Our Boston Baby Shower

A few weeks ago, we attended a beautiful baby shower in honor of our little boy due this June.  Our family & friends organized a brunch party at a delicious Italian restaurant called Cinquecento in Boston's South End neighborhood. Chris and I had been here for brunch before and had LOVED the food, atmosphere and service, so we were delighted that our baby shower was held in their private room downstairs.  

Me & Baby B ready for the shower at Cinquecento in Boston's South End. 

Everything was beyond our expectations - the food, drinks, decor and best of all - time with our family & friends. Our little guy is incredibly lucky to have so many wonderful people in his life. 

The party planning team consisted of my parents - Abuela & Grandpa (the hosts), Chris' parents - Grammie & Papa and Aunt Jen (the decor team), and good friends Lisa & Kim (the fabulous organizers). The shower was safari-themed which was wildly appropriate since one of our favorite world destinations is South Africa. Here are some pictures of the details:

Safari themed invitations from Tiny Prints  

Diaper cake centerpieces, handmade by Grammie!

Decorate a onesie station. There was some serious artistic talent in the room! 

Baby B now has a drawer full of creative, colorful, funny and clever onesies - all made by friends and family.

We left the shower with a barrel of safari animals used to decorate the room. They are currently eagerly waiting  to play with their new friend. 

Aunt Jen found us this adorable "guestbook" poster on Etsy. Guests signed the balloons and stuck them to the poster which will be framed and hung in baby's nursery. 

Party favors!!!  Everyone loves a Lindt truffle.

Like I mentioned earlier, the food was phenomenal and I highly recommend Cinqucento for brunch if you happen to be in the Boston area. This was our menu:

• Fruit Platters & Pastry Baskets (the round ricotta fritters are to die for!)
  
• Zucchini and Feta Frittata 
  
• Hazelnut Chocolate and Cherry Crespelle (crepes with NUTELLA, black cherries & bacon - YUM)
  
• Tuscan Kale Salad with Chicken-toasted farro & sharp pecorino romano
  
• Italian Panini-toasted with salami prosciutto, mortadella, and hot peppers 
  
• Of course there were Bloody Mary's and Mimosas at the bar :)

There are many wonderful places to host a private party in Boston, but I really liked Cincquecento for a few reasons:

• Unique, hip atmosphere: The restaurant used to be an old factory and they preserved the exposed brick and beams, cast iron details, and large windows that let in in tons of light. 
• Despite being in the South End, they have complimentary PARKING for guests. This is huge as it's usually difficult to find a spot for one car, let alone a whole party of people in this neighborhood. The attendant at the parking lot was extra sweet, saving a couple of rows in the lot for our guests.
• The private room is on a separate floor from the main dining room which makes it really private. It's also close the bathroom - a bonus for us pregnant ladies. 
• Have I mentioned the tasty food?  

Here are a few snaps from the party:

[Pictured Above] The beautiful grandmas!  I know, they look WAY too young to be grandmas. 

Wallman-Barbier family photo.  I think this one might be framed for small fry's room!

We had some pretty adorable kiddos in attendance. These two little ones give the BEST hugs. 

The lovely party planners - Lisa & Kim. I swear we didn't coordinate outfit colors. 

Papa and Uncle DJ catching up

Book signing! We very much enjoyed this particular entry from Tim :)

Grammie announcing the answers and winners to the Chris & Eva trivia game. Who knew us best?

It was a tie between long time friend Hanna (an occasional BV guest blogger!) and baby bro. Luckily it was an easy prize to split in half. 

Buddies! These three, along with our friend Mike, are part of an elite club called Steak Hunters. Maybe one day Chris will write a Culinary Delights feature about it (hint hint). 

We had  an amazing time at our shower! Thank you to my parents for hosting, our family & friends that helped plan the party and everyone who joined us to celebrate our little guy. The three of us are so lucky to have you in our lives!


xoxo,
Eva & Chris