I Threw Myself A Swiftie-Inspired Baby Shower And Here's Everything I Bought

"I can still make the whole place shimmer," —Taylor Swift and me throwing myself a party while seven months pregnant.

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Hello friends (and dare I say, fellow Swifties!) My name is Heather, and I have been a Taylor Swift fan since, yikes, 2006. As soon as I found out I was pregnant (again), I knew I wanted to have a casual, lower budget, but fabulously themed Taylor Swift–inspired party to celebrate ✨. Feel free to take this guide as a sign you should throw your own Eras-themed shower.

Heather Braga / BuzzFeed

I have an almost 2-year-old son and am having a baby girl in the spring — my first baby was born during the pandemic, and I really had no interest in a full-blown baby shower. So, when given the opportunity to throw myself a "sprinkle," I was more than excited to do it my way. I wanted to be In Charge (eldest-daughter problems) and cater to the fact I also have Gestational Diabetes (which means I have a pretty restricted diet and, honestly, social events around food can be stressful for me to navigate).

Anyway, I invited only my girlfriends (plus my mom and sisters), went all-in on my beloved Taylor Swift theme, and did so without spending an obscene amount of money — and you absolutely can, too.

Side note: sadly, my Eras shirt is no longer available. However, you can get a similar shirt to the one my son Noah is wearing above from Land of Custom Tee on Etsy (a small business!) for $7.15+ (available in sizes 3M–18M, 2T–5T, and two prints).

First things first: the outfit!

Taylor Swift

I splurged on my dress because I really wanted to have my "girl" moment — I also knew I'd absolutely be able to rewear this floral, perfectly pink Hill House number many more times this spring/summer, so it felt worth it. I chose to accent it with a hair bow that was so easy to fasten (it's attached to a standard hair tie) and added an extra (on-trend) coquette feminine vibe.

Heather Braga / BuzzFeeed

I was torn on what to wear to this lil' party since 1. it was only being held at my house and 2. it's February, and I really didn't want to make a "big deal" out of the dress code. However, when this newer floral design of Hill House's classic Ellie Nap dress dropped, I knew I had to have her. I own four of these dresses and absolutely love that I fit in the same size whether I'm pregnant or not — it's even noted on their website that this style is pregnancy- and breastfeeding-friendly! I was complimented by quite literally everyone who stepped foot in my home and felt comfortable in it for the entire day.

I topped off my look with a delicate, playful hair bow that really added the extra something-something to help me stand out a bit on "my day." I originally bought the pack of 10 bows around the holidays and have gotten so much use out of the various colors!

Get the dress from Hill House for $188 (available in women's sizes 3XS–2XL and 19 styles) and a pack of 10 bows from Amazon for $12.99.

If you're looking for a more affordable option, I had also ordered this dress ($45 on Amazon) in pink and was planning to wear it until I fell head over heels with the option shown above.

Next up: decor!

Taylor Swift

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One of the most important things to me was providing a curated spot to take cute photos with my friends. I did so by snagging a foil backdrop and a custom-made "Heather's Mom Era" banner that was so perfectly on-theme I wish I could keep it on display all the time.

Heather Braga / BuzzFeed

This was actually way more involved than it needed to be, as I am terrible at measuring the size of items before I order them (read: I don't measure at all). My husband discovered the night before that the foil backdrop I picked up from Target would in *no* way cover the space I needed. So, he jetted off for a last-minute Party City run and discovered the one you see above (correcting my error for me, as per usual). The end result (once *he* hung it up for me, haha) looked fantastic!

Get the foil banner from Party City for $9 (available in 10 colors) or a similar one in a two-pack Amazon for $5.99 (available in 11 styles).

As for the banner, my possible favorite piece of decor, I had it custom-made in advance from a small business on Etsy called Shop Paper and Parties — it's designed to look like the famed friendship bracelets fans have been trading during the Eras tour. The shop shipped it *so* fast, and all the letters were already strung together! Anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of having to piece together a lengthy banner knows having it arrive completed is a HUGE perk. It was so cute strung over the shimmery backdrop and looked absolutely fantastic in my photos.

Get it from Shop Paper and Parties on Etsy for $10.71+ (available in up to 25 letters and up to three lines).

Every party needs a lil' activity and thematic decor, right?

Recording Academy / Grammys

I had no interest in playing baby shower games (sorry, not sorry), but instead, I put together a "friendship bracelet–making" station inspired by the fun tradition fans have started to swap handmade bracelets. This included, of course, friendship bracelet kits, bracelet string, mini cups to sort it all into, and popping on the rented version of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film as a "backdrop."

