Naming Ceremony
A Naming Ceremony provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the arrival of a new baby and welcome them into your family and wider community. They can also be held for older children if you are adopting or would like to embrace stepchildren into your family.
An Inspirational Ceremony…
You choose the words and readings so that your ceremony reflects your child’s individuality and your life as a family.
Your ceremony can be an intimate occasion with a small number of guests or part of a large celebration. It can be as formal or informal as you would like.
You can hold a Naming Ceremony wherever you like: in your home or garden or at a special venue, such as a hotel or village hall. You can also choose the way you would like to celebrate afterwards, with a party or meal. The choice is yours!
What’s important to you…
I will spend time getting to know you so that I can write a personal ceremony that celebrates the arrival of your child in the way that you wish.
This can include telling your child’s story such as: when and where they were born, what their personality is like and the things they enjoy and dislike doing! It can also incorporate why you have chosen their names, what it has been like for you becoming parents and the things you are looking forward to doing together as a family. From the feedback, I have received this is what people have enjoyed and found very meaningful.
Personalising your naming ceremony…
As part of the ceremony, you can make promises or commitments to your child, as parents, and also include Guide Parents (Supporting Adults or Mentors) who are equivalent to Godparents. You can also use the opportunity to acknowledge the special role of grandparents and other family members and friends. If you have older children, they can also be included in the ceremony. They may like to read a poem or say a few words to welcome their younger brother or sister.
You can personalise your Naming Ceremony by including readings, poems and music. Other ideas that you can incorporate are a naming book, lighting a candle, a wish tree, a balloon release or planting a tree. For some inspiration please take a look at an extract from my collection of Naming Day Poems
As part of my service, I will share with you a resource file, which includes a collection of poems and readings, ideas for personalising your ceremony and sample scripts. I also provide examples of Parent and Guide Parents’ commitments.
A Naming Ceremony – the perfect welcome…
To get a flavour of what a naming ceremony has to offer take a look at the Humanist Ceremonies video.
My fees…
The fee that I charge for a ceremony is between £250 and £350 with any mileage charged on top. I will provide you with an accurate quote once I have further details of your ceremony and ask you to pay a deposit of £100. The balance is then due a month before your ceremony. My fee reflects my experience and the time I will put into creating and delivering a personal ceremony which enables you to celebrate the arrival of your child in the way that you wish.
What parents have said…
“..Our guests were really touched by the commitments both the parents and guide parents made, and they loved the poem I wrote. The overarching response was that they loved how personal it felt and this made them feel more honoured by the fact that they had been invited to participate in the day. ” Suzy & Dave
“Fantastic service, we would definitely recommend you. We liked the fact you spent a couple of hours with us getting to know us. You made sure you knew what was important to us and what type of ceremony we wanted. Thank you so much!!” Joanne & Dave
“Our guests were surprised and delighted at the ceremony. Nearly everyone commented on how lovely it was, so nice and personal… We were very pleased with how you took the ceremony. It was just what we wanted and we had a very special day.” Sarah & Troy