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• -  baby gifts
• -  christening gifts
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From Giesswein, this Austrian made classic wool coat is a true gem.  Giesswein is renowned for their boiled wool, and it is used here to perfection!  This classic doubled breasted wool coat is suitable for either boys or girls, and looks equally smart on both as shown above.  It comes in a variety of sizes and colours, including navy blue, grey and pink.

How smart is this classic camel overcoat from Boutique Brands?  If you require a coat that truly makes a statement, then look no further.  Available in a variety of sizes from 2-3 years, through to 14 years, this lovely coat is fully lined and the hand stitched detail gives it the tailored look.

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Classic olive Beaufort jacket by Barbour.  This jacket is warm, keeping out the rain as well as the wind, but unlike other waterproof jackets, your child won’t get hot and sweaty wearing this.  The hard-wearing fabric used by Barbour is fully breathable, and the jacket will outlive the length of time that it fits your child!

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What you will eat and drink

As your baby can only be baptised once, it is important that you celebrate your baby’s Christening or naming ceremony in a style that suits you, so don’t feel forced into the traditional choice of sit down meal for the reception if your style is more laid back and a simple buffet would make you feel more comfortable.

There are essentially three choices of menu style:- 

-  the traditional and most expensive is the sit down hot meal – usually comprising of at least three courses: starter, main and dessert, with coffee and cake extra.  Usually a bottle each of red and white wine is placed on each table, with soft drinks and water. 

-  an alternative hot meal is a ‘fork buffet’ where hot and cold dishes are laid out on tables in a central point with salads and snack-type food.  Guests serve themselves and return to their designated seats to eat their meal. 

-  the last option is a finger buffet where no cutlery is required and guests are free to help themselves and mingle with other guests at the same time as eating their food, which consists of cold sandwiches, canapes, dips etc. 

For all three options it is traditional for a glass of champagne to be served to each guest prior to the toast (you may substitute with sparkling wine or Cava if you prefer).  Additionally, it is normal practice to provide a drink for guests as they arrive at the reception, favourites being aperitifs (such as sherry or martini).  Don’t forget however, to provide a non-alcoholic alternative for children and those that don’t drink alcohol.

Where the venue for the reception will be

Planning the reception should begin as soon as you set the Christening or naming ceremony date.  What kind of venue suits your needs best?  Do you have a favourite hotel or pub, perhaps you want to make use of the local village hall, or would you prefer a small intimate gathering at your own home, or setting up a marquee either in hotel grounds, or your own garden?

The first consideration you need to make when booking a venue for your baby’s Christening or naming ceremony is, how many people will the venue accommodate?  This will have a bearing on the number of guests that you can invite to the ceremony.  Unless you have a very large house, a guest list of over about 25 would perhaps best be accommodated outside your home.  Are you planning on doing the catering yourself, or arranging for outside caterers?  If you choose a hotel or restaurant, the meal is likely to be offered as part of a package where everything is taken care of for you once you have chosen the room layout, menu and made booking arrangements.

Some further considerations you may have which may help you to make a decision about your choice of venue are:-

-  what areas of the location will be open to your guests?  Will it be the reception room only, or is there a further room they may congregate in and chat before being escorted into the main function room?

-  what about facilities for children, guests with disabilities or the elderly?  Are these satisfactory for your requirements?

-  does the venue have a licence to consume alcohol?

-  in order to cut costs, can you provide your own alcohol?  If so, is there a corkage fee?  If so, please calculate carefully, as it may not work out any cheaper in the long run.

-  are you able to bring in your own caterer or would you need to stick with the venue’s own?  If you can have your own, what facilities will they have access to?

-  Is linen, crockery, cutlery and glassware included in the price or are they additional costs?  Generally, hotels and restaurants quote you a cost per head to include food and drink, the room(s) hire, cake stand and knife etc.  Make sure you ask for all likely charges, so you don’t get any unpleasant surprises when it’s time to settle the bill!

-  will you be given access to a safe storage area for the baby’s gifts and your guests’ coats and other personal belongings?

Once you’ve decided on the venue, you need to consider the layout of the room, including positioning of tables and creating a seating plan if you are having a formal sit down meal.  Depending upon how many guests you invite and the size and the shape of the room, there may be limitations as to how near to the baby and central party your guests can be positioned.  You need to remember that all of the guests are equally important and wherever they are sitting, they need to feel special.  Therefore, try to avoid positioning in corners of the room, or outside of view of the ‘top table’ if at all possible.

If your reception is quite formal, especially if you have a large number of guests, it is quite helpful if you display the seating plan in a focal point when your guests first enter the room.  It is likely that many of your guests won’t be familiar with the layout of the venue, so try to minimize the confusion with new surroundings as much as possible by pointing them to the direction in which you would like them to sit.

Your venue is the place where you are going to entertain your friends and relatives – so take your time to get it right.

