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A mother, father and baby at their baby's humanist naming ceremony in south-east London. The mother is holding the baby and the father is about to cut the colourful cake.
Our son Waldo's naming ceremony - ready to cut the cake!

As well as being a humanist celebrant, I also became a mum earlier this year. Having led quite a few humanist naming ceremonies myself by now, I knew that I just had to have one for my son Waldo, with the help of a fellow humanist celebrant.

 

I’d not organised any sort of big gathering since mine and my husband’s wedding, and I’d forgotten quite how much there is to organising a family event! I’ve definitely found a new sense of empathy and appreciation for all my wonderful clients planning their ceremonies.


So having now been on the parent side of planning a humanist naming ceremony, here are some practical tips I thought I'd share with you below.



A mother, father and baby at the baby's humanist baby naming day ceremony at the Rosendale pub in south-east London. The parents are reading a poem to the baby as part of his humanist baby naming ceremony.
A joint reading by Mummy & Daddy!

Budget


In an ideal world, we’d all have an unlimited budget – but alas, it’s never the case! Give yourself a ballpark number to start with to help you find (and rule out!) suitable venues and prioritise any other extras you’d like.

 

In our case, we really wanted to prioritise our celebrant...and to have a cake!


Setting Your Date


Have a think about:

 

  • Who are your VIP guests? (e.g. grandparents, guideparents) – is there a date that suits them all? But if they can’t all make it, you could livestream your ceremony on Zoom and share a copy of the keepsake script you'll get after the ceremony.

  • What time of year would you like to have your ceremony? (Remember some suppliers might have more availability in the autumn/winter months and on Sundays)

  • Do you want to celebrate another special occasion at the same time? (such as combining your baby’s naming ceremony with their first birthday party)

  • Are there any dates to avoid? (e.g. are there any big sporting tournaments happening at the same time – unless you’d like to embrace them of course!)


Your Perfect Venue


You can have a humanist ceremony anywhere you like – in the back garden at home, the local park or your favourite pub!

 

Draw up a draft guest list to give you an idea of how big a venue you’d need and take it from there. If you’re stuck, take a look at Happity (the one-stop site for baby classes) for local baby-friendly venues.

 

As well as the size of your venue, think about:

 

  • How accessible is your venue? Do you or any of your guests have access needs? Is it accessible by public transport and/or is there parking? How baby-friendly is it (pram access, nappy changing facilities etc.)?

  • What kind of catering would you like? (e.g. a buffet, a sit-down lunch, an afternoon tea or a pot luck picnic) – do you want the venue to take care of it for you, or would you like to bring your own? Does the venue cater to your guests’ dietary requirements/allergies?

  • Do you want somewhere that’s already decorated or do you want to put your own stamp on it?

  • Is there anywhere that’s really special to you where you could have the ceremony?

  • For an outdoor ceremony, what's your Plan B if it rains? Is there anywhere you could retreat indoors, or could you hire a gazebo from your local Library of Things?

 

We chose The Rosendale pub in south-east London for Waldo’s naming ceremony – it’s a local favourite of ours,with a beautifully decorated function room. We had a buffet for a relaxed lunch and a delicious cake made by Hannah Bakes for pudding.



Guests at a humanist baby naming day ceremony smiling and applauding in the function room at the Rosendale Pub in London
Our happy guests!

Choosing Your Celebrant


I’m absolutely biased, but you can be totally confident you’ll be in great hands with a humanist celebrant.

 

If you take a look at the Humanist Ceremonies website, you can browse through celebrants' profiles and narrow down your choice by location.

 

There's a humanist celebrant for everyone - we all have our different styles, ways of working and things that make us unique.  If you’re looking for a bilingual celebrant, the celebrant directory also includes what languages are spoken by celebrants (a shameless plug – I speak Welsh and French!)

 

Our celebrant was the lovely Deborah Hooper – I was lucky to know her well already and knew she was based near our venue. The fact she speaks French was also helpful as I knew she wouldn’t shy away from some of the Welsh words included in our ceremony!



A mother, father and baby listening to their humanist baby naming day ceremony being delivered by a humanist baby naming celebrant. There is bunting in the background. The venue is The Rosendale Pub in London.
We were in safe hands with our celebrant, Deborah Hooper

Other tips:

 

Invitations – if you’re looking for quick and easy digital invites, there are lots of free designs on Canva you can send out on your Whatsapp groups.

 

Personalised décor & activities – Etsy and Not on The High Street are great for any personalised items and they make for lovely keepsakes long after the ceremony.

 

We got some personalised bunting for Waldo’s ceremony that we now hang proudly in his bedroom, as well as a guest book full of beautiful messages that we'll read to him when he’s older.


Baby’s outfit – for an adorable outfit that doesn’t break the bank, check out your local children’s charity shop.

 

I found Waldo’s naming ceremony clothes at the Fara Kids Charity Shop in Clapham Junction and at the St Christopher’s Hospice Kids Charity Shop in Crystal Palace.


