My How To.. on organising your child's christening

After getting my son christened I have been asked quite a few questions from my friends about how to go about it so I have made this post I hope this helps :)

Read more to see my suggestions

Why You want to get them christened?
My reason was that I like the thought that my son is being watched from above and if anything (godforbid) happened then he would be welcomed. Faith is not always the only motivation. A christening is also a great way to get the whole family together to celebrate your child.

What Religion
This is completely down to personal choice, because me and my partner are both C.O.E we decided on Church of England.

Choosing the God Parents

• Select the Godparents, Guide Parents or Special Friends and approach the relevant people - We chose for son my best friend Amy as godmother, and for his godfathers my partners best friend and brother. Amy also asked me and andrew to be godparents to her gorgeous daughter so we decided to do her and K a Joint Christening.
• Get the godparents a little gift - this is optional but I chose to have a postcard made with the christening details a nice poem and a photo of k in and out them in frames for them.

It is traditional for girls to have two godmothers and one godfather and boys to have two godfathers and one godmother, although it is up to you how many you have.

What church? And then Booking the Date 

• Decide on the church or other venue - while on a driving lesson I spotted a lovely little church situated close to our area, I took the church details and after showing Amy I contacted them.
• Book an appointment with the priest, vicar or other celebrant - when we attended our appointment we were asked a few questions for example why we would like to have our children christened and why we had chosen their chuch.
• They should then talk with you the relevant times and dates they have available for the ceremony. 

Once you know the Date

• Book photographers- This is optional we had one of our friends film it and family members took some lovely photos
• Get the Invites Made and sent out to the people you would like to share the service with - My mum handmade our invites, they were gorgeous :)

What to wear 

• Both girls and boys traditionally wear a long white or cream christening gown - My son had a very smart little suit on and my god daughter had a beautiful little dress it is down to preference.
• Parents should just dress smart, My partner had a suit and I had a silk maxi dress which I think covers/hides my baby bump quite nicely.

One tip: Whatever you choose for your baby to wear, wait until the last possible moment to put it on, and get some photographs taken straight away.

The Service
A service sheet will be handed out with the words the godparents need to say usually printed in bold. The whole christening should only take 20-30 minutes.

What to do After the Ceremony

• Choose and book (if relevant) an appropriate venue for the Christening Afters - We chose to have a meal at a pub near where the ceremony with all the attending guests afterwards :) 
•  Get a Cake made - We had a lovely cake made with K's and my God daughters Name on it.