Did you know that safari-themed showers are up 40% in popularity this year? I absolutely love setting up wild celebrations! When I planned my sister’s party, I desperately needed 7 safari baby shower ideas with jungle animals and greenery theme. It was a blast, but honestly, it was a bit stressful too! We will explore lush foliage, cute creatures, and gorgeous tablescapes. Grab your binoculars!
1.Design a Lush Greenery Backdrop for Photos
Man, let me tell you about my first time making a greenery backdrop. It was an absolute disaster! I thought I could just tape some fake leaves to the living room wall for my cousin’s safari baby shower.
Big mistake. Huge. About twenty minutes into the party, the whole thing fell down.
The tape just wasn’t strong enough for those heavy plastic stems. My sister’s friend was taking a cute selfie, and bam. Fake leaves everywhere on the floor. I was so mad and embarrassed I wanted to hide under the snack table for the rest of the afternoon.
That deep frustration taught me a big lesson about safari baby shower prep. You gotta use the right tools if you want that jungle party to look good. Tape is your worst enemy here.
Building It The Right Way
So, how do you actually make a greenery backdrop that stays put? You need zip ties and a metal grid panel. A heavy-duty wire grid panel from the local hardware store costs about $15.
When I was went to the hardware store last time, they were sold out of the green zip ties. I had to use bright orange ones! You just lean the grid securely against the wall or hang it with heavy-duty hooks.
Then, use small zip ties to attach your artificial tropical leaves directly to the metal bars. It holds up like an absolute champ.
I learned that the hard way, but you don’t have to. You can mix different types of foliage, like large monstera leaves and long fern fronds. This makes it look thick and wild.
Try to grab a bulk pack of 60 assorted fake leaves online for about $20. That amount usually covers a 3×4 foot area perfectly. The backdrop was finally finished by me right before the first guests walked in.
I forgot to cut the plastic tails off the zip ties though, which looked kinda silly! Me and my husband had to snip them off while people were eating.
Adding the Final Touches
Once the leaves are completely secure, slap a cool neon sign right in the middle of the grid. I really like the ones that say “Wild One” or “Oh Baby”. They cost around $35 online and plug right into the wall.
Hide the ugly black cord behind the thickest leaves. It looks so rad in pictures when the lights dim. Your guests will totally freak out over how professional it looks.
Plus, it gives everyone a specific spot to snap their Instagram pics. That is way better than standing awkwardly in the kitchen next to the fridge. Just make certain you secure the bottom of the grid panel with a heavy weight.
A sandbag or a heavy potted plant works great. So no one trips over it and pulls the whole thing down. Trust me, I’ve seen that happen too!
Best Leaves for a Safari Baby Shower
Not all fake leaves are created equal, guys. The cheap paper ones will rip if you look at them wrong. You want the fabric or soft plastic ones with wire stems inside.
The wire lets you bend the leaves so they stick out naturally. It gives the greenery backdrop a real 3D effect. A flat wall of plastic just looks sad and cheap.
Also, a weird mistake was made by me when I didn’t wash the fake leaves first. They sometimes have a funky factory smell when you open the plastic bag. Just let them air out in the garage overnight before you start building.
I always include a few gold-painted palm leaves in the mix. It adds a little pop of glam to the safari baby shower decor. Just grab a $6 can of metallic gold spray paint and hit a few leaves in your backyard before attaching them.
2.Set Up a Jungle Animal Cake Table
Now, let us talk about the sweet stuff. The dessert table is usually the main thing people look at when they walk into a baby shower. For a safari theme, a jungle animal cake table is an absolute must-have.
I remember for my best friends party, we just put the cake flat on a regular table. It looked so boring and sad. I realized you need to give the cake some height so it really stands out in the room.
Use a Wooden Crate as a Stand
Instead of a fancy glass stand, grab a rustic wooden crate. You can find these at most big craft stores for around $10. Just flip the wooden crate upside down and put the cake right on top of it. It gives that perfect natural, outdoorsy feel.
Plus, it is super sturdy so the cake won’t wobble. Me and my neighbor actually stained a plain crate with a dark walnut color to make it look like real jungle wood. It was an easy project and only took about an hour to dry.
