As a mum of a little one I understand the overwhelming joy and the life-altering change a new baby brings. Like myself, you may have been brought up in a Church of England community and feel like you want to celebrate and welcome your baby or adopted child into the family as you would at a christening but a religious ceremony just doesn’t feel right for you and your family. A naming ceremony can include as much or as little religion or spirituality as you want. You may have a mixture of cultures, religions or traditions in your family and you want to combine them to honour your baby’s joint heritage. All of this is possible in a naming ceremony.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/by any other name would smell as sweet”
William Shakespeare- Romeo and Juliet
When?
Being a new parent can feel overwhelming and organising a ceremony in the first few months of birth impossible, but there is no time limit. Whenever the time is right for you, I’m here to celebrate with you. You can have your ceremony any time or day of the week. Fancy the ceremony at the exact time your baby was born a year later? No problem, although be warned you might not get as many guests at 4am!
Who?
You don’t need to be a baby to celebrate a name change, you may choose to celebrate when your child is older and can take an active part in the ceremony, or you may be choosing to celebrate after an adoption. Many adults are changing their name due to divorce, a change in gender or simply because of a fresh start. If you want to celebrate, I’m here for you!
Where?
Wherever you want to host your ceremony is up to you, at home, a hotel, pub or a village hall, all are possibilities, I am Oxfordshire based and I am happy to travel within a 20 mile radius of Oxford, or further at an additional cost.
The Process
Your naming ceremony will be entirely unique to you and this will take some planning.
First I will have a meeting to get to know you and your family and together we will create a rough plan for your ceremony. Some time later I will provide you with the ceremony script and you can make alterations as you feel fit and after these have been made it is party time!
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Emma, The Step in Time Celebrant 