Search the Blog

Baptism- the purifying ritual is commonly held in churches in front of a minimal crowd but most parents wish to celebrate their child’s new found faith and Christianity with their friends and family.  Unlike other parties, a baptism reception is more like a traditional ceremony.  Nobody is expected to get drunk or go wild dancing.  Still the hosts have the responsibility to make sure that guests are properly served and entertained.   There are a few serious points to consider if you are about to arrange your baby’s baptism party.

Decide how formal your event will be.    Decide if you want your party to be a formal or informal one. The decision is usually based on the guests you have invited.  In general a formal reception will take more work to plan and be more expensive.  For this reason, and because of the nature of baptisms, it is more common to see casual, informal receptions.

Send baptism invitations.  It is best to inform the guest a few weeks prior to the party so they can manage their schedule accordingly and no one has to rush for a last minute flight.   Even if your guests all have been informed of the event, a formal invitation is a good idea as it will help them keep track of the date and time of the event.

Consider designating a dress style.  There is a wide variety of dress considered acceptable at a baptism reception.  People can be a little confused about what to wear, especially if you have a number of guests who are not of your religious background.   Let them know if it will be black tie, suit and tie, Sunday dress, casual, etc.  Help the guests out by indicating the dress code on the invitations.

Depending on the time of event, the food can be a formal dinner, afternoon lunch, or tea time snacks.  Whatever it is, try to stay within your budget and be sure to get it ordered in plenty of time.  If you are having young children at the reception, be sure that there is at least one child friendly menu item.

If you are having young children, consider planning some type of entertainment for them.  Games, TV or any other kind of activity to keep them busy and entertained.  This will keep them calm and make the entire event more pleasant for you, their parents, and all of the other guests.

Don’t forget to capture all these memories by making video or taking pictures. It would be a wonderful thing to cherish and share with your child as he/she grows up.

 Finally, remember to provide your guests with a nice party favor, and be sure to write thank you notes to all who attended.

     Even if you don’t have a large enough outdoor space to host a gathering, there are a few other options that you may want to consider.

- Ask a friend or family member to hold it in their yard
- Go to a nice park that offers a covered pavilion and washrooms
- If your church has a nice yard ask if you use or rent their kitchen, tables/chairs for the day
- Many nice hotels and restaurants have patios or outdoor garden areas that you can rent

     Once you know where you’re going to host your party, choose a theme.  Angels are a very popular baptism / christening theme, but flowers, footprints, and candles are work really well too.

     One of the first things you need to do is send out your invitations.  They should be sent at least 2 weeks before your big event, which means you’ll need to get them well in advance, usually about a month or so before the big day.  Once you have a number, then you can start purchasing supplies.

    Spring is all about colors and incorporating that into your party will make spring come alive. Use a different color tablecloth on each table, and mix and match your napkins. Add a vase or basket of fresh flowers, or even a potted plant such as Easter Lilies to the middle of every table.

     The food doesn’t need to be extravagant for a garden party, and finger foods would even be ideal. Trays of sandwiches, vegetables, fruits, and a couple of different salads will more then suffice. But if you would like to offer hot foods then take advantage of the BBQ. Hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, or chicken are all great choices. Normally a cake decorated for the occasion is the main dessert, but it might be a good idea to have a pie or squares for those who don’t want cake. Don’t forget to offer an appetizer for your guests to munch on while they are waiting for the main course to be cooked or laid out, such as cheese and crackers.

     If there are going to be a few children you may want to think of a few things you can do to keep them occupied. Set up a table with coloring books and crayons, or ask a teen to lead the children in a craft. Have an Easter egg or treasure hunt. Wherever you are hosting the party, whether it’s your yard or a park, make sure you put out a toy bin with skipping ropes, balls and other assorted play things that they can use. With the children happy and busy, it will be easier to get things ready and spend time talking with your guests.

The perfect way to conclude your day is by thanking your guests for attending by handing out favors.

A baby Baptism or Christening is a family’s way to introduce their child into their church and faith officially during which they are blessed, and thanks is given for the child’s safe arrival into the world.