A lovely touch to add to your baby’s Christening / naming ceremony is to provide a guest book for all your guests to write a message or greeting for your baby – it makes a lovely keepsake for the star of the show!

Who do you want to choose as godparents / sponsors

The role of the godparent or sponsor is integral to the Christening / Naming ceremony, for it is they who make the promises on behalf or your child, who of course cannot do so for themselves.  Therefore, it makes sense to carefully consider what the undertaking signifies, and to choose the person / people who are most likely to fulfil the role successfully.   It is the parent’s role to inform the godparents / sponsors of their role and responsibilities.

Generally, most people choose at least one male and one female to act as godparents / sponsors, although it is not an actual requirement.  You may choose 1 or many godparents, it is up to you.  Traditionally the Church of England required 3 godparents:  2 the same sex as the child and 1 the other sex (for example for a baby boy, there would be 2 godfathers and 1 godmother, and for a girl there would be 2 godmothers and 1 godfather).  The Catholic Church required 1 or 2 godparents.  Either sex was acceptable if only 1 godparent, but 1 of both sexes was required if there were to be 2 godparents.  Requirements are less rigid now, but please contact your local church for further advice.

Do you have special friends who you have  long shared history with, and who you know would do their best to support your child?  Do you have friends who share your religious beliefs who you could trust to help you bring up your baby in the Christian faith?  It is important for you to choose people who will take an interest in your child’s spiritual welfare, and remain a part of their lives for a long period of time.  It is for this reason that many parents choose relatives as godparents and sponsors rather than friends.

Godparents need to be baptised themselves first, so if they aren’t already why not combine the two at one ceremony?  It would certainly reinforce the link between godparent and child!  Adults being baptised don’t require godparents, as they are able to make the required promises to follow the Christian faith on their own behalf, and any additional help and support he or she requires will be given by their friends and family in additional to the rest of the church community.

More information Godparent / Christening Gifts

Who to invite and how?

The obvious first choice of guests to invite to your baby’s Christening or naming ceremony are the godparents and / or sponsors, and close family and friends.  It is usual for everybody who has been invited to the ceremony to be asked to the reception.

Did you know that it was etiquette to invite the Minister and his / her partner to the reception?  Most don’t accept, but an invite is expected.

Another group of people often omitted from the invitation list are elderly relatives, especially those living far away.  Again, it is courtesy to invite them even if you are sure they will not be able to make the ceremony.  It doesn’t harm to send an invitation, and the pleasure they will have in knowing they were thought of and considered worthy of inviting is well worth the effort!

Children – always a contentious decision.  Only you know the children of your principal guests and whether you want to include them or not.  Whatever you decide, you must make sure that it is clear who is being invited when you send the invitation to their parents.   Not everybody will share your opinion on whether small children should be included or not, so ensure you are prepared to explain your decision, and whilst you won’t want to offend anybody, remember it is your day!

In the past, invites to baptisms were made by word of mouth, but nowadays specifically created invitations are the norm.  These can be bought pre-designed with spaces for you to add the personal detail, in packs from most card shops, or you can have cards made to your own specific requirements by reputable printers. 

More Information – Naming Day Invitations   SORRY, CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK

If having cards printed, make sure you have a rough idea of how many guests you are likely to invite (adding extra spare cards as a contingency measure in case you make a mistake or have some unexpected friends to include), as it could be very costly if you needed to have more produced at a later date!  The standard format for invitations is to send them out from the person (s) hosting the Christening / naming ceremony – usually the parents of the baby.  They are usually written in the third person, such as Mr and Mrs Smith invite you to, rather than ‘we’.  Also, the time and the date should come before the venue.  Without crowding the invitation with too much detail, it is helpful to include as much relavent information as possible.  This may include what time the reception will finish, if drinks are free for the whole event or if there is a pay bar, and also if food will be served.  Your guests will want to know if they need to eat before they arrive to avoid being hungry if you don’t provide food after the ceremony!  Invitations should be sent out at least 6 weeks prior to the event, or earlier if possible.  This gives you more time to prepare, but also allows you time to invite additional guests if some of your first choice are unable to attend.

For out of town guests, it is helpful to include a map of the church / venue locations along with clearly marked nearby parking as an enclosure with the invitation.  If they are likely to require overnight accommodation, a list of local hotels and guest houses with price lists are greatly appreciated.  If there are enough guests who require accommodation, you may be able to obtain a discount for multiple bookings, so be sure to ask; your guests would appreciate this.  You may also wish to hire a small coach or minibus to transport your guests from the hotel to church and venue if numbers make this feasible, and your budget permits.  Not all travelling guests will have a car at their disposal so details of public transport would also be helpful.

Have you thought about how you want guests to inform you whether or not they will be attending?  Is it acceptable for them to ring or e-mail you?  What about including a response card with the invitation -  this might make it easier for people to remember to respond straight away – especially if you can afford to include a stamped, self-addressed envelope too?  Remember to include the date by which you need a reply, and have a list prepared so that you can start ringing up the non-responders.

