It’s A Jungle Out There

Somehow you’ve been chosen as the “master theme selector”. Out of all the hostesses, they chose you to come up with the winning idea for your bestie’s baby shower. No pressure, huh? Use this as a guide for a fool-proof party theme. Instead of something gender specific, even if you know the gender, wouldn’t it be easier to go with something gender-neutral? “It’s A Jungle Out There” is such an underrated theme that doesn’t get nearly enough praise. And doesn’t parenting sometimes truly feel like a jungle? Sometimes it is wild and uncharted territory, right? “It’s A Jungle Out There” is the perfect play on words, full of the most adorable ideas for décor and food that will leave guests thinking you’ve spent way more time and money than you actually have.

This theme could go so many different directions, but my favorite is a chic jungle theme that uses gold and green as the focus colors.

Color Themes

• Kelly Green
• Gold
• Khaki
• Brown
• White

Decor Needs

• Balloon garland
• Butcher paper
• Greenery backdrop
• Plastic animal figures
• Leaves/Greenery
• Cylinder vases (for centerpieces)
• Sand (for centerpieces)
• Cake topper
• Mini Mason Jars (40 count)
• Gold spray paint
• Gold mini-animal figures
• Large blow-up Giraffe
• Large blow-up Lion
• Floating Candles

Ingredients

• 2-3 types of flavored popcorn
• zebra cakes
• hummus
• variety of orange, yellow, and red veggies (cut into lengthwise strips)
• ritz crackers
• animal crackers
• Twizzlers
• Cheetos paws snacks
• Hawaiian Punch
• Ginger Ale or Sprite
• Pineapple juice
• Watermelon
• raspberries
• blackberries
• strawberries
• blueberries

Here’s how we made this gorgeous party happen.

The Details

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: setting up for any event is the most intimidating and overwhelming part. Don’t let it be that for you! Follow these suggestions and use our easy how-to guides to make it less stressful and much smoother sailing. Preparation is key, and thankfully this party has lots you can prepare ahead of time and lots you don’t really even have to prepare at all!

Balloon Garland

The balloon garland will take some time, but don’t let it be an intimidating thing. Give yourself plenty of time and a big dose of grace if this is your first time assembling one. Use our how-to guide dedicated to all things “balloon garland”. You can – and should – begin assembling this a few days ahead of your party. If you cannot begin ahead of time, you need to set aside at least 5+ solid hours to inflate, attach, and fully assemble the garland. If you are using a kit, like this one, there should be instructions included. However, you can always create your own garland using high-quality balloons and our guide.

Tables

Tables are such a party necessity, and, yet, you would be surprised at just how often that important detail is overlooked. Most baby showers are indoors, so utilize all tables that are already at the party location. If this is a home, think of dining room tables, sofa tables, coffee tables, etc. If this is a restaurant or reserved space, call ahead, and find out what type and how many tables they have available for your set-up. At least one large table for the food and another for gifts is recommended. A separate cake table is not a must, but some people like the look it brings to the room. If you do need to order any tables ahead of time, this large, folding table is a favorite of mine for food set-up, and this card table makes a great gift or cake table.

Centerpieces

The centerpieces I used are so easy to assemble, but they look great as an addition to your tables. Grab some cylindrical vases like these, and add some sand to the bottom of each vase. Place a gold animal figurine in each vase, and add a few greenery stems to the top. You can adjust the amount of sand you use to your liking.

Display

Because your colors are shades of brown, sprucing up your tables is relatively easy. If you have any wooden crates around your home, use those, turned upside down, as display options. If you have access to any wood “slices” or smaller stumps, use those as well for display. Here are some thinner slices you can order that make for a great addition to your Jungle theme. Place your cake on the highest display you have. Other snack items can be arranged on different displays at varying heights that are pleasing aesthetically. Make good use of the flat greenery leaves, too. Place them on the tables, partially under some of the displays, and even “peeking out” from under the cake.

Cake

Don’t stress about your cake. Order a two-tiered cake in your favorite flavor with white icing from a reputable baker or your local grocer, put a fun cake topper and one of the gold animal figures on top, and call it a day. It will be beautiful but simple – and easy!

Substitutions

Often times a situation won’t work out for one reason or another and a substitution is necessary. For this event, an easy substitution that might be necessary is with the display boxes and wooden “slices”. If you don’t have access to these or a budget that allows you to purchase them, take some sturdy cardboard boxes (sturdy is the KEY here) and wrap them in basic brown butcher paper. Wrap them tightly and neatly, hiding the tape on the sides and bottom, and VOILA! You have an easy display surface that you can throw away after the party is over.

Another substitution can be with the cylindrical vases for your centerpieces. If you are like me and have a hodgepodge of different-shaped vases or glass jars around your house, feel free to use these instead of purchasing matching vases. You’ll need to make sure the mouth of the container is wide enough to allow you to place the animal figurine. Other than that, any containers may be used. If you prefer to use what you have, but your containers aren’t wide enough for the animals, skip them and the sand altogether. Fill them about 2/3 full with water, place some greenery in each container, and add a floating candle to the top.

