New arrivals New arrivals

AHarry Styles fan recently got her perfect gender reveal, when the iconic singer took her black balloon on one of his tour dates and popped it on stage, revealing pink confetti to signify the imminent arrival of a girl in front of thousands of fans. Leaving the rest of the world’s expectant mums busily planning how to make their reveal even better.

Similarly, while on tour in Cologne, Germany, Beyonce read out the news that one of her fans was also expecting a baby girl, leaving the expectant parents delighted and with an unforgettable gender reveal moment. Meanwhile Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker built an entire stage and held a ‘Baby Barker World Tour’ concert-themed party to reveal that they were expecting a baby boy.

2023 has also seen a royal christening, as Prince Harry and Meghan celebrated the christening of Princess Lilibet in a small affair in their home state of California in March.

With so many high profile events, it’s no wonder that there’s been a change in trends of late. Simon Aiken, account manager UK and Eire at Amscan, tells us: “We’ve certainly seen a shift in the product requirements and trends for christening celebrations, with influences for more sophisticated celebrations really contributing to the

“Our new Botanical celebration has been the perfect religious range this season. For those looking for an alternative to gender specific colourways, our Botanical range with its neutral colour palette lends itself to a more trend-led take on the occasion, with the flexibility to mix and match across different occasions such as christening, confirmation and communion.

“Adding earthy tones and introducing natural elements also starts to nod towards the trends and designs we see in homeware and styling, become more recognisable in our industry’s products too.”

Pioneer Europe has also opted for fresh, natural designs. Head of marketing, Julie Dommett, expands: “Christenings are an all-year-round event, though are more popular during the spring and summer months. Fresh greenery imagery is timeless and a popular choice for summer christening celebrations.”

And perhaps the celebrity additions to recent gender reveals are driving bigger celebrations.

Julie explains: “Social media is full of fun and unique ways to announce the gender of impending arrivals, and the celebrations are getting bigger and bigger.

“From exploding balloons to large décor, it seems gender reveals are quickly becoming as popular as baby showers, with people eager to find the next way to show their guests just who their new baby will be. While neutral colour plates are making their way into the fray, classic pink and blue themes will always have their place.”