Our Smoke Bomb Gender Reveal

My 20 week big ultrasound happened to land right on Valentine’s Day, so obviously we had to do some sort of themed photo shoot for our reveal! We grabbed the biggest X and O balloons we could find and headed to the beach to meet up with two of my good girlfriends from work to do the most fun smoke bomb gender reveal photos <3

THE MINI APARTMENT smoke bomb gender reveal.jpg

My friend from work Anndrea was perfect for making the reveal happen – we gave her the gender envelope a couple days beforehand so she could plan out the theme (our doctor gave us her best 98%-sure guess on the gender in advance). Anndrea even went out of her way to make me a blue flower crown and a pink flower crown to get photos in before we did the real reveal (talk about anticipation!!). My other girlfriend from work and superstar photographer Mandy didn’t even know the gender (Anndrea was that mum about it) so she was freaking out with us the whole time prior to the smoke bomb going off,  which made it even more fun 🙂

My heart was racing when Anndrea pulled out blindfolds for John and I to wear as she lit the smoke bombs so Mandy could get photos of us reacting to the color. This whole time I’ve been pregnant, and even years beforehand, I’ve been hoping praying wishing that I would have a girl – at least one – and then after that, I wouldn’t care how many boy babies came after as long as I could have a girl too! I’m the only girl in my whole family, so it’s about time we introduced another girl into the Moore family (not counting sister-in-laws, of course). But because I was hoping for a girl so bad, I swore I jinxed myself and that our first baby would be a boy. Not that I wouldn’t be happy if it was a boy, but….I reeeeally wanted a girl first! So when we took the blindfolds off, I thought for a second “omg the smoke is blue it’s a boy” until John shouted “IT’S A GIRL!!! BABE IT’S IZZY!!!!! WE’RE HAVING A LITTLE GIRL!” And I stood there with my jaw on the sand speechless before I said, “are you freaking kidding me!!!!!!” …and then I started crying. Of course.

I am so so excited, I can’t even contain how elated I am that we’re having a GIRL! Guys, a G I R L. A mini me, with bouncing blonde curls and a sweet smile like John’s and the bluest green eyes you ever did see. We can’t WAIT to meet her…especially now that I’m 6.5 months in and feel her dancing around all the time!! 9 more weeks until she’s earthside…and we are counting down the days to the minute she gets here. <3 Keep scrolling for more photos of that lovely day! 

^ bye bye boy flower crown…we’re having a girl!



It was the most fun surprise ever in the world, and the most fun thing to experience <3 See below for how to create your own fun surprise gender reveal:

first: decide on a theme + location!

We decided to go with moody greys and blacks, with the pop of color being the flower crown and the X O balloons. My 20 week gender ultra sound happened to land on V-day, so having a mini photoshoot of just John and I with X O balloons  was fun and made for good photos we can print and hang! We really wanted drama and decided to find a secluded rocky beach with high cliffs to achieve this look.

second: get someone to find out the gender for you!

It’s more fun when someone else (other than your doctor) can know the gender and help you plan this special moment. Have them order the right color for your reveal and have them help you plan out how exactly you’re going to find out who your baby is (whether it be through a smoke bomb, balloons with confetti, paint splatter, etc.)!

third: hire a photographer!

This is a NO brainer guys. You will definitely want quality photos of both your reactions to your baby’s gender…especially if you’re like me and have emotional reactions to everything. Lol.

fourth: use blindfolds!

And get some “before we knew what color it was” photos 🙂 This was SO fun and really added to the anticipation.

fifth: let it all hang out!

Don’t be afraid to CRY! Or squeal or jump up and down or scream and fall over. I did all of the above haha! Whether it’s your first baby or third, it’s always better to be totally raw with how you’re really feeling about the new life you’re bringing into the world rather than worry about being composed for photos.The real life moments are the best ones to capture!

John’s shirt: H&M (similar style here and here)
John’s pants: Tilly’s
My dress: F21 (sold out, but similar style here and here)
Smoke Bombs: Got off this shop on Etsy
Photography: Mandy Oliver Photography



 

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