by Jennifer Cram Civil Marriage, Naming & General Celebrant, Brisbane
Although a lot less complicated to organise than a wedding, and generally much more casual, a baby naming ceremony doesn’t just happen by itself.

Engaging a professional, skilled and innovative celebrant is a great way to ensure that your baby’s ceremony is a success - but you can’t just leave everything to the celebrant.

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 you organise everything on the day actual day.

Preparing for your ceremony

The devil really is in the details.

• Choose the venue with care, paying attention to shade, and sufficient space. Baby naming ceremonies in Australia are often held outdoors. If the venue is your own backyard you have a backup venue in case of bad weather. If, however, you have chosen a park, you really need to make plans for what you will do if it rains or is stinking hot, and make sure the guests (and the celebrant) know what those plans are and how they will be put in place.
• 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 b
• Choose your child’s godparents/guideparents/mentors/sponsors with care, talk to them about the promises they feel able to make. You might also 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 recognise, include or honour them in the ceremony. Pay particular attention to any sensitivies, particularly about religion and the fact that you are opting for a naming ceremony
• Make sure that the information you give your celebrant is accurate - names of godparents spelled correctly for example - to ensure that the certificate(s) are likewise accurate
• 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

After the ceremony is over you will have only your memories, your photographs, and a few artefacts, such as the certificates. Some attention to detail on the day will help ensure that your memories are happy ones, your photographs capture the day and everyone there, and your certificates are accurate:

• 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 who 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 (or ask everyone to bring their own folding chair)
• 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.

About the Author: Jennifer Cram is a sought after Marriage, Naming & General Celebrant who custom-creates and performs one-of-a-kind “Naming Ceremonies as Beautiful as Your Baby” in Brisbane, Queensland and surrounds. More useful information about baby naming ceremonies can be found on her website http://www.jennifercram.com/babynaming.htm