Neither Allan and myself are religious and in May 2011 we had a Humanist marriage ceremony which was so nice and very personal and therefore when our daughter Rylie was born we both knew we would not be having a religious christening service.  However, we did want to celebrate the arrival of our precious daughter and welcome her into the world with our families and close friends.

When we were planning our wedding, we met with Anne Widdop.  She went over every detail of our Humanist marriage ceremony.  From the initial planning to the day of the wedding we worked closely with Anne to make the ceremony perfect.  I loved how Anne made us both feel so relaxed from that initial meeting day to the “big day” and this is why I chose Anne to conduct Rylie’s naming day.  She got to know Allan and myself which made both ceremonies so personal to us and although Allan and myself are not particularly religious we wanted a Humanist celebrant to conduct the naming day ceremony, as we wanted the day to have meaning and sentiment.

What was important to us ?

Having all our family and close friends with us to celebrate Rylie’s day.

I’m a bit of a perfectionist and worry what people think, so Allan took a back seat!  I planned the naming day myself along with the help from Anne, I just wanted everything to be perfect.  I wanted everyone there to enjoy our day as nobody had attended a naming day before.  It was important that our daughters day would stand out so people will remember this in the future.

After the ceremony,  I received so many comments from our guests saying  “what a beautiful service, so relaxed, reading and poems were lovely, so much nicer and personal than a christening.”  Both Rylie’s Gran and Nana had to have a hankie at the ready as had a few tears throughout as both were so proud.

The best thing about a naming ceremony is that it’s all about you and your family. The naming ceremony can take place anytime. From the day after birth to months, or even years later. We often have couples incorporate a naming day into their wedding day. This is a fantastic way to include children in the ceremony. If you’re thinking about having a naming day or would like to know more about it, get in touch today.

Have you seen our Babynaming Facebook Page yet? Go here to have a look.

By Dawn Whitson