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Scheduling Your Baby Naming Ceremony – the Right Time Makes All the Difference

admin — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:27:22 +0000

If you’re at the stage of wanting to organize a naming ceremony for your baby, then you already know that babies have their own schedule, which doesn’t always align with yours. At certain times of the day they are more sociable, more alert, and more amenable to the sort of activities a naming ceremony involves. For a baby this means being clean, being rested, and not being hungry.

Your first priority should be to work out the time of the day that your baby will be at his or her social best. This is often mid-morning or early afternoon, but not every baby keeps to the same timetable. So the primary consideration must be choosing a time for the ceremony which fits your individual baby’s feeding/sleep schedule.

A name giving ceremony must always be conducted on “baby time”. This means that as well as being scheduled at the best time for the particular baby, there must be enough time to pause the ceremony and tend to the baby’s needs (or the needs of another baby present) if the baby needs changing, feeding or generally soothing.

Celebrants also have schedules, and these frequently involve not only time of the day but day of the week. Here in Brisbane mid-afternoon on any Saturday between September and February is peak demand time for weddings (70% of weddings take place on a Saturday), which tends to result in celebrants who also do weddings being heavily booked. By contrast only about 20% of weddings happen on a Sunday, so scheduling your naming ceremony for a Sunday will mean you will have a greater choice of celebrant, and, if you are planning to have the ceremony in a park or other venue apart from your home or the home of a friend or relative, greater choice of venue, too. Scheduling your ceremony in the morning will also give you greater choice than the afternoon.

Other considerations may include

A significant date. First birthdays are not uncommon, but it could equally well be another day of significance to you.
The light. In Queensland, for example, the best light for outdoor photographs is the morning, so if you wish to have an outdoor naming photography might be important.
Heat. The time of the day the area you want to use will be shaded should get priority in the hot weather.
Work and other commitments of guests and participants, or travel arrangements for far-flung family and friends.
Your time-line. If you are planning to schedule your ceremony in the near future you have to be far more flexible than if your proposed date for your ceremony is a long time off.

A good celebrant whose schedule fits yours, a relaxed and happy baby, and an environment that is comfortable for all guests, are the ingredients that make for a happy and relaxed ceremony. All it takes is a little bit of juggling.

About the Author
Jennifer Cram is an accredited General Civil Celebrant based in Brisbane Queensland Australia where she specializes in performing one of a kind Naming Ceremonies as Beautiful as your Baby and other ceremonies. For more information about her naming ceremonies visit her website www.jennifercram.com and/or her Baby Naming Blog.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Naming Your Baby – How to Get the Most out of Your Baby Naming Ceremony

admin — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:23:39 +0000

by Jennifer Cram

You’ve engaged a celebrant and you’ve picked the day. So how do you ensure that the naming ceremony for your baby goes smoothly and is memorable for friends and relatives alike? Focus on two things – preparation for the ceremony, and how things are organized on the day.

Preparation
Choose your child’s godparents with care, talk to them about the promises they feel able to make, and ask them if they would feel comfortable about sharing with everyone at the ceremony some of their thoughts about your child and your family

Consider other members of the family and significant friends, whether present or not, and how you might recognize, include or honor them in the ceremony
Choose the venue with care, paying attention to shade, and sufficient space
On the invitations include the time guests should arrive and the time the ceremony will start. If you know any of your guests are chronic latecomers, invite them for at least 15 minutes before you expect them to arrive
If using candles in an outdoor ceremony ensure that the wicks are well protected from wind, breeze or drafts – candles that sit well down in a glass container are ideal. Because the flame on votive candles extends above the container they are not suitable

On the Ceremony Day

Ensure the table for the signing is big enough to comfortably hold the register, certificates and anything else that will be used during the ceremony (candles, etc).
Delegate someone to photograph the ceremony and alert the celebrant as to whom that person is
Take the opportunity to have posed family photographs, and photographs of significant friends taken with the child either before or after the ceremony. Draw up a list beforehand and use it as a checklist so that no-one is missed
Provide seats for older or disabled guests
Make sure that any seating or shelter provided is close enough to where you and the celebrant will be standing to form an intimate grouping and ensure that everyone hears and sees the ceremony
Limit the amount of alcohol served before the ceremony

Attention to all these quite simple things will make the world of difference to how smoothly your celebration runs, and how much everyone, including you, enjoys the ceremony.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Naming Ceremonies: Advice for First Time Godparents

admin — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:17:36 +0000

by Jennifer Cram

Congratulations! It is a great honor your friends have done you, because being asked to be a godparent (aka as mentor, supporting adult, guideparent or guardian) is a significant responsibility and signals that they really trust you to look out for their child.

Many first-time godparents are hazy about what their role is and what is expected of them during the Naming Ceremony.

Role
Godparents step in when parents are not available, especially if they die or default. In my ceremonies I ask godparents to make promises to the parents as well as to the child, in order to signal their willingness to support the whole family.

Gifts
The main gift a godparent gives is the gift of self. During the ceremony, you can give a symbolic gift, and of course, you can always give the baby a significant gift to mark the occasion (and every significant occasion from then on!). Of course, it is perfectly acceptable for a godparent to give the naming ceremony as a gift. I provide attractive gift certificates for this purpose. Ask the officiant/celebrant you choose to do the same.

DressWhat you (or for that matter) anyone at the ceremony wears relates to the formality of the occasion. As most naming ceremonies are held at home, either indoors or in the garden or in parks, dress tends to be casual/smart casual. Of course, the baby can be dressed formally in a Christening gown or party clothes irrespective of what the guests are wearing.

Cake
Traditionally, the parents provide a celebratory cake which is cut at the party after the ceremony. But this would be a very nice gift for the godparents to bring. The cake and be a fully iced and decorated special occasion cake with a christening type topper, or it can be something simpler with flowers and/or the child’s name on it which might be from a bakery, supermarket, or home made.

The most important thing is to be authentic to yourself. There is no right and wrong beyond doing what comes from the heart and is authentic to you, to the child and to the family.

About the Author
Jennifer Cram is a sought-after celebrant who performs a range of ceremonies including Naming Ceremonies as Beautiful as Your Baby in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Fanatical about performance measurement and monitoring, a field in which she is an acknowledged expert, she uses tear-measurement to assist her to gauge client satisfaction with her ceremonies – she counts damp eyes because she is well aware that participants and guests remember how they felt, rather than what precisely was said at a ceremony. For more information about her naming ceremonies visit her website www.jennifercram.com and/or her Baby Naming Blog.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com