Add Fondant Jungle Animals
For the cake itself, you don’t need to hire a super expensive baker. You can buy a plain, affordable bakery cake and dress it up yourself. Just ask the bakery for smooth green or white frosting.
Then, you just order fondant elephants and giraffes online. You can find amazing handmade sugar animals on sites like Etsy for a great price. Just pop them on top of the cake right before the party starts.
Make certain you don’t put the fondant animals in the fridge overnight though. The moisture can make the sugar melt and look gooey. A mistake was made by me doing that once, and the poor elephant looked like he was melting into a puddle!
Scatter Gold-Painted Figurines
To make the whole table look extra special, use small plastic animals as decor. Go to the dollar store and buy a bag of those cheap plastic lions, zebras, and monkeys.
Take them outside on some newspaper and spray paint them with a shiny metallic gold. Once they are fully dry, scatter these little gold-painted animal figurines around the cupcakes and dessert plates on the table.
It ties the whole safari baby shower theme together and looks very expensive. Kids also love taking them home after the cake is cut! It is a fun and cheap way to make the food table look amazing. Throw a few fake monstera leaves under the dessert trays, and you are totally done.
3.Create DIY Safari Animal Centerpieces
Listen guys, spending hundreds of dollars on fancy flowers for a party is just silly. When my friend and me were looking at florist prices for her baby shower, we almost fell out of our chairs! I told her right then and there that we could make something way cuter ourselves.
That is how we ended up making these awesome DIY safari animal centerpieces. They are super easy, and they save you a ton of cash.
Start With Mason Jars and Burlap
First thing you need to do is get some wide-mouth mason jars. I buy them in big cases at the grocery store because they are super cheap. Instead of a fancy silk tablecloth, buy a big roll of burlap at the craft store.
Cut the burlap into long strips to make a burlap table runner for each table. Burlap has that rough, natural texture that fits perfectly with a jungle animal theme. A big mess was made by me trying to cut burlap with dull scissors once. Definitely use sharp fabric scissors so it doesn’t fray everywhere and leave little brown strings all over your floor!
Set your clean mason jars right in the middle of the burlap runner.
Fill With Greens Instead of Flowers
Since we are doing a greenery theme, skip the expensive roses and daisies. Just fill the mason jars with fake or real monstera leaves and ferns.
Real ferns look gorgeous but they wilt pretty fast if it is a hot day. I prefer using high quality fake ferns. You just bend the wire stems a little bit so they spill over the edges of the jar naturally. It looks so lush and wild. Plus, you can reuse the fake leaves for another party later on.
Add the Jungle Animals
Here is the fun part that all the kids love. You take those same little plastic lions and zebras we talked about earlier. Get some wooden dowels or long bamboo skewers from the kitchen aisle.
Hot glue one plastic animal to the top of each stick. You just gotta hold the animal tightly on the stick for about thirty seconds until the hot glue dries completely. I actually burned my thumb pretty bad making these, so please be careful with the glue gun!
Then, you just poke the wooden dowels right down into the mason jar among the leaves. The little animals look like they are peeking out of the jungle bushes! My students at school thought this was the coolest thing ever when I brought the leftover ones to my classroom. It is a really fun, cheap craft to do while you watch TV at night.
4.Serve Tropical Jungle Themed Mocktails
Drinks are always a tricky part of a baby shower. Since the mom-to-be cannot have any alcohol, you gotta make the non-alcoholic drinks really fun. Otherwise, people just drink plain water from plastic bottles, which is pretty boring.
For a wild party, serving tropical jungle themed mocktails is definitely the way to go. Me and my sister tried making a blue punch for a party once, but it honestly tasted like dish soap! This time, I figured out a much better recipe.
Mix Up a Green Jungle Juice
To match the lush greenery theme, you need a green drink. We call it “Jungle Juice” and the kids absolutely go crazy for it.
You just mix up some fresh kiwi puree, lime juice, and a big bottle of lemon-lime soda. The kiwi gives it this cool green texture with little black seeds that look like jungle bugs. Kids think the bug part is hilarious. If you want it a little sweeter, just pour in a cup of pineapple juice.
