a country fair-style ambience with pony rides and games for entertainment. After all the fun’s been had, dish up blue ribbon pies, fresh lemonade and chocolate frosted cupcakes to feed the hungry little Cowboys and Indians.

More and more often we are being asked for fun ways of revealing the gender of the baby at a baby shower. Well, what better way than in a baby shower reveal cake or cupcakes?

Imagine the guests standing round whilst mummy-to-be cuts in to the beautiful cake to reveal layers of pink or blue buttercream or a pink or blue sponge! Or hand out gorgeous cupcakes with a pink or blue sponge centre so your guests are revealed the gender as they unwrap their delicious desserts! We love the idea and so it seems do you!

Here is an image of some recent baby shower reveal cupcakes we provided for a Hertfordshire baby party. Each pretty cake contains a soft pink sponge. The guests didn’t want to spoil these gorgeous cupcakes but at the same time were desperate to know the gender of the baby!

What better way to celebrate a 1st Birthday Party than with ice cream, toppings and desserts galore!  From brightly coloured tissue pom-poms to glittered styrofoam “scoops” and hand made banners, the décor is simple but executes the theme perfectly.  A colourful arrangement of food includes cake balls that mirror ice cream cones, lemon burst cookies, marshmallow pops with M&M “cherries” on top, chocolate dipped rice krispie treats, and more.  Don’t forget that food is yet another way to tie in your party theme!

Send guests home with a little something to remember the day, our “Scoop of Love” Heart-Shaped Ice Cream Scoop in Parlor Gift Box is a perfect thank you gift.  Along with these favours, you could make goody bags for the children including a container of bubbles in the shape of an ice cream cone, some colourful sweets, and a tightly wrapped washcloth in cupcake packaging.  By the end of the day, they’ll be screaming for ice cream!

The show is to follow 16 ladies over 8 episodes, so 2 ladies per episode. The majority of ladies have now been found but we’re looking for one yummy mummy in particular. A lady who is planning to have an elaborate baby shower and doesn’t mind it being filmed for TV! What a fabulous memento to keep and show your baby when he or she is older! Definitely one for the keepsake box.

Please contact us if you would like more information. This is our final request.

Thanks, Ally xxx

In November 2011 The Ultimate Baby Shower Ltd won the hugely valued #sbs award from Theo Paphitis himself! #sbs stands for Small Business Sunday and is a competition that allows great small business to stand out from the masses. Theo chooses 6 small business via Twitter each Sunday, which he is happy to help promote. I was delighted when I heard that Theo had seen my website and was happy to have his name associated with it! I was invited along to Edgbaston stadium to meet Theo, receive my award and hear his words of wisdom.

I have to say Theo’s commitment to the #sbs ‘family’ blew me away throughout the 6 hour event. He was incredibly inspiring and didn’t seem at all phased by the barrage of questions. I was lucky to chat to Theo in person and ask questions relating to my business, he was a true gent and gave me a tremendous sense of determination!

My wonderful new friends at Sincerity Gifts (http://www.sinceritygifts.co.uk/) took me along to the event and we shared our anxieties at meeting Mr Paphitis! Thankfully such anxieties were unfounded as he was so helpful and approachable.

The whole event, which was funded by Rymans (big thanks to Kypros Kyprianou) was a huge success. Special mention goes to Metal Frog Studios who created the much admired #sbs website.

A whole range of coordinating accessories means you can’t go wrong with this gorgeous new theme.

The judges managed to reduce these nominations down to a short-list of just 100 business mums, which was then further reduced to just 4 finalists for each of 5 categories.

I’m absolutely over the moon to announce that I was one of 4 finalists for the Resilience Award, which celebrates mum’s who have overcome the odds to create an award winning business.

This on top of Theo Paphitis’ and Jacqueline Gold’s recognition last year is making all the hard work worth-while. What is next for The Ultimate Baby Shower I wonder!!??

This is a fantastic opportunity for our company and we wanted to share with you how thrilled and honoured we are to receive this nomination. It is an exceptional way to celebrate how far we have come as a company.

The Business Mum Awards have recognised and rewarded those women who have started businesses and achieved success in a short space of time. Winners have gone on to great success including the ultimate goal for many of them having their products stocked in high street stores and even more exciting in overseas.

Jane Hopkins MBE, founder of MumsClub says, “The nominations this year have been of a very high standard and it has been my pleasure to personally go through them all to create a shortlist to pass to our esteemed judging panel. Starting a business is hard at the best of times, but to do so alongside a growing family makes it so much more demanding. Being nominated by a fellow mum in business is a huge accolade in itself and I hope all those nominated are incredibly proud of themselves.”

The judging panel consist of previous Business Mum Award winners and industry professionals.

The 4th annual Mumsclub Business Mums Awards, headline sponsors MyFamilyClub, are being held on International Women’s Day on the 8th March. The winners will be invited to an exclusive ceremony to celebrate.

 Note to Editors

1. For more information on the nomination and outcome of the awards please contact Ally Atkins – alexandra@theultimatebabyshower.co.uk
2. For more information on the 2011 Business Mum awards see http://www.businessmumawards.com
3. For more information on Mumsclub and their group of events and campaigns visit www.mumsclub.co.uk

For further details on The Business Mum Awards and for quotes and high res images email jane@mumsclub.co.uk