Meghan Markle had four French macaroon towers, confectionery designed by Serena Williams at baby shower
Meghan Markle's made a trip to New York to celebrate her baby shower with close friends from The Big Apple and needless to say, everything about the shower was exquisite. Daily Mail reported that not only was the party fit for the heavily pregnant Duchess, it also cost quite a bomb — and as it turns out, one of her best friends, tennis star Serena Williams, was the one who paid for everything.
The shower reportedly had four French macaron towers by Ladurée, the iconic French bakery, which became the highlight of the spread. The bakery's website even goes on to say that the towers "evoke the Parisian glamour and elegance that Marie Antoinette would approve of."
The five-day celebration that took place at The Mark in Manhattan reportedly cost a staggering £350,000. What's more, it was celebrated in the most expensive hotel suite in the country with about 20 close guests. The towers cost £350 and came in a variety of flavors, as you'd expect to from a shower for someone as popular and royal as Markle. The macaroons reportedly featured rose petal infusions along with flavors of passion fruit, vanilla, and pistachio. They were also organic, made from organic almond flour, eggs, and sugar.
The baby shower, that took place on Wednesday afternoon, reportedly revealed that the spread featured iced-biscuits shaped like storks, bunnies and baby rattles. Darcy Miller, who is Meghan's party planner, also showed off these creations on Instagram and revealed that they were designed by none other than Williams herself.
She said in a caption next to a plate of delectable selection of these biscuits, "I was honored to help @serenawilliams with personalized sweets and details for Meghan Markle’s baby shower. Thank you to @jzevents for including me on your amazing team"
But of course, Meghan's baby shower featured more than just fancy macaroon towers — her cakes and other delicious and expensive confectionary were reportedly made by none other than Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, whose food is considered one of the finest at The Mark. Everything was gluten-free so that Meghan could enjoy the food since she has dietary restraints. She's known to be a foodie, after all. Harpist Erin Hill performed for the Duchess and her guests at the shower.
"It was a delicious palate of colors and a very sophisticated table. There was no dominant color theme. It was just opulent, luxurious and completely over the top," a source told the Mail. Another one observed that everything looked like it was "too good to eat". The flowers were reportedly done by a florist named Lady Fleur that was later given away to charity after the soiree was done.
The main cake was reportedly a two-tier creation in white fondant and had figures of Meghan, Harry and a pram in front of it. Meghan and her baby were gifted some expensive gifts too — two of them were reportedly a £326 Babyletto crib and a £470 Trek bicycle.
So how much did this extravagant shower cost? A Los Angeles-based private chef who works with A-listers in Hollywood said, "If you look at the ingredients alone, then you’d probably be looking at two to three grand, but when you factor in The Mark hotel and Jean-Georges, then the sky is the limit. If I was to put a figure on an event like this, in a location like that, I’d say ten to 20 grand."