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.
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.
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!
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.
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