Personalised humanist naming ceremony guestbooks and colourful pens

If you've already organised a naming ceremony, wedding or any other family celebration - what advice would you give?

 

Our wonderful suppliers:

 

Venue – The Rosendale, West Dulwich

Celebrant – Deborah Hooper, Humanist Ceremonies

Cake – Hannah Bakes London

Bunting – Not on the High Street

Guest book – Etsy

Waldo’s outfit – Fara Kids Clapham Junction; St Christopher's Kids Crystal Palace

 

[all paid for by us]

 

Professional photos by Barry Willis Photography, copyright Humanists UK

All other brands/stores mentioned are personal recommendations, not paid partnerships.  


Mair Garland is a humanist celebrant specialising in warm, authentic and meaningful non-religious baby naming ceremonies, weddings and funerals based in south-east London. To book an introductory chat, please email: mair.garland@humanistceremonies.org.uk



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Updated: Jan 24, 2023

Hello, Hola and Hoi!


Having grown up speaking Welsh and English at home, and then studying French at uni (along with some rusty school-girl Spanish!), I just love working with couples and families who are looking to include more than one language in their ceremony.


Suitable for both humanist weddings and baby naming ceremonies, here are some of my top tips for creating a personal and inclusive ceremony that celebrates your culture and heritage:

  1. Readings & Music - the easiest way to incorporate a second language into your ceremony is by including readings and/or music in both languages. For a more inclusive experience for your guests, you could provide a written translation or summary for them to follow (translations of famous songs and poems can be found easily with a quick online search).

  2. Promises & Vows - whether you're a couple making vows to each other, or a parent making a promise to your baby, you can definitely say these in the language of your choice. If you're learning a new language for your partner, it can be really romantic to say a few words in their mother tongue!

  3. Avoid Repetition! - it's very tempting to repeat every part of the ceremony in both languages to make sure all your guests understand what's happening. But your ceremony could potentially double in length, and it can be a little frustrating for your guests who understand both languages. One simple way around this is a written order of service with a translation into the other language for each section. (For example, where one partner is saying their vows in French, an English translation can be included in the order of service for guests to follow along and vice versa).

  4. Your Celebrant - on the Humanists UK Celebrant Finder, you can search for a celebrant who speaks your desired language (for example, I speak Welsh and French, with lots of other languages spoken by other celebrants!) But even if your chosen celebrant doesn't speak your language, they'll often try and learn a few key phrases to introduce the ceremony, and will make sure your ceremony is as inclusive as possible for all your guests.

  5. Embrace It! - it can feel like quite a daunting decision to include your mother tongue as part of your ceremony. You might be thinking: 'What if our guests don't understand what's going on?' Whether or not your guests will have understood every word, they'll be sure to enjoy the beauty of your language and its meaning to you, and they'll remember your ceremony long after the big day.

If you're looking for a bilingual humanist wedding or baby naming ceremony in French or Welsh - please get in touch! Merci and Diolch for reading.




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Did you have a small wedding last year under Covid restrictions? Are you looking to hold a larger celebration of your marriage in the near future, but you’re not sure how to make a ceremony ‘fit’ or what vows to say this time around? Then read on!


We're planning to hold a second wedding, but what should we call it? We’re already married, so calling it a wedding doesn’t sound quite right for us, and we're not religious so we don't want to call it a blessing either.


While of course you could call your larger celebration a wedding, you could also call it a:

· Wedding Celebration

· Re-Wedding

· Vow Renewal Ceremony


We already exchanged vows at our legal wedding. What could we even say this time around?


The things you’d like to promise each other might not have changed all that much since your first wedding ceremony, but there are ways to adapt your vows to reflect what you have already accomplished in your marriage and your hopes for the future.


Think of words like: still, keep, reaffirm, once more:


“I, Rachel, keep you, Louise, as my wife.”

“I still promise to make you smile every day and to seize the moment, wherever it takes us.”

“I reaffirm the vows I made to you one year ago.”


If you're lost for words, then I can help you craft your own personal vows.


We exchanged rings last year and we don’t want to do it again for our second ceremony. What can we give each other or do instead?


Some alternatives to exchanging rings during your ceremony can include:


· Exchanging a present linked to your anniversary. If you’re celebrating your first anniversary, why not give each other a copy of your favourite book to symbolise a paper anniversary, or put a present in a keepsake wooden box for your fifth anniversary?


· Exchanging plants or a single rose stem: “Ali, I give you this rose as a symbol of our marriage. The rose’s bud represents the beauty of our relationship, and may its thorns remind you I’ll always be there for you throughout life’s challenges. I promise to work together with you to tend to our marriage and allow our family to blossom and thrive.”


· A symbolic action, such as handfasting, lighting a unity candle or a sand blending ceremony. More information on handfasting is available on the Humanists UK website here .


A handfasting ceremony, with multicoloured ribbons.


Whether you got married last year under Covid restrictions or you’d like to bring the family together for a vow renewal after a long time apart - do get in touch to arrange your personal and meaningful humanist wedding celebration, re-wedding or vow renewal ceremony!

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