Naming and Welcoming Ceremonies
About naming and welcoming ceremonies
The arrival of a new family member - whether a baby or an older child - is a joyous occasion. There will inevitably have been some high emotions and drama, and a fair few tales to tell!
A naming or welcoming ceremony is an opportunity to welcome your new arrival into your family and the wider community. At the core of the ceremony are the promises that you make to your child as parents, to show your love and commitment to them. You can also choose significant adults from your circle of family and friends to make promises. Some parents like to keep the name 'Godparents'; others opt for a secular term such as 'Supporting Adults', 'Mentors' or 'Guide Parents.'
A welcoming ceremony is a meaningful and memorable way to introduce adopted children or step children into your family and community. A ceremony like this can help create a much-needed sense of identity and belonging for children as they start a new chapter in their lives.
As well as your promises, we can include readings and music. This is a perfect opportunity to involve friends and family members. Readings and music can be secular or religious, or a combination of both.
As part of your ceremony we can include a symbolic action such as a family candle, tree planting or sand ceremony. These rituals offer stunning visual and kinaesthetic elements to a ceremony, and can make for a truly memorable experience for all involved.
The legal stuff
Please note that a naming or welcoming ceremony has no legal status and does not replace the statutory requirement to register the birth of your child. You must register the birth within 42 days, at your local register office.
Click below to find out more about registering a birth at your local register office.
Naming and Welcoming Ceremonies
Planning your naming ceremony
Congratulations on your new arrival, and welcome to the roller-coaster of parenthood! I know how exhausting parenthood can be, so I'll be with you every step of the way to plan a beautiful, memorable ceremony.
After your initial enquiry, the planning process will follow around 6 stages outlined below (but bear in mind that no two families are the same, and some ceremonies may take more planning than others.)
Naming and welcoming ceremonies
1) Free Consultation
1) Free Consultation
1) Free Consultation
This will be a around a 30-minute meeting to share some key information. It can be done face-to-face, via video call (such as Zoom), or telephone.
I'll tell you about what I can offer and my fees, and I'll find out some information about you and your family. If you've already got a venue and date in mind, I'll need to know that.
After the consultation, I'll give you some time to think about whether you want to go ahead. If you decide to book a ceremony with me, I'll reserve your date and take a 20% deposit. If you haven't got a date or venue, I'll wait until you do before booking you in.
2) Planning meeting
1) Free Consultation
1) Free Consultation
This is best done at the venue where possible. Here I'll find out more about you as a family. I'll find out about your little one's arrival into the world and the first impressions they've given.
If you'd like to mention specific family members or medical staff who played a part in their arrival, they can be included too.
You might wish to share the story of how your baby's name was chosen, and its significance – for example if the baby was named after a key family member, or a character from a song or story.
For adopted or step children, I'll be guided on how much information you want to share and will be sensitive to the needs of you and your family.
We'll discuss what you want to include in the ceremony, such as your promises, symbolic actions, readings and music. We'll talk about your supporting adults and how you'd like them to be involved. We'll also discuss logistics such as seating, arrivals and exits.
3) Draft script
1) Free Consultation
3) Draft script
After the planning meeting, I'll put together a draft schedule for your ceremony and start working on my script. If you're writing your own promises, now is a good time to get started; I can help you with this too.
I'll send you my draft schedule and script on an agreed date ahead of the ceremony (preferably at least 2 weeks beforehand to allow time for revisions.) You can make as many revisions as you like, either by phone or email.
It's important that we get the details right, so I'll ask you to check things like the spellings of names, the wording of readings, your promises, and the version of songs that you'd like to use.
4) Rehearsal
5) The ceremony - your big day!
3) Draft script
This can take place around two to seven days before the ceremony and is a chance for you and any friends and family involved to 'walk through' key parts of the ceremony with me.
It won't include everything; we'll save the magic for the big day! But it will help everyone involved to know their cues and where they need to be.
A rehearsal isn't essential but it could be useful if you have a large number of people, or if any of the party are nervous about the ceremony. It's also a good opportunity to practice using microphones if you have opted to. We can make last-minute revisions to my script and your vows at this stage.
5) The ceremony - your big day!
5) The ceremony - your big day!
5) The ceremony - your big day!
On the day itself I'll turn up early and check out the venue. I'll liaise with venue staff and suppliers to make sure everything is in place. I'll meet with you before the ceremony to go through the final details, answer any last-minute questions and calm any nerves.
A typical ceremony will last around 20-30 minutes, but I can adapt the length to suit you. After the ceremony, I'll bid you farewell and let you get on with your celebrations. I'll present you with a keepsake box containing a presentation script and certificate - and big hugs of course!