A beautiful Spring Baby Naming Ceremony
This Spring, I had the absolute joy of creating and delivering a beautiful baby naming ceremony for little Josie, the gorgeous daughter of Grace and David, at a barn in West Sussex. Not only was it a chance to officially welcome Josie into a loving and supportive community of family and friends, but it also doubled as a celebration of her very first birthday! It was a truly wonderful day filled with laughter, love, and plenty of special and personal moments.
Grace and David are no strangers to the magic of a celebrant-led ceremony. They were married by a wedding celebrant back in 2017, so they knew firsthand how unique and meaningful such an occasion could be. When it came to celebrating Josie, they wanted something just as special.
The journey to their perfect Baby Naming Ceremony
The day of the Baby Naming Ceremony
Thinking about a Baby Naming Ceremony of your own?
Kind Words from Grace and David
The journey to their perfect Baby Naming Ceremony
From our very first meeting (a lovely virtual cuppa), it was clear that Grace and David had already put a lot of thought into the baby naming ceremony. They had already considered symbolic elements, how significant individuals and groups would be included and how these would link through four carefully selected values: bravery, adventure, curiosity and care.
After Grace and David confirmed they would love to work with me, I sent them a questionnaire to dig deeper into the sentimental aspects of their journey so far—treasured moments, hopes for Josie’s future and so on. They told me afterwards that they loved having this chance to reflect on their first year as parents and their future as a family.
With all their thoughts and ideas in hand, I crafted a bespoke baby naming ceremony script designed to capture the essence of their wonderful little family. When the first draft was ready, we met again for a relaxed run-through. It was like a mini-workshop—Grace and David got to hear how the ceremony would flow, offer feedback, and tweak parts to make sure it felt just right. Some changes were made on the spot, while others I fine-tuned later, keeping just enough as a surprise for the day.
Then, with the final version perfected, it was time for me to rehearse. I practised every night for a week, ensuring that when the moment came, I would deliver their baby naming ceremony with all the love and care it deserved. When Grace reached out a couple of days before with last minute changes, I was more than happy to accommodate these and just ahead of the ceremony I decided to print an extra script for a slightly anxious guest who likes to know exactly what is happening when – both Grace, David and the guest’s parents appreciated this last minute sentiment.
The Day of the Baby Naming Ceremony
I arrived just after Grace and David, lending a hand where I could and greeting everyone involved in the baby naming ceremony to make sure they felt comfortable and prepared. The venue was beautifully decorated with floral bunting, delicate bud vases filled with fresh spring flowers, and a table allocated at the front for personal elements included within the ceremony (a wooden memory box with ‘Josephine’ carved into the top, a silver bracelet, a small hoop with ribbons and a cuddly toy version of Josie’s much loved dachshund – who couldn’t join us on the day as it would have all been far too exciting!)
The baby naming ceremony was packed with heartfelt touches. Grace and David wanted to celebrate the incredible people in Josie’s life by honouring them in the ceremony.
David’s mother, a retired teacher and one of Josie’s loving Grandma’s, was asked to read a poem of her choosing. As a lover of literature, she was the natural choice and of course she captivated the guests with her reading of ‘Children Learn What They Live’ by Dorothy Notle. The poem was presented in a beautiful card which featured some artwork from the town David was born.
Grace and David, wanted to celebrate Josie’s Grandma’s equally and so it was also appropriate to mention Grace’s mother, who Josie takes her middle name from. Someone who cares so greatly for others and the natural world and who shows love through plates of wonderful food.
As mentioned above, a key part of the baby naming ceremony was the four values Grace and David had carefully chosen to guide Josie as she grows—bravery, adventure, curiosity, and care. To bring these values to life, Josie’s cousins each placed a symbolic item into a keepsake memory box, something she can treasure forever. Each child spoke about their item and how it linked to the value they had been allocated – a very precious and personal element of the ceremony. I was in awe each child’s thoughtful considered contribution.
Another highlight of the baby naming ceremony was the declaration of support. Grace and David wanted their loved ones to play an active role in Josie’s journey, so invited all guests to make a promise. To mark this commitment, a representative from each group of significant people tied a pink ribbon onto a beautiful silver bracelet Grace and David had chosen for Josie. Later on, guests also added ribbons to a larger hoop, creating a stunning collective piece full of love and well wishes.
And to finish? A bubble-blowing extravaganza of course, accompanied by the gorgeous ‘That’s How Strong My Love is’ by Otis Redding. It was the perfect mix of heartfelt and fun—just like Grace, David, and little Josie!
Thinking About a Naming Ceremony of Your Own?
Being part of such a special day was a true honour, and it reminded me why I love what I do. A celebrant-led baby naming ceremony is such a unique and personal way to welcome a new little life into the world, and I’d love to help create something just as magical for your family.
If you’re thinking about a baby naming ceremony, let’s chat! Whether you have a clear vision or are just exploring ideas, I’d love to help bring your dreams to life. Let’s create a ceremony that is as wonderful and unique as your little one. Get in touch, and let’s make something special together!
Kind Words from Grace and David
We are big believers in bringing together family and friends to celebrate important milestones so we wanted to find a way to mark Josie’s first year, welcome her to our community of family and friends, and thank them all for their love and support. While we wanted to have a lovely party, we were also really keen to have a ceremony to give the day even more significance. We decided that a naming ceremony was the perfect way to do this.
Working with Emily allowed us to bring our ideas to life. We had some thoughts already on the elements we wanted to include and the people we wanted to be involved. Emily brought her own wonderful ideas, lots of advice on how to bring the whole thing together and make it flow, and an amazing attention to detail. Working with her to craft the ceremony was a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect on our first year of parenthood and the parents we want to be in the future.
The day itself was full of joy. And the ceremony really made the whole occasion so special. Emily played a beautiful role – she made us feel so at ease and allowed us to sit back and enjoy the day. She made everyone involved in the ceremony, and all our other guests feel welcome, relaxed and included. She really helped set the tone and sentiment for the day. We are so glad we decided to incorporate a naming ceremony into our celebration and that we had Emily alongside us to shape and bring the whole thing together.
