Christening Gowns: Styles and Designs

The coming of a child in a family brings with it an unexplainable flood of emotions. Taking care of the baby, spending time with the baby, introducing the baby to numerous family members and friends- all of these create great excitement and thrill in the hearts of the parents. Welcoming the baby in their religious community is one of the many such exciting occasions for the family. Christening is one of the most cherished and important days of a child’s life. In fact, according to tradition, it is organised even before the first birthday of the child. rnChristening gowns are commonly vital part of the ceremony among the varied believes and practices of christening. Earlier, christening used to be organised in a grander manner and so it required more preparation. The christening gown used to be sewed by the mother of the infant. Hence, these gowns were of heirloom quality and look. They were made of linen, silk, satin or cotton. Having long sleeves, these christening gowns were pretty long. There were matching booties and bonnets with them. The designs used varied- some had heavy embroidery while others were simple. These would be passed on from generation to another and thus carried a lot of sentimental value too. There is no need to feel bad if you do not have one such traditional christening gown. In fact, some people prefer modern styles over traditional christening gowns. If that is the case then you have a lot of choices. These days, there are separate dresses available for boys and girls for the christening. Unisex gowns are not what you have to stick to. In fact, there are many modern christening gowns with beautiful embroidery on them and not the plain white. There are gowns with intricate designs, motifs and even sequins. rnBefore deciding the perfect christening gown for your baby, keep the following points in mind: • Budgetrn• Seasonrn• Age and ability of the babyrn• Family tradition Christening is considered to be public announcement of your gratefulness to God for gifting you with a baby. By means of christening them, parents indirectly promise to bring up their children in adherence to the faith of Christianity. It is not, however, making them Christian. Christening is considered a scared ceremony which is shared with near and dear ones that is friends and family. Sometimes the church body is also included. Nowadays, there have arrived many alternatives to christenings, such as blessings, dedications and thanksgivings. These are held during normal church hours and hence are much less ceremonial than christening. Nevertheless, many people still hold faith in the christening ceremony and follow it due to the family tradition. In such cases, christening gowns become very important. When choosing your baby’s christening gown, you can look at some specialty stores or go through yard sales. If you are a little creative, then you can even design your baby’s christening gown on your own. Both style and comfort must be kept in mind if and when someone designs the gown on their own.