Decorating For Baby Showers

Decorating For Baby Showers
By Mr.Andrew Caxton

Decorating a room in a permanent fashion is one thing, but how
to decorate a room that is only going to be used once - for
example for a birthday or baby shower?

The baby shower is a relatively recent phenomenon in Western
culture. It started after World War II, along with the Baby
Boom, because many parents needed help in affording to buy
everything they needed to take care of their new child.

Now, fifty years later, the Baby Shower tradition continues to
grow and evolve. However, the main thing that must happen at any
Shower is that your guests enjoy themselves. This is achieved by
holding the shower in an attractive environment - whether it be
at a private home or in a restaurant or other meeting place -
and making sure there are plenty of activities to keep the
guests busy.

In this article we will concentrate on decorating for the Baby
Shower.

The first thing to do before acquiring any decorations is to
decide what kind of baby shower it's going to be. Elegant,
casual, whimsical? Based on a theme? Host and expectant mother
must get together to decide those details. The budget must be
decided upon. Number of guests. The location of the shower.

If the baby shower is going to be held at a restaurant or
private club, make sure you consult with the appropriate people
as to what kind of decorations you can and can't use. Don't
purchase any decorations until you know where the shower is
going to be held, and what is to be allowed there.

If the shower is held at a place other than one you know well,
make sure you visit it well ahead of time so that you can get an
idea of the dimensions of the room where the shower will be
held, the ease of access, toilet facilities, etc.

There is no need to go overboard on the decorations. A few
tasteful items to highlight the event will serve much better
than a jumble of pieces that in all likelihood will go unnoticed
by the guests.

Make it easy to find the Baby Shower! If its in a restaurant,
make sure the maitre' d or manager knows where the event is
being held. If they allow signs in the lobby, put one there.
Otherwise, a balloon bouquet with ribbons floating above the
appropriate tables is a great way to mark out the territory -
but make sure the restaurant allows you to do this.

If it's being held in a home, a sign outside - usually that of
a stork! will do the trick.

Wall Decorations
Balloons are always a staple of baby shower decorations. Paper
streamers or banners are also much used.

Paper Goods
Although it's possible to purchase theme-decorated paper goods,
all that's really needed is to ensure that the plates, cups,
napkins and eating utensils are color-coordinated. A table
cloth always adds a touch of cloth.
Table centerpieces can consist of fresh flower arrangements or
arrangements of candles. Using placecards is optional... those
friends seated far away from the expectant mother on purpose,
might feel a bit hurt! Better to let them arrange these things
amongst themselves.

Start your decorating of the room with several hours to spare
to ensure you have time to rush out for any last minute items.
Balloons filled with helium should be purchased on the day of
the shower to ensure that they are fresh and ready to go.

About the Author: Andrew Caxton enjoys writing about home ideas
for http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com . For additional
information on home ideas have a look at his web
http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com/styles-guide.html

Source: http://www.isnare.com

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