If you're at the stage of
wanting to organise a naming ceremony for your baby, then
you already know that babies have their own schedule, which
doesn't always align with yours. At certain times of the day
they are more sociable, more alert, and more amenable to the
sort of activities a naming ceremony involves. For a baby
this means being clean, being rested, and not being hungry.
Your first priority should be to
work out the time of the day that your baby will be at his
or her social best. This is often mid-morning or early
afternoon, but not every baby keeps to the same timetable.
So the primary consideration must be choosing a time for the
ceremony which fits your individual baby's feeding/sleep
schedule.
A namegiving ceremony must
always be conducted on "baby time". This means that as well
as being scheduled at the best time for the particular baby,
there must be enough time to pause the ceremony and tend to
the baby's needs (or the needs of another baby present)if
the baby needs changing, feeding or generally soothing.
Celebrants also have
schedules, and these frequently involve not only time of the
day but day of the week. Here in Brisbane mid-afternoon on
any Saturday between September and February is peak demand
time for weddings (70% of weddings take place on a
Saturday), which tends to result in celebrants who also do
weddings being heavily booked. By contrast only about 20% of
weddings happen on a Sunday, so scheduling your naming
ceremony for a Sunday will mean you will have a greater
choice of celebrant, and, if you are planning to have the
ceremony in a park or other venue apart from your home or
the home of a friend or relative, greater choice of venue,
too. Scheduling your ceremony in the morning will also give
you greater choice than the afternoon.
Other considerations may
include
- A significant date.
First birthdays are not uncommon, but it could equally
well be another day of significance to you.
- The light. In
Queensland, for example, the best light for outdoor
photographs is the morning, so if you wish to have an
outdoor naming photography might be important.
- Heat. The time of the
day the area you want to use will be shaded should get
priority in the hot weather.
- Work and other
commitments of guests and participants, or travel
arrangements for far-flung family and friends.
- Your time-line. If you
are planning to schedule your ceremony in the near
future you have to be far more flexible than if your
proposed date for your ceremony is a long time off.
A good celebrant whose
schedule fits yours, a relaxed and happy baby, and an
environment that is comfortable for all guests, are the
ingredients that make for a happy and relaxed ceremony. All
it takes is a little bit of juggling.
Jennifer Cram is an
accredited General Civil Celebrant based in Brisbane
Queensland Australia where she specialises in
performing one of a kind Naming Ceremonies as
Beautiful as your Baby and other ceremonies. For
more information about her naming ceremonies visit
her website
http://www.jennifercram.com and/or her
Baby Naming Blog.
Copyright © 2005
Jennifer Cram. You have permission to publish this
article electronically or in print, free of charge,
as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy
of your publication would be appreciated.
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