We made the juice in a big glass pitcher. A mistake was made by me though when I forgot to stir it before the party. All the kiwi sank to the bottom! So definitely give it a good mix right before people start drinking.
Serve in Coconut Cups with Bamboo Straws
Presentation is everything for a safari baby shower. Don’t pour your awesome green jungle juice into plain clear plastic cups.
Serve the drinks in coconut cups instead! A few years ago, I actually bought real coconuts from the grocery store and tried to crack them open myself. It was a huge mess and I almost chopped my finger off with a hammer. Please do not do that!
You can easily buy plastic coconut cups online for really cheap. They even come with little lids sometimes so the kids don’t spill sticky juice on your carpets.
Instead of regular paper straws that get mushy and gross after ten minutes, use bamboo straws. The bamboo looks like little tree branches sticking out of the coconuts. It fits the wild theme perfectly and they are way better for the environment too.
Garnish With Edible Orchids
If you want to make the mocktails look super fancy without spending a lot of money, add a flower garnish. The bright green drink looks amazing with a pop of bright pink or purple on top.
You can just float an edible orchid right on top of the ice cubes in the coconut cup.
Now, please listen to me carefully on this part. Don’t just pick random flowers from your backyard bushes, guys. Some garden flowers are actually poisonous! My neighbor tried decorating a cake with yard flowers once and it was a bad idea.
You need to buy real edible orchids from a specialty grocery store or order them fresh online. They are totally safe to touch the drink and they make the whole cup look like a beautiful tropical jungle.
5.Assemble a “Wild One” Balloon Garland
Let us talk about balloons. You cannot have a baby shower without them. But a regular bunch of balloons tied to a string is kind of boring. You really need a big, wild organic balloon garland to make a huge impact on your guests.
I used to blow up balloons by myself until my face turned purple. A mistake was made by me when I tried to blow up a hundred balloons for my nephew’s birthday. I got so dizzy I had to lie down on the couch for an hour! Now, I always tell people to buy an electric balloon pump. You can get a good one for 20 bucks online, and it saves your lungs.
Mix Sage Green, Gold, and Brown Balloons
For a safari baby shower, the colors are super important. Do not just buy the standard bright party colors. You want to mix sage green, gold, and brown balloons.
The sage green looks soft and matches the jungle greenery theme perfectly. The gold adds a fancy touch, and the brown looks like tree trunks. You also want to blow up the balloons in totally different sizes. Have some really giant ones and some tiny ones.
Me and my kids spent an hour tying them all to a plastic balloon decorator strip. It is a clear plastic tape with little holes that hold the balloon knots tight. It makes building the arch so much easier than tying them together with string.
Tuck Fake Palm Leaves Between the Clusters
Once your balloon garland is put together, it might look a little plain. Here is the absolute best trick to make it look wild. You just take some of those fake palm leaves we used for the photo backdrop.
Tuck the fake palm leaves right between the balloon clusters. You don’t even need tape or hot glue. Just wedge the plastic wire stems into the tight spots between the balloons. It fills in any weird empty gaps and makes the whole thing look like a real jungle canopy.
My sister actually thought I hired a professional party planner when she saw it! Just make sure the wire stems don’t have sharp edges that might pop a balloon.
Drape the Garland Over the Main Entrance
Now you have to hang it up. The best spot to put your wild one balloon garland is over the front door or the main entrance to the party room. That way, it is the very first thing your guests see when they walk inside. It sets the party mood right away.
I usually use clear removable hooks and some clear fishing line to tie it to the wall. The fishing line is basically invisible, so the balloons look like they are floating by themselves.
Just be careful not to drag the balloons on the sharp corners of your door frame while hanging it. I accidentally popped a giant gold balloon right over my husband’s head once while we were putting it up. It sounded like a cannon went off and scared the dog half to death!
6.Hand Out Animal Print Party Favors
You cannot let your guests go home empty-handed. But picking the right party favor is actually pretty hard. A mistake was made by me at my sister’s bridal shower a few years ago. I gave everyone little chocolate bars in the middle of July.
