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Naming
Ceremonies $300
by
Brisbane's most experienced Naming Celebrant
(more than 200 children named)
Baby Naming Ceremony
First
Birthday Naming Ceremony
Naming
of older children
Adoption
Naming Ceremonies
Naming
Ceremonies (sometimes called namegiving ceremonies or baby naming days)
are highly personal
and meaningful events.
A
naming ceremony is usually the centrepiece of a much wider family
event, often referred to as a naming day. It might also be part of your
child's first birthday celebration.
The baby naming ceremonies I create individually for each occasion
celebrate the birth or adoption of your
child and give you an opportunity to express your personal values
and your commitment to parenting your child in front of your family and
friends. The ceremony is extremely flexible. It can be structured as
you wish, and include
readings, rituals and personal recognition of anyone you wish.
Because a naming
ceremony is not recognised by formal
religious institutions, naming ceremonies are sometimes called
secular
christenings, and are ideal for parents who have no
religious
convictions. However, where parents believe
that children should choose their own spiritual path and values when
they are mature enough to do so, or where the family
belongs to a
denomination that does not believe in infant baptism, having a naming
ceremony allows you to joyfully welcome your child into your family and
have a
religious christening or baptism at a later date if you wish.
A naming ceremony can
also be held to
- complement a church baptism, as part of
the
christening celebration at home, and as a means of formally welcoming
the
child into the family and the community.
- celebrate other situations such as
fostering or the creation of new family
relationships through marriage.
Unless you
specifically request religious
inclusions I assume that the naming ceremony will be secular. However,
if you wish to include some religious references or contact you
may. This may be a good compromise where you yourselves are not
religious but
someone important to you is. Or it can be a way of acknowledging dual
religious or cultural heritages within a largely
secular (non-religious) ceremony.
The ceremony itself performs no
legal function (but then, neither does a christening). It does not
replace your legal obligation to register
your child's birth with the Registry Office in your state. Nor is the
appointment of guardians as part of the ceremony legal and binding.
A naming ceremony does, however, perform a very important social
function.
- It can help you clarify how you want to
support your
child as he or she
grows
- It is
a joyous
expression of welcome, both to the family and to the wider community
- It provides an opportunity to share the
wonder, joy and pride you feel
- It is a reminder of the great
responsibility involved in raising a
child
- It is a formal mechanism to appoint
godparents (defined in modern dictionaries as someone who acts as a godparent or is a sponsor or
protector)
and honour other significant adults, such as grandparents, who will
have
important roles in the nurturing and supporting the child
- It provides you, as the
parent(s) with an opportunity to acknowledge your gratitude
to family, friends, and particularly godparents (also called
guardians, sponsors, mentors, guideparents. life guides or any
term you
choose) for their
involvement in
your child's
life
- It provides a formal opportunity for
significant adults to commit to supporting
and
nurturing the child and each other.
There are no age
limits. You can hold a baby naming ceremony for a young baby, at
any time during the child's first year, or, as is very common, in
conjunction with the child's first birthday celebrations, or when the
child is older. Each age has
its special characteristics. Where the child is older he or she should
be included in the ceremony planning process so that his or her own
views about what is said and done in the ceremony are taken into
account.
A naming ceremony can also be held in conjunction with a wedding ceremony, a commitment ceremony, or a reaffirmation of vows.
Naming ceremonies are
suitable for natural or adopted children of families of all kinds,
including heterosexual parent
families, same-sex families, single-parent families and families where
the adults are the guardians of the child.
A variation on a naming ceremony can also be used to embrace a
step-child.
The value of the ceremony is in the ceremony itself, in the way it can
strengthen the bonds between
- parents and the child(ren)
- parents and grandparents
- parents and other supporting adults
- significant adults and the child(ren)
A successful
naming ceremony is depends on a number of factors including the amount
of effort the celebrant is
prepared to put into getting to know you and into the development of a
very personal ceremony, and the skill and warmth with which the
celebrant performs the ceremony on the day.
It is therefore very important that you choose a celebrant with whom
you feel comfortable, in whom you feel confident, and who
emotionally connects with you. A celebrant who doesn't feel like a
stranger. A celebrant who will make the effort to get to know you and
to create for your approval a ceremony that reflects your commitment to
your child.
