Fiesta: A Non-Traditional Gender Reveal

I arrived for church service and took a seat in front of Amalia who was-- wait.  Did she just pull out a cracker?  Wait.  Why would she do that?  Is she sick? Is she hungry?  Is she -- I guess my frequent glances and squinting eyes were her perfect segue to hug and whisper, "I'm pregnant" into my ear.

Wait.

Now.

Islanders.

You know.  You know.

News like this is exciting and awesome and I can't ever contain myself!  Yet, here I was super excited and NOT able to holler scream jump up and down show it!  I had to hold it.  My eyes filled with tears, my mouth became super dry but... I held it.  It was torture but after church, we caught up on life.  How mine was upside down and hers was downside up.  We talked for over an hour... in the sanctuary... until the lights were turned off on us.  It was refreshing and exciting.  There were tears.  There were belly laughs.  There were all the feels... like, all of them.  She mentioned the baby shower and her excitement to announce the gender when she found out in about 5-7 weeks.

Afterward, when I was on my way home, it hit me!  A traditional gender reveal would not be right for Jon and Amalia.  Amalia has a huge family in Texas.  She, her mom, and her brother are all the family she has locally... that is, besides her in-laws and us, of course.  Wait, have I mentioned the relation? Well, Amalia is married to Jon who is my sister-in-law's brother.  I've mentioned it before but we attend the same church and share a family lunch most Sundays.  It's become our family's tradition.  We've all become like family.  For example, Munchface knows Amalia and Jon as her auntie and uncle, Amalia and Jon call my parents Mom and Pops.  We spend holidays together and then, it was official.  There was the glue, MaseFace.

We all share family ties to that sweet baby, my beloved nephew... which *officially* makes us all family.  Some blood.  Some chosen.  Some inherited.  All loved.  My sister-cousin-friend-in-law is having a baby.  God decided it was time and He put His plan in motion.  We've discussed how gender reveals are all the rage in this post.

Take my word for it, you're one Google search away from pink, blue and over-the-top events to tell those closest to you what you're having.

I didn't want that for Jon and Amalia.

I've attended some pretty amazing reveal parties and all of them were awesome and special.

Tati's Classic and Fun Reveal

Ryan's Rustic Safari Reveal

Melina's Glamorous and Chic Reveal

They also all had something in common that wouldn't work for Jon and Amalia, pink and blue.  I wanted to have a reveal that fit the couple's style.  He would prefer to have a cookout and fish while she would prefer to visit parks and watch sports. The traditional pinks and blues just wouldn't work for them.  It hit me!  A fiesta!  It's a nod to her heritage, guarantees some yummy food and, with the date falling around Cinco De Mayo, decor would be a breeze!  When Amalia fell in love with the inspiration image and event breakdown I sent, I designed an invitation to set the tone for the event:

Bright, colorful, and fun.  I wanted the invitation to be a nod to the traditional elements of a fiesta but also to the purpose of an event - celebrating the anticipation of our baby!  I incorporated the traditional Mexican pennant banner and a 'baby' piñata - a shorter, chubbier, and super cute baby piñata.

The invitation set the tone for a FABULOUS event!  I can't wait to share how it all came together.