Naming and Welcoming Ceremonies

 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 find out some information about you and your family and ask you what you're looking for in your ceremony. Don't worry if you haven't got many ideas; I'm happy to suggest ideas later! I'll tell you about what I can offer, and answer any questions you may have.

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 £200 deposit.   If you haven't got a date or venue, I'll wait until you do before booking you in. 

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. 

The same applies for renaming . Tell me as much or as little as you want to - I'll be led by you, and I won't ask any probing or insensitive questions. 

We'll discuss what you want to include in the ceremony, such as your  story, 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.

 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 any pieces of music that you'd like to use. 

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've opted to. We can make last-minute revisions to my script and your promises at this stage. 

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 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 (unless you'd like me to stay!) I'll present you with a souvenir script and certificate - and big hugs of course!