When you do me the honour of choosing me to be your celebrant, I can
guarantee that you will have a naming ceremony that is
- personal
- inclusive
- relationship-strengthening
- light-hearted in the appropriate places
- authentic to your beliefs and values
I accept full
responsibility for the creation and stage-management of
your ceremony, but only as your facilitator. I will be honest and
straightforward in giving you my best advice, but it is your ceremony
so I will do nothing to disempower you or compromise your right to make
your ceremony uniquely yours.
In preparing for a
naming ceremony I will
spend time getting to know your family to ensure I create a ceremony
which perfectly reflects your needs, your beliefs, your values
and the unique qualities of your child and your child's heritage.
As with all my ceremonies, I will
ensure that the ceremony is inclusive and participatory, and that, in
addition to the godparents/mentors the ceremony includes all
significant family members - parents, grandparents, brothers and
sisters of the baby, for example, and friends. Part of ensuring that
all significant family members feel included is presentation of
thank-you certificates which include a photograph of the child.
You will also be provided with resources and information to help you
plan and organise your child's naming day - including
- Your
godchild your godparent responsibilities: a guide to share with
those you have chosen to fulfil this important role in your child's life
- Guidelines
for arranging a naming ceremony in a private home/garden
- and much more.....
At the ceremony
you will receive a beautifully presented keepsake copy
of
the ceremony and a naming certificate tailored to the number of
godparents, guardians, mentors (you choose what you wish to call
them) and to your family situation. If you are a single parent,
non-parent guardian, or a same-sex couple you can be assured that the
ceremony will be sensitive to your needs and situation.
Creative use of symbols such as candles, wishing stones, trees,
mementos, gifts, items of family significance, together with
innovative inclusion of references to your child's ancestry and
cultural background are a feature of all of my ceremonies.
Creating a custom-created naming
ceremony takes commitment, creativity,
knowledge and time that goes far beyond the visible half hour of the
actual ceremony.
The invisible hours (10+ on average) include:
- Communicating
with
you by phone and/or email.
- Providing you
with information about the
framework for the ceremony and exploring with you ideas and
opportunities to ensure that your ceremony fits with the overall style
of your child's naming day celebrations but also provides substance.
- Preparing and
completing all the
certificates
- Creating the
first draft of the
ceremony and reworking as we finalise it.
- Creating and
printing the keepsake copy
of the ceremony
- Travel to and
from the ceremony venue
- Briefing the
godparents, grandparents and
readers
While fees and
services of celebrants
vary widely, you would expect to pay a higher fee for a custom-created
ceremony with
substance that, through both its language and its style reflects who
you are, and creates a blueprint for your parenting of your
child.
If distance and/or budget is a consideration I offer DIY Naming Ceremonies - a
professionally created ceremony without the expense of having a
celebrant conduct it.
Your Privacy | Mission Statement
| Contact Me
Jennifer
Cram is a
secular humanist celebrant
in Brisbane
Queensland
Australia
Serving all of Brisbane, Redlands, Redcliffe, Pine Rivers,
Logan and Ipswich
Ceremonies
performed
in private homes, parks, gardens, hotels, clubs, restaurants, chapels,
function
centres, reception centres, wedding venues.
Day or evening
ceremonies 365 days a year
Her Celebrant
Services include:
Wedding
Ceremonies including Contemporary,
Traditional, Spiritual, Intimate, Cultural, Inter-cultural,
Buddhist, Celtic, Handfasting, Humanist, Irish, Mediaeval, Military,
Scottish,
Celtic, Chinese, Buddhist, Mediaeval; Surprise, Theme, True-Blue
Aussie, Visa, Green, and Pink Weddings;
Renewal of
Vows; Commitment
Ceremonies for gay, lesbian,
and straight couples; Naming Ceremonies;
House Warming;
Launching; Divorce
and Separation (End-of-Relationship) Ceremonies
Contact Details
Phone: (07)
3378 3005
International:
+ 61 7 3378 3005
Email:
Mail: P O Box
20, Indooroopilly QLD 4068, Australia
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