Baby Shower Sashes: Sizes, Colours and What Photographs Well

A sash is one of the few decorations that ends up in every photo from the day. It is worth two minutes of thought before ordering.

Length: 63 inches is the number

Most shower sashes are cut around 63 inches for a reason — it is long enough to drape from shoulder to hip over a bump without riding up when the wearer sits down. Shorter sashes look fine standing and bunch the moment she sits, which is most of the party.

Width matters too, and it is less obvious: a wider sash, around 3.6–3.8 in, keeps the lettering large enough to read across a room. On a narrow sash the text has to shrink and it disappears in group photos.

Satin or burlap

Satin photographs shiny. That is exactly right for a bright, balloon-and-gold shower, and slightly wrong for a rustic one — the sheen catches the flash and reads as the brightest thing in frame.

Burlap does the opposite. It is matte and textured, so it sits into a room of linen, wood and dried flowers instead of standing out from it. If the decorations are boho or rustic, burlap is the better match; for everything else, satin.

Colour: match the room, not the baby

The common mistake is picking the sash by the baby's gender and the decorations by taste, then finding they clash. Modern showers are mostly decorated in greenery and neutrals, which is why a sage sash tends to sit better in photos than a bright pink one, whatever the reveal says.

If the shower happens before the reveal, or you would rather not commit, a neutral theme like yellow bee solves it without looking like a compromise.

Gold lettering versus white

Gold on a dark or saturated colour has high contrast and reads well. Gold on a pale colour is lower contrast than people expect, and under warm indoor lighting it can wash out in photos. White lettering on a mid-tone fabric is the safest combination if you know the room is dim.

The pin is not a token

Sets that include a dad to be pin get both parents into the pictures, which is the whole point of dressing anyone at all. Check the size — a proper pin is around 3 × 6 in, not a badge the size of a coin, and it should have a pin closure rather than a sticker back.

Before you order

• 63 in length, 3.6 in or wider.
• Satin for bright themes, burlap for rustic.
• Match the decorations, not the reveal.
• Check that a dad to be pin is included and that it is full size.

All the options are in Sashes, Veils & Crowns.