When planning your baby's christening, at the top of your baby christening ideas "to do" list should be to decide how to decorate the church, hall or whatever venue you have chosen. Altar decorations are important as all eyes are on the family gathered there for the ceremony so a lovely floral arrangement or other suitable decorative items are a given. But, if you really want your celebration to be shine, the decoration of the pews, the entryways and windows are details that should be addressed.
By this time you may be mentally ticking over your available budget. The purpose of this article is to tell you that it's possible to decorate the entire sanctuary in a tasteful (and affordable) manner so that the entire area is made festive, not just the few square feet where the actual dedication will be performed.
I have a few baby christening ideas that are not expensive that can guide you in your efforts to decorate the church for your baby's dedication ceremony in an elegant and reverent manner without stressing your budget to the breaking point.
HALLS and ENTRYWAYS
Decorating the entry to the festivities gives the ceremony a sense of place and importance and we have some tips on how to get the job done without buying expensive items that you will never use again.
Landscape lanterns taken from your own home can be spaced along the sidewalks and decorated with bows for an inexpensive treatment. Borrow large potted plants from a friend to place on each side of the door and drape yards of pink or blue fabric on the handrails. For an informal gathering, arrangements of helium balloons are not out of the question.
LIGHTING
One of my favorite (and cheap) baby christening ideas is to have the baby's christening ceremony performed by candlelight. Candles at the altar and hurricane lanterns with burning candles along the aisles will provide just enough light and create an atmosphere that is amazingly spiritual and inspiring.
The only problem with this is that some churches frown on open flames used as decorations anywhere other than on the altar. The reason for this is not only that burning candles present a fire hazard; the melting wax from the candles has a nasty way of ruining carpets and the finish of antique wooden church pews.
To avoid paying for damages, perhaps the best option for subdued lighting would be to dim the lights using the dimmer switch if one exists or to use strings of twinkle lights creatively arranged along the aisles or in floral arrangements in which case you will need to know the location of electrical outlets.
HOW MANY PEWS SHOULD WE DECORATE?
The first order of business will be to ascertain how many pews will actually be filled. You can guess at this figure by the counting the number of RSVP's that have been received. If the number of loved ones and family that will be attending will only occupy a row or two, decorate those pews and use the rest of your budget to decorate the sidewalks and doorways leading into the church.
INEXPENSIVE PEW DECORATIONS
If your goal is to keep it simple, you can't go wrong with pink satin bows for a baby girl, baby blue for a boy or green or some other gender neutral color for fraternal twins. To save time you can have a florist tie the bows but position them yourself to avoid additional service charges. If you have the ability to design a professional looking bow, you will only be out the cost of the satin ribbon.
Dressing up the satin bows that you made for pews is easy to accomplish with pretty nosegays of flowers. For an informal gathering, you can attach some balloons filled with helium in your colors to the bows positioned at the ends of the church pews. I have seen balloon arches used rather than flowers to decorate the front of the church as well as the pews to take the ceremony in a lighthearted yet still respectful direction. The upside is that balloons are frivolous and fun and much less expensive than fresh flowers.
These are just a few baby christening ideas for decorating your venue in a unique yet inexpensive manner.