The first thing you must do to prepare for your baby’s Baptism/Christening is to ensure you know which type of celebration your religion does.  While baptisms, christenings, dedications, and baby blessings are all very similar, it will be a huge embarassment for you if your church does dedications and you put baptism on your invitations or favors.  Most churches that celebrate baby christenings or dedications do not believe in baby baptism, so be sure you have the right type of ceremony.  If you are not sure, ask a relative or clergy for information.  Some churches that commonly practice infant baptism are Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodoxy, Armenian Apostolic, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Church of the Nazarene, United Church of Canada, and United Church of Christ.  Other churches such as the Baptist church, Disciples of Christ, Pentecostals, Mennonites, Amish, Seventh Day Adventist, Jehovah Witnesses, as well as most Non-denominational churches do not have infant baptism, but will have a christening / dedication ceremony (these words are often used interchangeably).  Some faiths have baby blessings, which are fairly similar to Christenings, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is one such faith.

     Next you will need to set a date and contact your church.  When you contact your church, have a general idea of when you’d like to do your ceremony, but be flexible, as the minister can help make sure you get scheduled for the best possible week.  You may need to meet with your minister, priest, or clergyman to discuss the details of the event. Will you it be held at the church, your home, garden, or another location? Find out about the guidelines for the ceremony, will it be something that is performed during a regular Sunday service or is it something that is done on a separate day and time that you need to schedule. Is there anything else you need to do or know before the big day.

     Don’t forget to ask questions about the procedures you need to follow during the actual service, as well as the use of things like video and photography during the event. Finding out about these things ahead of time can be helpful when sending out invitations to your guests because you are able to make them aware of the rules they must follow during the ceremony, for example: no video cameras or flash allowed inside the church.

     Once you have set your date and determined the information you will need to communicate to your guests, it is time to send out your baptism or christening invitations. It is best to begin looking for invitations at least 1 month before the ceremony. You will need time to get them made up and to get them out to your guests. Guests should receive them at least two weeks prior to the big day, so you’ll want to order them about 4 weeks before the event. For some people, this will mean that you need to choose your invitations before the baby is born.

     Another important decision you will need to make for the baptism or christening, will be selecting your baby’s Godparents, should you choose to have them.  Not all faiths have godparents, so this is another thing you will need to determine based on your religious beliefs and the teachings of your church.  Traditionally, the Godparents will be the people who will take care of your child if something were to happen to you and your spouse, so making a hasty decision is not a good idea. Religiously speaking, they’re also responsible for directing your child in the customs of your religion.  You will also want to take into consideration how the chosen Godparents may handle the responsibility of becoming your child’s full-time guardian should the need arise (simply naming a godparent does not give the godparent any legal standing, consult a lawyer for helping in legally naming a godparent as a guardian if something should happen to you). Once you have made the all important decision of choosing the Godparents, the rest of the event will be a breeze.

     Traditionally, the Baptism/Christening gown that your baby will wear during the service would be a long white or cream gown, worn by both girls and boys. Many families will have a gown that has been passed to them from other generations, but if you do not have a gown you can choose to buy a vintage gown from an antique store, or purchase a new one. If you are not sure about having your baby boy wear a gown, do not be concerned, in recent years it has become quite common for baby boys to wear formal short suits or a formal white shirt and pants. If you are planning to buy a new outfit, you may want to find out how to preserve it for use by future generations.

      The actual service will only last for about 20 or 30 minutes, and then you may elect to hold a small reception afterwards. If you do plan to have a reception, you will need to decide where you’re going to have it because you will need to book the venue in advance if you want to use a restaurant or hall.  The food doesn’t need to be extravagant, it can be as simple as sandwiches, vegetable and fruit trays, and drinks, or you can choose to have a hot meal catered. If you’re going to do the food yourself, prepare as much as you can the night before and store it at your chosen venue and then talk to family members about helping you set everything up. 

     Whether opting for a reception or not, it is a good idea to pick up a small baptism or christening favor for your guests. These can be any small gift that your guests will appreciate, and can be given at either the ceremony, the reception, or both. In some communities, it is also common to give a small gift to the godparents.

      Once your baby’s special day is complete, don’t forget to send thank-you cards or letters to all your guests to show your appreciation for coming to your child’s Baptism/Christening. For those family members and friends who were unable to attend the event, whether due to distance or other obligations, you may want to consider sending them a Baptism/Christening announcement as a way to share your day and provide them with a keepsake.   You may want to get your thank you cards and announcements at the same time as your invitations, so that you get coordinating products.  This is not necessary, but does give an elegant look.