Event Case Notes · Full Planning + Execution
A Little Ladybug Is on the Way
A returning client gave JOAT a few things she loved, a real budget, and permission to take it from there.
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Give me a word, a color, an event type, or one random thing you love. I can work with that.
This was one of those events we had the pleasure of handling through Full Planning + Execution, or, as I like to call it, one of my favorite kinds of projects: give me a word, a color, an event type, maybe one or two random things you love, and let me take it from there. If you are ever thinking, “I know I want to throw something, but I genuinely have no idea what I want it to look like, where to start, what I need, or what I am even supposed to be searching for.” that is actually a perfect reason to call us. You do not need to come to JOAT with a Pinterest board, a theme already picked out, or a fully developed vision. Sometimes figuring out what the vision even is is part of what you are hiring us to do.
For this shower, my client knew she wanted ladybugs because they are one of her favorite little things to collect, but she did not want a basic red-and-black ladybug baby shower. She also loved a whimsical, forest-fairy, butterfly kind of feel and wanted us to figure out how those worlds could live together. She wanted a grazing table instead of a formal meal, wanted vanilla and strawberry desserts, and somewhere along the way I also learned that her favorite drink is a Shirley Temple.
That was more than enough for me to start with. She was also very pregnant, already a mom and partner, working full-time, and simply did not have the time or desire to sit there figuring out how all of these random little ideas were supposed to become one cohesive baby shower. She did not need another project to manage. She needed to be able to give me the pieces she knew and trust me to figure out the rest. So that is exactly what we did.
The invitation became the starting point
Before we bought anything, we figured out what the party was supposed to feel like.
I like to start with the invitation pretty early when we are creating an event from scratch because it forces us to establish what the party is actually going to feel like before we start buying random things just because they technically match the theme. I designed the invitation, we went through two rounds of revisions, and landed on the soft pink, cream, red, bows, butterflies, florals, ladybugs and slightly whimsical typography that eventually became the visual language for the entire shower.
Quick shoutout to Partiful, because I use it constantly when I want something to feel custom without adding an unnecessary invitation-platform expense. I can upload my own design, manage RSVPs, send updates and reminders, and keep the guest communication together instead of choosing a random pre-made theme. We love custom over here, so it works really well for the way I like to plan.
Once the invitation was finalized, I started carrying those same details into the rest of the party. The games, drink signage, welcome sign and backdrop did not need to be identical, but I wanted someone to see the invitation, walk into the shower a few weeks later, and immediately feel like they were in the same world.
One invitation became the palette, type, motifs and game details guests saw throughout the shower.
How the Concept Came to Life
The mockup gave us the direction. The finished installation was supposed to take it further.
Once we had the overall visual direction, I designed the main backdrop around the phrase “A Little Ladybug Is on the Way.” I knew pretty quickly that I did not want to do the obvious red, black and white ladybug palette. Instead, I pulled in sage green, blush, cream and different reds, then layered in greenery, pink and red florals, butterflies and the ladybug details so the whole thing felt softer, prettier and more garden-like.
Due to bandwidth and travel logistics, we decided to tap one of our favorite local sourcing apps to find the right person to bring our backdrop design to life. We provided the concept, inspiration, dimensions, and overall direction, then let a specialist handle the fabrication and installation.
And this is exactly why we’re so particular about who we outsource to. Put our original concept next to the real-life setup and they practically mirror each other.
We don’t just sell you the vision. We make sure the finished product lives up to it.
For the physical backdrop, balloons and floral execution, I worked with @thepartyguy.tx, one of my favorite Houston vendors. I gave him the design direction, colors and overall vision, and he brought it to life beautifully.
I actually love showing the mockup beside the finished setup because that is exactly how I think the process should work. The mockup gives the client something tangible to approve and gives the vendor a clear direction to build from. It is not supposed to be better than the real event. The real thing should take the idea and make it even better.
As soon as guests walked in
The invitation was basically lifted off the screen and brought into the entryway.
The welcome sign used the same gingham, cream, red, ladybugs, butterflies and whimsical type we had already established in the invitation, so the party felt connected before anyone even made it to the main backdrop.
From there, the first details layered in the practical pieces and the keepsake moments: the diaper raffle, the special-moments cards, and the BABY letters that helped tie the whole entrance together.
Then everybody needed to eat
A grazing table instead of a formal meal.