Products we loved:

• Popcorn display: This set comes with two matching containers that are perfect for serving popcorn. Add a small scoop nearby or on top for easy, individual serving.
• Cake: The cake is a simple, solid white, two-tiered cake. Add this gold cake topper and one or two of these precious little gold animal figures to the top (and/or beside) for a stunning look.
• Jungle Snacks: Utilize any glass containers you may have on hand to simplify your life. If you need to order some, these acrylic jars are great because they don’t break and are a great price for a set of two! Add animal crackers, twizzlers, and/or Cheetos Paws snacks to the containers. If you wish to label them, these precious little chalkboards make great food labels.
• Elephant Fruit Tray: Use a wooden charcuterie board or wooden cutting board like this one for a more on-theme, authentic jungle look.

Helpful Setup information:

For this party, we included a balloon garland kit. Garlands can be a major undertaking to create on your own, so a kit can make it less intimidating. To make this party as simple as possible, we highly recommend hiring a balloon designer. If you really want to DIY or just don’t have the means to hire a balloon designer, check out our guide that walks you through how to build a balloon garland! Remember that high-quality balloons are key, and beginning a couple of days before your event is highly recommended.

Securing the Decor

This party has a few different decor options. From sand and animal figurine centerpieces to greenery wall backdrops, and balloon garlands, to wooden displays, the decor needs to be set up properly to ensure a smooth, easy party. We share a guide on how to secure your party decor the right way, based on the space where you’re setting up!

Preparation is Key

As I mentioned previously, preparation is key. Preparing and assembling as much as you can before the day of or the night before the party is going to take away a lot of your stress. I started setting up the balloon garland one week before and stored it. You can find more about that process in my how-to-build a balloon garland guide. The backdrop for our pictures and cake table was placed the night before. I added all extras the morning of the party in a somewhat chaotic scramble. I prefer to prep as much as possible beforehand, but sometimes parties just don’t work out like that! It CAN be done in less time, but stretching it out helps it feel less chaotic and more enjoyable on the day of.

Age Matters!

Yes, it absolutely matters! For any event you host, you need to consider the age of the guest you’re celebrating and what the guest list will look like age-wise. For this event, you will likely have a female-dominant guest list. The ages could range anywhere from all over the map to adults only. Most baby showers do include children of adult guests, though that choice is really up to you.

Age Appropriation Guidelines:

• Toddler Tips– This celebration is not geared towards little ones, but unless you have specified it as an adults-only event, be prepared for some guests to bring their “little ones”. You don’t have to have entertainment for them since this is not a party geared towards children, but placing some child-friendly books or manipulatives such as blocks can help keep them occupied. This is a really easy but thoughtful gesture that can help keep little fingers out of the cake icing and gifts. Sometimes.
• Family Oriented – Your event could be family oriented. Traditionally, women come together to celebrate the woman who is expecting. However, times are changing and truly anything goes. If you want this to be a family-oriented event, that is great. You wouldn’t need to do anything different other than to consider the age range of your overall guest list and possibly refer to the “Toddler Tips” above.
• Teen Party – Teenagers can be tough. I’m not going to begin to know what I’m doing or feel capable of actually making everyone happy. A celebration like this does not need any special preparations for teenage guests. They will (or should) know that they are attending an event geared towards celebrating a mother-to-be and her sweet baby. Any expectation that there would be entertainment for them should be non-existent.
• Adult Party– Making this an adult party is an option, but it is solely up to you (and the hostesses). Adult parties tend to have different food options and the addition of a small bar. For a baby shower like this, you may opt to add in a “Mom”-osa bar with a few different fruit juices, some sparkling grape juice (for pregnant guests and the guest of honor), and champagne for other guests.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a party turns out. For this particular party, I used three tables: one longer one for food, one card table for gifts, and one card table for cake. If your guest of honor is going to open her gifts during the event, you’ll need a specified place for her to sit. My suggestion is a large, high-backed rattan chair like this one. It’s pricey but truly makes a statement. A smaller, slightly less expensive version can be found here. Rattan and wicker have really made a comeback since the 1970s, so check with friends and family first. They may have something suitable to borrow. For this event, equipment is really limited. You need some seating for guests, but couches and dining chairs work well. If your space is reserved, they should be providing seating, but certainly, check on that to be sure.

Food & Drinks

We ordered/prepped these dishes beforehand, and stored them on platters and trays in the fridge to have them perfectly prepped for a picture-perfect serving:

• Lion Veggie Tray (we added thinly sliced carrots to our tray, too)
• Elephant Fruit Tray (we replaced the peanuts with a variety of red fruits plus blue and blackberries)
• Individual Banana Pudding (or “Monkey Cups”)
• Snake Sandwich Tray (you can also pre-order a sandwich tray and arrange to save time and energy)
• Jungle Juice (we used Sprite instead of Ginger Ale, but either one works)

The rest of the snacks required no actual prep. We just had to store them in the pantry or cabinet until the day of the event. If you’re like me, the counter works well for storage, too.

• Twizzlers (Jungle Vines)
• Cheetos Paws
• Zebra Cakes (unwrap about 45-60 minutes before the party and stack them on a display in a pyramid of sorts)
• Popcorn (multiple flavors)
• Animal crackers (we used plain ones, but any flavor would work)

This event was such a success. The food and beverage choices were on-theme, filling, but easy. The decor was on point! Guests loved the balloon garland, the large blow-up animals, and that gorgeous statement chair. Our little “kiddie corner” with Legos and books was such a lifesaver! Moms just raved about how nice it was to have something for their little ones to do during the event.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: setting up for any event is the most intimidating and overwhelming. It shouldn’t be! Follow these suggestions and use our easy how-to guides to make it less stressful and much smoother sailing.