Leave it to Cardi B to give us an over-the-top baby shower to offset (see what I did there?) our dismay over missing her secret wedding last year. Not that we didn’t see it coming; after all, the star teased the big event in the couple’s recent interview with Rolling Stone:
I want a lit baby shower. My baby shower’s not starting at no 5:00. My shit is going to start at 9 p.m. because that’s how I celebrate, that’s how Caribbean people celebrate. I don’t like baby showers that be at 5 p.m. in the backyard, cooking, eating hors d’oeuvres. Nah. Shit, I might even drink some red wine! Red wine’s healthy, right?
We have no idea if Cardi, who is now only weeks away from her self-described “deadline,” treated herself to a bit of red wine at Tuesday night’s “Bardi Shower.” But she likely deserved it, since as of last Saturday, it seemed that the stress had taken over:
Despite any event-planning drama—including flying in 60 friends and family members from New York—by all appearances, the Bardi Shower, which took place at an Atlanta art gallery, was an epic event. The theme? “A Bronx Fairytale.” In honor of their unborn daughter, the space was filled with blossoms and balloons in almost every shade of pink imaginable, along with some very specific references to the mommy-to-be’s hometown in the South Bronx section of New York City’s Bronx borough.
Guests entered through a flower-festooned, pink-painted New York City subway-car facade illuminated with authentic signs from the Bronx-bound 6 line and numbered with the year of Cardi’s birth (1992).
The inside of the venue was transformed into a candy-colored wonderland; upon entering, guests were greeted by a mango stand—a nod to Cardi’s Highbridge neighborhood in the South Bronx and Caribbean heritage, as were the palm leaves that punctuated many of the the floral arrangements.
And if we keep mentioning the flowers, it’s because there were literally buckets of them, along with a baby-book library and the party’s centerpiece: a treat- and baby-supply-filled “Bardi Baby Bodega.”
The expectant parents entered to the cheers and applause of their approximately 85 guests, nearly drowning out the booming sounds of the live orchestra—including a brass section. On the nearby dance floor, young black ballerinas pirouetted in celebration.
Cardi’s key glam squad—makeup artist Erika La’Pearl, hairstylist Tokyo Stylez and stylist Kollin Carter—once again helped give the mommy-to-be some glamorous maternity style for the special event. La’Pearl exclusively used products from Marc Jacobs Beauty to heighten Cardi’s pregnancy glow, and if we were to hazard an as-yet-unconfirmed guess, it looks like Carter may have dressed the star in a custom blush-colored and bump-hugging dress by frequent favorite designer Christian Siriano, with jewelry by Dylan Lex.
And as she wished, Cardi and her guests—including singer Monica, rapper and Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta regular Rasheeda, and little sister Hennessy Carolina—boogied down late into the night, enjoying both beats and bites of a four-tier, flower-decked, pink-and-gold cake.
With their daughter’s due date around the corner, it was the “lit” celebration you’d expect from the superstar newlyweds, capping off a year of major successes—coupled with intense speculation about the strength of their relationship.
But it appeared to be all joy for the expectant parents Tuesday night, with hopefully much more to come in the weeks ahead. And given the theme of the shower, we can’t help speculating on possible Bardi baby names ...
How about ... Bronx?