Your child’s christening is an important time and a beautiful ceremony that you will want to remember forever. Luckily, planning a baptism that is special and memorable is not difficult, you just have to take the time to do some careful planning. Your first order of business will be to talk with your church. Some churches only do baptisms on certain days. Other churches provide more freedom and let you choose any day. Once you know how your church handles baptisms, you can set about the task of choosing the date and confirming that date with your church. Your next step will be to choose your baby’s Godparents. Your child’s Godparents will help you with your child’s spiritual upbringing. They will help teach your child about your religion, so you will definitely want to choose Godparents who are the same religion as you. It is important that you choose someone who will always be part of your child’s life. If you do not pick a family member, try to choose someone you believe will maintain regular contact with your child even if one of you moves. Many people choose name the Godparents as the Legal Guardians of their child if something should happen to them. You can see why this decision is so important. Some religions have baptism classes that parents must take before the ceremony can be performed. There are also additional requirements for some religions, so it’s important to talk to your church so you can be sure you complete all the requirements. Once you are on track with the church for the baptism, have selected the dates and the chosen Godparents have agreed; you are ready to move on to invitations. You can choose store bought invitations, or you can have them custom made for a look that is as unique and beautiful as your baby.
Once the invitation list is complete, the date is set, the Godparents have agreed and all baptism requirements are met; you are ready to start making decisions regarding having a reception and what might be served. Smaller groups can be handled at home, while larger groups could be hosted at a reception hall. If you will be having the invent catered, it is important to meet with the caterer and make those arrangements as soon as possible. At some point during all this planning, you will be purchasing your child’s outfit for the christening. Some families have heirloom gowns that are passed down through the generations. This is a lovely idea that brings additional sentiment to the day, but if your family does not have anything like this, or if you just don’t care for the heirloom gown, you can find the perfect outfit for your child at the stores. Christening gowns can be purchased in a range of colors, styles and lengths. When you take the time to shop around, you are sure to find the perfect gown for your child’s special moment. It’s also a good idea to find a special gift that will forever be a reminder of this special day. A bible or prayer book can be the perfect gift. You can add the date and location of the baptism to the notes in the book, as well as the name of the priest or minister and who the Godparents are. This special book can serve as a moral guide during their lives as well as a reminder of this important event.