The shower flowed between the inside and outside of the home, and she had mentioned early on that she wanted people to be able to graze instead of stopping everything for a formal sit-down meal. So we built a spread with meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, dips, crackers, breads and all the easy grab-and-go things that let people keep talking and moving through the party.
One more indoor detail
A flower + butterfly wall, because the whimsical part needed to come inside too.
Behind the food area, we kept it simple: butterflies and flowers placed across the curtain so the inside of the home still felt connected to the garden-fairy direction outside. It did not need another huge structure. It just needed enough to make the room feel intentional.
A little something for big sister
Welcome to Khari’s Cherry Garden + Sweet Station.
Once my client mentioned that her favorite drink is a Shirley Temple, I obviously wanted to incorporate a Shirley Temple bar. But I also wanted to find a way to include her older daughter, Khari, because this was not only about welcoming a new baby. Khari was becoming a big sister too.
So we created Khari’s Cherry Garden, “the soon-to-be big sister’s special Shirley.” The sign walked guests through the drink and ended with, “Cherry kisses, ladybug wishes & a little sister on the way!” It was a small detail in the grand scheme of the event, but those are usually the pieces I end up loving the most because they have a reason to exist beyond simply filling a table.
For dessert, we worked with @createdcustombyval, another Houston vendor I love. She created the custom vanilla cake and strawberry ladybug treats that tied right back into the softer pink, red and garden-inspired look we had already built for the shower. Because the desserts themselves were already cute enough, we kept everything around them pretty simple so the drinks, cake, and sweet station could feel like one continuous area.
The games were part of the design too
If everything else was custom, I was not about to drop random internet printables onto the tables.
We created Who Knows Mommy Best?, Baby Trivia, a diaper raffle, a Family Traditions keepsake station, and then one of my favorite games we have done: Sh*t Happens: Truth or Dare, Baby Shower Edition. The visual style stayed connected to the rest of the shower, but the point was not just to make the game cards pretty. I wanted guests to actually interact with them.
The premise was simple: pick your poison. If you choose Truth, you pull a card and answer a childhood, parenting or family-confession question. If you choose Dare, you get either Diaper Duty or Spit Happens, which is when the mystery baby foods and questionable chocolate-filled diapers come out.
Hence: Know your sh*t? Prove it. It was ridiculous, slightly gross, and actually fun, which I will take over another four minutes of politely filling out a generic worksheet any day.
A few of the prize + gift details we used
What custom planning actually meant here
Full-scale planning did not mean paying for things she did not need.
My client told me the budget she was comfortable with, and instead of trying to force her into a giant predetermined event package, we structured the work hourly around what she actually needed. We used things she already owned when it made sense, figured out which pieces were worth bringing another vendor in for, handled other pieces ourselves, and focused the spend on the things that would actually make the biggest difference.
The timing worked in her favor too. She scheduled the shower during a weekend when I was already going to be in the Houston area, so she avoided the larger travel expense that could normally come with having me on-site. Since she is a returning client and the shower was close to where I was already going to be, I chose to gift the smaller local travel portion rather than add another fee just because I technically could.
That is what I mean when I talk about custom pricing. It does not mean every event is inexpensive, and it definitely does not mean I can magically make a huge vision happen for a fraction of what it actually costs. It means I look at what you need, what you already have, what is worth spending money on, what does not need to become a whole production, and how much support you actually need from me.
For this shower, that meant invitation design and revisions, the visual direction, backdrop concept, custom signage, vendor coordination, food presentation, desserts, games, game instructions, prizes, drink-station details, sourcing, setup, styling and all of those tiny decisions in between that individually sound like “that will only take a second” until there are 40 of them. That chain of decisions is usually the part people are actually hiring me to take off their plate.
Another successful event done by JOAT!
Getting to see the whole thing working in real life is still my favorite part.
I had the pleasure of actually being at this shower, watching all of those little planning decisions turn into a real afternoon with the family, and capturing some content while I was there. When I am in Houston and need dedicated content-day support, one of my go-tos is @theplatinumeditco, because sometimes I would also like to be inside the event instead of spending the entire time behind my phone.
And that is really the point of all of this. The finished photos are beautiful, but the win is that the person hosting did not have to carry every vendor, decision, sign, game, food detail and setup question alone.
Swipe through a few more finished details
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