Decorations set the mood for showers.
Throwing a bridal shower or baby shower is one way to express happiness and excitement for a bride or mother-to-be. The perfect shower takes planning, from deciding the venue to picking games and decorations. Choosing the right decorations will set the mood for the party, whether it is an elegant tea party or a casual gathering. Does this Spark an idea?
Room Decorations
The most important decorations for a shower are the room decorations. For a baby shower, create a banner from a clothesline. Use clothespins to hang baby clothes, pacifiers, cloth diapers or baby blankets. You could also add a phrase to the banner, such as "Welcome Baby!" by writing each letter on a separate cloth diaper in colored markers, and then hanging them from the clothesline. For a wedding shower, use lengths of ribbon in place of the clothesline and attach tea towels, kitchen gadgets or lingerie. Flowers and candles also made ideal choices for decorating rooms for showers. Consider small bouquets of tea roses in soft pink, baby blue or light yellow for baby showers, or arrangements that fit your theme for a bridal shower. Candles scattered throughout the room will add a soft, romantic glow to the party.
Tableware
Decorating the table is more than setting out plates and flatware. For a baby shower, consider using cloth diapers or burp towels as place mats with mixed and matched china place settings, or use a crib sheet or a baby blanket for a table runner. You can also use pacifiers or teething rings for napkin rings. For a wedding shower, think romance. Use lace or tulle to drape the table. You can have drifts of fabric in on the table, and sprinkle these drifts with rose petals, sequins, glitter or engagement ring favors to make the table sparkle. You could also use tea towels for place mats or napkins for a more whimsical look.
Centerpieces
Many showers use a cake as the centerpiece for the table. For a baby shower, try using a round cake decorated to look like a baby bathtub with a little rubber duck or other bath toy resting on top, or have a cupcake "cake" made in the shape of a teddy bear, pacifier, or baby bottle. For a wedding shower, consider a petit four display made of small square cakes decorated to look like gifts, or heart shaped cakes frosted in the bride's colors. An alternative to an edible cake centerpiece is to create a diaper or towel "cake" as the centerpiece. If you would rather not have any kind of cake as the centerpiece, try using a small, painted tree branch to create a gift tree. Hang the branches of the tree with baby clothes, pacifiers or toys for a baby shower, or use small kitchen gadgets, and washcloths or dishcloths for a bridal shower.
Tags: baby shower, cake centerpiece, bridal shower, wedding shower, baby clothes, baby clothes pacifiers, cloth diapers