Not everyone is going to want to arrange a christening for their child. Not everyone believes in God or wants to commit their child to the Christian faith until they are ready to make up their own mind about it. Others, however, will know it’s the right thing for them and their child, and they will want to start arranging things to make the day go smoothly. Here are some tips if you want to arrange a Christening and don’t know where to start organising.
Choose a Venue
Unlike weddings and, to some extent, funerals, a traditional Christening will need to take place in a church, so your choice of venue might be limited in that regard; you will either need to choose your own parish church or one that is special to you (perhaps the one in which you got married, for example).
Remember, though, the church isn’t the only venue you’re going to need to think about. You will also need to find a place for the party that happens after a christening (assuming you are carrying out this part). This could be:
- A room above a pub
- A restaurant
- Your home
- A hotel
- A club
- The church hall
It needs to be big enough for everyone to attend and enjoy themselves and ideally it should provide food and drink (or allow you to bring in your own; if you are doing this you will need to arrange for caterers or make time to make your own food).
Choose the Godparents
Traditionally, a baby girl would have two godmothers and one godfather, and a baby boy would have two godfathers and a godmother. Today the rules are less strict and you can choose any number of people, of any gender to be godparents.
When choosing godparents, you need to consider people who are good and who will help guide your child as they grow, ensuring they become wise and kind and always do their best. When you have chosen your godparents, you need to ask them, of course, and you will also need to consider gifts. It is traditional for the parents to give godfather and godmother gifts to say thank you for taking on such an important role. These are often personalised and should be something that can be kept forever.
Send Invitations
Once you have the christening date set, including the reception venue, and you have organised the godparents, you will need to send out invitations. Try to give people as much time as possible to arrange to come; if you leave sending the invitations out too late, you might find that people already have plans and can’t come.
At this point, if you find that a lot of people are unable to come, you might choose to speak to the church and reception venue to see if you can change the date. This will depend on a variety of factors which is why arranged in a number of months in advance is the best solution.