It Takes a Village {and a lot of swag}: a Recap of PMB’s First Annual Bloom

It’s hard to believe three weeks have passed since we hosted our first annual Bloom. As the PMB team has reflected on the event, we keep thinking about what we heard over and over again as guests filed out the door at the end of the afternoon: “what a wonderful event!”, “this was a fantastic day!” and…

“You must be so proud of yourselves for putting together such an amazing event.”

But we have to let you in on our little secret.

We didn’t.

Sure we did some organizing, some emailing, and some swag bag stuffing.

But the event itself was a labor of love that spanned far beyond the team here at Providence Moms Blog. Just as raising children takes a village, putting together an unforgettable event for new and expecting mothers took a village too. We owe a debt of gratitude to the amazing local businesses who helped us bring this event to you.

 

 

 

 

The beautiful spread of delicious food:

Whole Foods Market made sure our mamas were well fed with healthy and tasty food options, packaged it up for us, and even provided all the tongs and spoons (true story – those weren’t even on our radar!), while Sin Bakery provided sweet treats for our guests.

The stunning, I mean, STUNNING decorations:

We sure didn’t do those. Festiva Party Design gets the credit for beautiful paper flower and balloon creations. And did you see their banners? Their creations left us breathless!

That great panel of guest moms:

Our panel of moms reassured our attendees that the first year of motherhood would be a great year. Shannon Hegy, Robin Kall, Kimberly Shockley, and Shaylene Costa-Hurtado brought their wisdom, perspective, and humor to our audience at Bloom.

But the awesome presentations didn’t stop there:

Women & Infants brought a fantastic presentation from one of their midwives on having a safe birth. The best part? Our presenter, Linda Hunter, stayed after to answer questions and chat with local moms about their concerns for their labor.

 

Our title sponsors:

We are so, so grateful to our title sponsors who made our vision for Bloom a reality. Not only did their support make the event possible, but the information Amica and CollegeBound Saver provided to our guests was invaluable (did you know babies born in RI qualify for a $100 grant towards college savings?) – not to mention the adorable goodies they sent home with our mamas!

Our gorgeous venue:

The Providence Marriott Downtown helped us create the warm and inviting vibe that welcomed our mothers to lounge in their lobby and feel at home in the Marquis Room. Whether it was setting up AV equipment or assisting with table set-up, the Providence Marriott Downtown helped us manage all the details to make Bloom a great success.

Our team of beauty experts:

You wouldn’t have wanted any of us giving you hair and makeup tips! Luckily we had a great group of hair, skin and beauty experts on hand to give consultations and pamper our mamas. Thanks to Savage Styling by Ever, Gigi Walker Mary Kay and Christiaan Salon and Day Spa for the TLC they gave our guests.  

Our incredible PMB team:

Our team of contributing writers helped us set up, check guests in, and truth be told, calm our nerves. We are so lucky to have such an amazing team of incredible mothers by our side.

 

 

And most importantly:

YOU showed up. Over a hundred mamas came with their partners, their own mamas, and their friends. The room was bursting with the bustle of bumps and babies and boisterous laughter. And looking around our hearts were full. 

Just like all of you, we are moms. Moms juggling piles of laundry, carpools, sick kids, canceled babysitters, homework struggles, potty training, and meal preparation, all while trying to find balance in our lives. In order to get through all of that, and still have energy left for ANYTHING, such as pulling off an event for 100 of our closest mama friends, we needed to lean on our community. And after Bloom on May 6th, we know that the community that we have created here at Providence Moms Blog throughout the greater RI/Southeastern MA community at large is pretty remarkable and special. We are honored.

An extra special Thank You to our photographer, Marcela Plosker, who captured such beautiful images of this event. Head over to our Facebook page to view the entire gallery. And be sure to check out her website next time you need photos taken!

See you in spring 2019 at our second annual Bloom!

 

Thank you to all the businesses who provided our guests with information, resources and shopping!

Thank you to our swag and giveaway sponsors!