Heather Braga / BuzzFeed

I am *so* happy with how this turned out! I displayed it on my TV stand, so I utilized my TV as part of the decor as well. I popped on Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour via Amazon Prime (you can still rent it for $19.89, a nod to Tay's birth year) and let it run on mute for the duration of the party — I used my Spotify account and various Google speakers to pump Taylor Swift's music throughout my entire house.

Anyway! I found a handful of fun-colored beads at my local Home Goods, snagged a few bead kits from Amazon (links to follow), a ton of bracelet string, and took on the very time-consuming task of separating letters into tiny cups to make crafting easier. I wouldn't recommend doing all that separating as I was up way too late the night before doing so and truly felt like my hand was going to shatter into a million pieces.

Get it all from Amazon: clay bead bracelet-making kit for $6.99, an alphabet and numbers bead kit for $8.99 (available in 20 styles), a pack of 200 2oz clear cups for $7.59+ (available in two sizes), and stretchy bracelet string for $6.99.

I accented my "bracelet station" with a thoughtful art print that pays tribute to the Taylor Swift lyrics from "You're On Your Own, Kid" that inspired all of the bracelet-making! Additionally, I ordered an adorable handmade box to store the bracelets in and then use as decor in my daughter's nursery.

Heather Braga / BuzzFeed

It's hard to see in the photo but the box says "Oh, darlin, don't you ever grow up" on the front 🥺. I custom ordered it from a small business on Etsy called Honey Dew Good — most people have purchased it to store the bracelets they've received at the tour (which is a spectacular idea). The shop owner was so sweet and added in a bracelet and a Taylor Swift sticker to the box before shipping it. I loved the thought of my friends making bracelets for my daughter and  can't wait to showing this lil' box off in her room.

Get the memory box from Honey Dew Good on Etsy for $40.

The print was a digital download from another small Etsy business named myPrintPal — it was super easy to access, I sent it off to be printed as a photo image from CVS Photo (so it was a bit shinier) then popped it into a simple white frame (which I also plan to repurpose in the nursery) from Amazon to finish off the look.

Get the print from myPrintPal on Etsy for $3.

I also used a too-cute Taylor Swift Little Golden Book and adorably on-theme Build-A-Bear to jazz up one of the end tables in my living room — will *absolutely* be putting both of these items into the baby's room once she arrives!

Heather braga / BuzzFeed

I've actually owned this Taylor Swift book for nearly a year (haha) and have read it to my son multiple times — it was a no-brainer to use something I already had as decor! I was also lucky enough to receive a sample of this Build-a-Bear clad in a Taylor and Travis–inspired tee, hehehe. My son has been toting it around the house since and will be *advised* to share it with his sister once she arrives...we'll see 😉.

Get the Taylor Swift Little Golden Book on Amazon for $4.78 and the Build-a-Bear tee from Build-a-Bear for $8.50 (the snuggly bear modeling it at my party is the "Timeless Teddy," who you can snag for $21.60).

I added some Swiftie flair to a table in my entryway by displaying a framed puzzle my mom glued together for me (I gifted it to her for Christmas!), another fun Taylor Swift–inspired ABC kid's book, and a pretty candle.

Emma Lord / BuzzFeed, Haus of Moods

Apologies for not remembering to take a full photo of the gloriously completed puzzle! Luckily, BuzzFeed writer Emma Lord was smart enough to snap a photo of my setup, though 😉. I surprised my mom with the puzzle for the holidays (as noted above), and she, in turn, surprised me by gluing it together and mounting it so I could use it as decor for my party!

Anyway, here's where you can get all of the glorious items pictured above:

- Get the Taylor Swift–Themed Easter Eggs & Lyrics puzzle from Haus of Moods (a small business) for $22+ (available in four sizes).

- Get the Taylor Swift Legends Alphabet book from Barnes & Noble for $19.95.

- Get the "You're My Favorite" candle from Candier for $36.

A gift from my sisters that actually doubled as decor (and was beloved by all, regardless of whether they considered themself a Swiftie or not) was a rack of baby clothing organized by each Taylor Swift "Era."

Heather Braga / BuzzFeed

You can see *my* video in all its glory on TikTok and absolutely should check out other fans' iterations of this fun baby shower trend.

The clothing rack was purchased from Amazon, but I wouldn't recommend it for this task because it was far too big for what we needed (oops). However, you should totally consider ordering the tiny velvet hangers! I have the same ones in gray in my son's room, and they're fantastic. The teeny, tiny clothing doesn't slip off and they all fit so nicely together in this closet.

Get a set of 50 hangers from Amazon for $22.49 (available in 10 colors).

I'd also never forgive myself if I didn't suggest some of my fave outfit options for you to buy for your mini Swiftie (or one that's soon to join your squad).

