Meghan Markle's Baby Shower Had Flower Arranging Lessons, Cotton Candy & $225 Favors

Yesterday, Meghan Markle celebrated the impending arrival of her first child with an intimate party with several close friends. Though the guest list wasn't all that long, the celebration was elaborate with plenty of very special touches. From its New York City location and decorations to the refreshments and favors, this baby shower was indeed fit for a princess.

Baby Sussex's shower was held at The Mark Hotel on Manhattan's Upper East Side, as evidenced by the many photos shot of guests strolling inside. More specifically, however, the party reportedly took place in the hotel's 10,000-square foot penthouse. According to The Mark's website, the suite includes five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a library lounge, a 12-person dining room, and access to a private rooftop terrace that offers views of Central Park and the New York City skyline. In a September 2018 article published by Bloomberg, The Mark penthouse was described as the most expensive hotel room in the United States at $75,000 a night.

The decorations doubled as entertainment. In addition to being treated to the sophisticated sound of harp music played by Erin Hill, guests also got to participate in a flower arranging workshop. Gayle King, a CBS Good Morning anchor and guest at Markle's baby shower, revealed on her show this morning that "We each made an individual vase and then Meghan, at the request, got in touch with an organization I've never heard of called Repeat Roses, and all of those were donated to different charities."

According to Repeat Roses' website, it also provides floral arranging workshops. So the one held at this celebration was likely put on by the flower repurposing organization itself. The fact that the Duchess requested her shower decorations be donated after the event comes as no surprise since the same was done with the flowers used at her and Prince Harry's May 2018 wedding. Perhaps the Kardashian-Jenner clan should consider this up-cycling tactic for their many flower arrangements as well.

According to multiple reports, Meghan Markle's baby shower was catered by world-renowned chef Jean-George Vongerichten, which makes sense as the chef has a restaurant inside The Mark Hotel. Though we don't know much about what was served, what appears the sole photo shared on social media from inside the baby shower did show some expertly-iced baby-themed sugar cookies.

The picture of the rattle, stork, and bib-shaped cookies was shared by celebrity makeup artist Daniel Martin. According to footage captured by Inside Edition outside The Mark, a cotton candy machine was spotted being brought inside with other party supplies, which could mean guests also indulged in clouds of spun sugar that were perhaps colored to denote the baby's still-unpublicized sex.

When the party was all over, the Duchess's guests were sent home with more than just fond memories of the afternoon and a couple leftover cookies. Inside Edition also reported that each person who attended the baby shower was gifted an Away Luggage suitcase as a very extravagant goodie bag. Based on footage of the luggage being brought in before the party, we believe the guests were given Aways' Carry-On, which cost around $225. 17 Away Carry-Ons were seen, which means at least $3,825 was spent on favors alone.