A prosecco wall works just as well at a baby shower when nothing in the glasses contains alcohol. Fill it with alcohol-free sparkling wine, or with mocktails made from sparkling grape juice and fresh fruit juice, and dress the glasses in the shower's colours. Guests still get the moment of picking a glass off the wall, and the mum-to-be can join in with everyone else.
The one thing to check is the label. Under the UK government's guidance, a drink sold as "alcohol free" should contain no more than 0.05% alcohol, while one sold as "de-alcoholised" can contain up to 0.5%. If the guest of honour wants to avoid alcohol completely, choose drinks labelled alcohol-free or 0.0%, and read the strength printed on the bottle. The ideas below come from the drinks and styling options we already offer, and from what one of our clients told us worked.
Why go alcohol-free at a baby shower
The NHS advice on drinking alcohol while pregnant is clear. If you are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, the recommended approach is not to drink alcohol at all.
That means the person the party is for is the one guest who cannot enjoy a traditional prosecco wall. Making the whole wall alcohol-free, or at least giving it a generous alcohol-free section, keeps her at the centre of the celebration rather than holding an orange juice at the side of it.
It also helps everyone else who is not drinking, whether they are driving home, pregnant themselves or simply prefer not to. After a baby shower we styled, one client wrote that "The champagne wall was a total show stopper and our non-alcoholic guests loved the inclusion of alcohol free mimosa’s."
What the labels mean
The Department of Health and Social Care's guidance on low alcohol descriptors sets out what the terms on a bottle should mean.
- Alcohol free should only be used for a drink from which the alcohol has been extracted, if it contains no more than 0.05% alcohol by volume. The label should also show the strength, or say the drink contains no alcohol.
- De-alcoholised covers a drink from which the alcohol has been extracted if it contains no more than 0.5% alcohol by volume. It should also show its strength.
- Low alcohol means 1.2% alcohol by volume or less, with the maximum strength on the label.
- Non-alcoholic should not be used alongside the name of a drink commonly thought of as alcoholic, so a bottle calling itself "non-alcoholic wine" is not following the guidance, unless it is communion wine made from unfermented grape juice.
The guidance is voluntary, so the strength printed on the label is the thing to trust. Drinks such as sparkling grape juice or elderflower pressé were never alcoholic in the first place, so they avoid the question entirely.
There is a legal side benefit too. The Licensing Act leaves drinks of 0.5% strength or less out of its definition of alcohol, so an alcohol-free wall sidesteps the licence question for serving prosecco at a wedding or party altogether.
What to put in the glasses
Our prosecco wall page already lists fresh fruit juices for Bellinis or Mimosas as a drinks option, and those classics are easy to make without alcohol.
- Alcohol-free Mimosa. Orange juice topped with alcohol-free sparkling wine. This is the drink our baby shower client's guests enjoyed.
- Alcohol-free Bellini. Peach juice or purée with alcohol-free sparkling wine.
- A Kir Royale style glass. A splash of blackcurrant cordial under alcohol-free fizz, which gives a deep pink colour.
- Sparkling elderflower. Elderflower cordial or pressé on its own, which looks like fizz in a flute.
Fruit in the glass makes a plain drink look finished. We can add strawberries, raspberries or more exotic fruits, and a raspberry or two in a pale drink is an easy way to tie the wall into a pink colour scheme.
If some guests will want real prosecco, keep the alcohol-free glasses on their own rows, or mark them clearly, so the mum-to-be never has to ask which is which.
Styling the wall for a baby shower
The wall itself comes in two sizes. The small wall is designed for intimate events and private gatherings, which suits a shower at home, while the large wall suits a bigger party in a hall or venue. Glass hire is included, and the personalisation options suit a baby shower well.
- Custom name tags or ribbon bows on the glasses, in pink, blue or the colours of your theme
- Glittered rims or candyfloss toppers
- Themed decorations to match the rest of the room
Ribbon bows are also the simplest way to tell alcohol-free glasses from the rest, if the wall is carrying both. A small sign beside the wall naming each drink, in the same style as the welcome sign, saves guests from having to ask what is in the glasses.
A full baby shower setup
The prosecco wall sits well beside the other parts of our baby shower package, which is designed for both intimate gatherings and larger celebrations. The package includes four things.
- A Bloom Bar, a floral station where guests make their own hand-tied bouquet to take home
- A Baby Vest Bar, where guests design and decorate baby vests for the new arrival, with all the materials included
- A customised welcome sign
- A luxury backdrop
Pricing for the package is on request, based on your requirements, styling preferences and guest numbers. Bloom Bar flowers can be upgraded as an optional extra.
Other pieces work well at a shower where nobody is drinking. A doughnut wall was part of the same baby shower our client wrote about, and the candy cart can be set up as a hot chocolate bar with marshmallows, toppings and syrups. The same thinking about non-drinkers works at a staff party later in the year, where the drinks also count towards HMRC's £150 per head limit for a staff Christmas party.
Planning the drinks
A few practical points make the day easier.
- Buy more than you think. Plan enough to refill the wall at least once during the party.
- Chill everything in advance. Sparkling drinks lose their fizz quickly once warm.
- Decide who fills the wall. Agree whether you, the venue or a friend will top up the glasses during the party.
- Check the venue's rules. If the shower is at a venue rather than at home, ask whether you can bring your own drinks.
If anyone at the shower has questions about drinking in pregnancy, the NHS, a midwife or a GP are the people to ask.
To plan an alcohol-free prosecco wall for a baby shower in Kent or Sussex, contact us with your date and the colours you have in mind, or find Flash of Elegance on Google.