- A long-sleeved plaid flannel top that looks *just* like the jacket Taylor wears on her Evermore album cover (get it from Old Navy for $4.47, available in sizes 18–24M and 2T–5T).

- A sleeper with an array of Taylor-inspired icons all over it to cover *every* era (get it from Bamboo My Baby, a small business, for $34, available in sizes newborn, 12–24M, and 2T–5T).

- A matching sweater set covered in hearts a la the Lover era (get it from Janie and Jack for $30.23, available in sizes 3–24M).

My best friend also pitched in with her crafting skills (ones I simply do not possess) to create a Speak Now–themed diaper cake and mirror that read "Heather's Mom Era" — both of which we put to use as decor on the dessert table.

Heather Braga / BuzzFeed, Marilyn Jackle

My best friend Kristina has always been incredible at crafting — so when she volunteered to break out her Cricut and put together some fun items for the party I was all on board. The diaper cake doubled as part of her gift for me and it was absolutely outstanding. I personally located the mirror in HomeGoods and she happily printed out/applied the letters with her Cricut to complete *~the vibe~* I found through another mom-to-be's TikTok.

Get some of the items from Amazon: Huggies Size 1 diapers for $9.94+ (available in packs of 32, 84, 168, and 198), the bedazzled sneakers for $6.99+ (available in sizes 3–18M and 35 styles), and a Cricut starter bundle for $399+ (available in five styles).

And, of course, there were food and drinks!

Taylor Swift

My gathering was mid-afternoon, so cocktails weren't exactly at the forefront of the affair. However, I'd be absolutely remiss not to make use of the opportunity to display Taylor Swift–themed drinks and infuse 'em all with edible glitter...

Heather Braga / BuzzFeed

This was a pretty simple plan to execute — I filled two glass liquid-dispensing jars with on-theme beverages (and made sure to label which one was non-alcoholic for all the other present pregnant women plus non-drinkers). I downloaded an editable drinks template to display next to it! I also, of course, accented the drinks with cute stemless champagne glasses (made from plastic, no broken glass hazards here), heart-shaped straws, and edible contact glitter (which was a BIG hit). Please note that a little of the edible glitter goes a long way — although my sister was literally carrying it around with her and sprinkling it into guest's drinks like a modern-day Tinker Bell. The glitter even looked fun in flavored seltzers!

You can get the printable drinks menu from Asher Kelly Designs, a small business on Etsy, for $3.99 (which I also had printed from CVS Photo and framed via Amazon). The small biz also has a bunch of other Taylor Swift–themed party items you might want to check out!

And, of course, you can get everything else I used for my cocktail table set up on Amazon: similar glass drink dispensers for $54.66, edible glitter (from a small business!) for $11.99 (available in 17 colors), stemless champagne glasses for $23.99 (also from a small business!), and a pack of 100 heart-shaped straws for $12.99 (available in two colors).

While I kept apps/ our actual meal simple (Costco snacks and a variety of pizzas, yum!) I went all in on dessert...even though I couldn't eat any of it 😅. It was all worth it to see just how stunning my custom cookies looked spread across the table (and they doubled as a party favor for guests to take home).

Fate stepped in when it came to my cake, which I hilariously (and incredibly) won when I entered to win it from a local bakery near me called Front Street Bakery. My family has been getting cakes and desserts from them for years, and I happened to see they were hosting an Instagram contest for someone to win a Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift cake. I happened to be the lucky winner! It was absolutely delicious and made all of my guests giggle, no matter how they felt about the famous couple. Please enjoy my mom's five seconds of fame holding the cake on their Instagram page.

Most importantly, I ordered custom-made cookies from a local baker (and fellow mama!) EDK Cookies. I sent her a few inspirational photos of similar cookies I found across Instagram and TikTok, and, WOW, she delivered. You can see 'em in all of their glory on her Instagram page. They were the most beautiful cookies I had ever seen, and I simply still can not get over them. I couldn't help but have a taste despite my GD diet (don't tell my doctor!), and they were so delicious. I loved that I was able to use them as decor for the dessert table, and they were individually wrapped for guests to take home.

To quote Taylor Swift, all I could say at the end of the party was "I had the best day with you today." Everyone had a wonderful time (even if they somehow weren't fans of Tay) and I felt like *for once* I had the party of my dreams. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll just be counting down the days to her new album *and* my due date (which lies shortly after!)

Taylor Swift / Netflix

In case you were wondering, I *did* change into my Cardigan (IYKYK) and leggings as soon as possible. I have photo evidence in a cute pic with my dad but he has zero interest in being "posted on the Internet."  🙃.

Some reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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