They melted all over the inside of everyone’s hot car seats! I felt so awful about it. For a wild party, you want something cute that won’t make a huge mess. Handing out animal print party favors is the best way to say thank you.
Fill Small Leopard-Print Bags
Instead of messy candy, you should fill small leopard-print bags with animal crackers. I found these adorable paper bags at the local craft store for just a few dollars. Do not use cheap thin plastic bags because they tear super easily.
Just scoop a big handful of frosted or plain animal crackers into each bag. It is a sweet, crunchy snack for the car ride home. My 8th grade students at school still love eating animal crackers, so adults definitely do too! It brings back fun childhood memories for everyone.
Attach Safari Ticket Tags
To make the bag look extra special, attach a thank-you tag shaped like a vintage safari ticket. You can easily print these at home on your computer. Just punch a small hole in the top of the ticket and tie it to the top of the bag with some brown string or twine.
I tried to use regular thin printer paper for tags once and they all ripped right off before the party even started. Always buy thick cardstock paper for your tags. It makes them feel heavy and look like you bought them at a fancy store. You can write a little note on the back that says, “Thanks for making our party wild!”
Include a Mini Succulent Plant
To really match the lush greenery theme we talked about earlier, include a mini succulent with the snack bag. You can buy tiny succulent plants at the home improvement store for about two dollars each.
They look exactly like little jungle bushes. Just put one little plant right next to the leopard print bag at each person’s seat at the table. They are super easy to keep alive, even for people who usually kill all their houseplants.
Me and my husband actually kept a mini succulent from a dinner party three years ago. It is still sitting right there on my kitchen window sill! It is a great gift that your guests can keep for a really long time.
7.Organize Safari Themed Baby Shower Games
Let us be honest for a second. Baby shower games can be really boring sometimes. I have been to so many showers where we had to guess the size of the mom’s belly with a piece of string. The mom-to-be always looks super uncomfortable, and it is just awkward for everyone.
As a teacher, I know that if you want people to participate and have fun, you need good activities. To fit your wild party, you should organize safari themed baby shower games. They are so much better than the old classic ones!
Play “Guess the Animal Gestation Period”
This first game sounds kind of like a science class, but people get really competitive over it. You print out a list of jungle animals and ask your guests to guess their gestation period. That just means how long the mother animal is pregnant before she has the baby.
Did you know an elephant is pregnant for nearly two years? People always gasp when they hear that!
A mistake was made by me the first time I played this game, though. I forgot to print out the answer key! I was running around trying to search the answers on my phone while twenty ladies waited for me. Always print the answers out ahead of time. You can hand out little green pens for everyone to write down their guesses.
The “Don’t Say Baby” Game
This game lasts the whole entire party and it is totally hilarious. You set up a “Don’t Say Baby” game right at the front door. When your guests arrive, you pin one mini wooden clothespin to their shirt.
The rule is simple. You cannot say the word “baby” the whole afternoon. If someone hears you say it, they get to steal your clothespin. The person wearing the most clothespins at the end of the shower is the winner.
Me and my cousin played this last month, and she tricked me into saying the word not even five minutes after I got there! To fit the jungle theme, you can even paint the mini clothespins green or draw little zebra stripes on them with a black marker.
Award Jungle-Themed Prizes
You absolutely cannot have games without good prizes. If you want people to actually try hard and play along, don’t give away cheap dollar store trinkets. People just throw those in the trash when they get home.
Instead, award jungle-themed prizes like exotic candles. Go find some nice, big glass candles that smell like coconut, bamboo, or tropical rain. Tie a little burlap ribbon around the jar to make it look rustic.
I actually bought a bunch of tropical candles on clearance after the summer ended, so it did not cost me much money at all. Your friends will be fighting over who gets to take a nice smelling exotic candle home!
Conclusion
Planning a party for a new arrival should be a fun time, not a total headache. By using these simple tips, combining lush foliage with cute animal accents is the best way to celebrate. You get to skip the expensive florists and confusing crafts that never work right.
I really hope these ideas save you time and stress when you set up your next event. Don’t forget to pin this post to your Pinterest board for all your future party planning needs. Have a totally wild time celebrating!
