I love celebrating everything and anything. Truly, celebrating is my favorite! Life is full of its own worries, and I don’t need an excuse to gather all my favorite people. Whether it’s big news or a small milestone, they all deserve their own spotlight.
And yes, I’m that girl — the one who records everyone’s reactions when I share good news. The one who plans a gender reveal, throws a nesting party the week before baby arrives, and hosts a sip & see the week after. Confetti runs through my veins!
Recently, I got to experience a sweet and intimate celebration with a close friend. She surprised me with her baby’s gender! She wasn’t planning to throw a party, but I still wanted to be surprised. So together, we made it an event. I picked up two Starbucks drinks for our weekly coffee date: one Pink Drink and one Blue Summer Skies.
I was practically giddy pulling up to the drive-thru. I spilled the whole story to the cashier, who ended up writing “Pretty in Pink” and “Prince Charming” on the cups. I closed my eyes, and my friend handed me the drink that matched the baby’s gender.
We both already have boys one month apart, so you can imagine my shock when she handed me the pink drink — she’s having a girl!
There are so many gender reveal ideas out there — some timeless, some trendy. For those looking for your own inspiration to celebrate, here are a few of my favorites:
Cake Reveal + Wine Glasses
One popular trend is cutting into a cake with the correct colored filling with wine glasses. My go-to baker is Spoony Cakes — she’s made all my desserts for every celebration. Fun fact: Even Tim Tebow used her for his gender reveal (trio of cakes, above right)!
Bouquet Reveal
This one is so sweet: The husband peeks into the envelope and surprises the wife with a bouquet. Choose blue blooms like hydrangeas, thistle, or stock if it’s a boy, or pink roses, peonies, and hypericum berries for a girl. I’ve also seen couples have their kids hand off the bouquet, which is just adorable. Trader Joe’s is my ride-or-die for floral selection and price, but for something more local, I love Jacksonville Flower Market.
Milkshake Mystery
A creative twist: Order two milkshakes or ice cream flavors like Cookie Monster or strawberry! Hand the envelope to the cashier and let them surprise you with the correct one. Blind taste test included!
With two kids of my own, I’m a seasoned veteran at gender reveals — and both were incredibly special (and a bit stressful!).
Baby #1
My first gender reveal came after a miscarriage, so I went all out. It felt like, What if this is my only chance? We had blue and pink everything — balloons, themed donuts from The Mini Bar, champagne with cotton candy toppers, blue Gatorade, and pink lemonade in carafes. We invited the whole town and popped confetti cannons. I still remember the shock and joy when the sky filled with blue!
Baby #2
For my second baby, I wanted something more intimate. It was October, so I went with a pie theme! We had blueberry and cherry pies from Ameretti Desserts and mini slices from Mixed Fillings. Instead of cannons, we popped a giant balloon filled with confetti from Salty Soirée, my favorite local party store in Jacksonville. They even made a custom balloon that said “It’s a Boy/Girl” in the correct color for photos afterward.
You can never go wrong with confetti! They make confetti-filled golf, football, soccer, etc. balls, and it is my tried-and-true way to make an unforgettable experience — and it doesn’t hurt that the colors show up perfectly for pictures.
What’s next for my family?
Now that I have one of each, my plan for baby #3 is to wait until birth to find out the gender. No one believes I can do it — but I swear I can! I already have everything I need, and honestly, it feels like life’s last big surprise.
Celebrations don’t have to be Pinterest-perfect to be meaningful. Whether it’s a gender reveal, a coffee run, or a pie party — joy deserves its moment. And I’ll be the girl with the camera… and the confetti, making sure those moments happen.