Christening Invite List Template

When and where the ceremony will be

The first thing to agree is if you are having a Christening or a naming ceremony.  If a Christening – which church?  You need to check availability with the clergyman.  Are Christenings carried out at that church as a private ceremony, part of the normal family service, or is a day set aside once a month for example, when baptisms are carried out, so effectively your baby could share his/her special day with three or four other babies?  Your choice of church will also be determined by size.  How many people will the church accommodate?  If you are expecting to invite a large number of guests, will the church be big enough – especially considering the likelihood of other baptisms or family service taking place at the same time?  Conversely, if you plan on a small intimate Christening, if the church is too big it may feel lacking in atmosphere.  Will you be allowed to take photographs during and after the ceremony?  Are you able to have tape recordings or videos made of the ceremony?  If these are important to you, then you need to check with the clergyman before you book.

For a naming ceremony, you will need to check availability with the registrar at your Local Authority, and also the venue.

Whilst your baby is undoubtedly the star of the show, before you confirm dates and start booking venues, it is vital to check if key members of the party (prospective godparents, important relatives and friends) are free on your chosen date.

If you have a favourite venue in mind for the reception after the ceremony, you will also need to find out if that is available for the day in question, bearing in mind that many dates during April to September will have already been booked for weddings.  Of course, this won’t be an issue if you have less than 50 guests and are planning on having the reception at home, but do remember to inform your neighbours that a celebration party will be taking place and more cars than normal will be present.  This common courtesy will prevent the occasion being spoilt by having a dispute with your neighbours!

Gone are the days when the only option available to you was to have a religious baptism, where it was expected that the baby would be wearing a long white traditional Christening gown.  Of course, that option is still very much in favour today and there are many beautiful gowns available to buy for those who don’t have one to pass on as the family heirloom. 

More Information – The Royal Ascot Silk Gown

A second option is a shorter dress for girls or silk sailor suits and rompers for boys.  The girl’s dresses are still generally made from silk, cotton or lace and are either white or ivory in colour.

More Information - Diana Ivory Silk Dress and Bloomers Set

Outfits for boys are not restricted to white or ivory, although many of the silk sailor suits or rompers are.  A large selection of blue (mainly pastel) outfits are also available for those who want a splash of colour for a more contemporary look.

More Information – Rochester Blue Silk Suit

The third option, is a more conventional look, whether it is a smart trouser and shirt set, or shorts and t-shirt combination.  To keep to the theme of purity and innocence, many people opt for beige or ivory.

More Information – Pale Beige Shirt and Shorts Set

Whether you opt for a Christening or a Naming Ceremony, what your baby wears is an important decision.  Most people opt for quite formal wear – after all, it is a celebration of your baby’s birth and naming and / or acceptance into the church, so it is a great excuse to dress up for the occasion!  Once you have decided on which look to go for, there are a few issues you need to consider:

-  If you have a family outfit or gown that you wish to use, does it need cleaning, mending or altering?  If so, how long will it take and how much will it cost?

-  If you are buying new, how much deposit do you need to pay, when is the balance due and when can you collect the outfit?

- Are there any other accessories you need to complete the outfit, for example shawls or white silk baby shoes?

More Information – Ivory Silk Pre-Walker Button Shoe

Religious Baptism or Civil Naming Ceremony – which is right for you? 

Nowadays, Christenings don’t always follow the same pattern as those of Victorian days.  For a start, there are more options.  Less babies are baptised now and even those that are, aren’t generally as young as their predecessors.  Parents quite often leave the choice of religion to the child to decide when he or she is much older.  Other parents, who want a ‘welcoming’ ceremony for their baby, but who don’t have specific religious beliefs themselves, opt for a civil naming ceremony rather than a religious baptism.  At naming ceremonies, other adults can be chosen by parents as sponsors to the child in much the same way as god-parents are for a Christening.   However, these ceremonies have no legal standing.  If you feel a naming ceremony is more suitable for your baby, contact your local authority to find out more information and how to book with the registrar (note:  you will need the baby’s birth certificate).

Having a baptism in church is all about welcoming a baby into the church and the faith, and promising to bring him / her up with christian beliefs and values.  Some denominations require that you are regular church-goers before they agree to baptise your child, but others are equally happy to welcome your child and conduct the service whether you are a member of their congregation or not.  Therefore, it is essential to contact the vicar of your chosen church as soon as possible to find out his views and obtain permission.

Once you’ve agreed on which type of ceremony is most appropriate, how do you start to plan what is the biggest day of your child’s life so far?

 Planning your baby’s Christening

Things you need to consider and organise:-

- What the baby will wear

- When and where the ceremony will be

- Who to invite

- Who do you want to choose as godparents / sponsors

- Where the venue for the reception will be

- What you will eat and drink