The Christening of a child is a hugely important occasion. Usually the parents will have contacted their church during their pregnancy to determine what they need to plan for the big day.
Sometimes, the parents will be required to meet the Priest and attend a preparation class.
You need to determine what the church will provide during the ceremony and also whether your child is required to wear a gown and whether it needs to be white. You should also ask what kind of ceremony it will be and whether the child will be fully immersed in water or whether it will just be sprinkled with water.
During the pregnancy, you need to decide who you would like to be the godparents of your child. The godparents should consist of a male and a female member. The godparents are an integral part of the Christening ceremony. They may be required to hold the child, and make promises for the child’s religious growth.
Once you have made all the decisions related to the Christening ceremony itself, you need to start sending out your Christening invitations. Ensure that you choose the right Christening invitations to represent the tone of the day and make a list of guests to make sure that you don’t miss anyone out.
Some couples choose to create a very organised seating plan while others prefer to let their guests simply sit where they like. This all depends upon how many people you have at the reception. If you don’t have many guests, then it’s sometimes nice to let people sit where they like.
However, if you have a large group of people then a seating plan might be necessary in order to keep the reception running smoothly and to not waste time with people trying to find seats.
The happy couple will normally sit at the head of a table which should consist of closest friends and family.
You may also want to set up a table for the photographers, the videographer and the band but this does not need to be with all the other tables. In truth, these people may not have time to sit down and eat and if they do, it will not be for long so ask your caterers to set up a special table for them out of the way so that if they do get chance, they can sit down for a quick bite and a drink.
The wedding table plan can be a nightmare to put together, but the most important thing is to try to keep everyone happy. Ensure that close friends and family members are considered and the rest should simply slip into place.
One of the biggest fears of the bride and groom is that their wedding day will turn into absolute chaos with no structure and nobody seeming to know where they are meant to be and what they are supposed to be doing.
For this very reason, a wedding order of service is often used in order to give some sort of structure to the day.
A wedding order of service will usually focus upon the wedding ceremony itself and it will tell the guests how the service will run. If hymns are included in the ceremony, these will be listed in the wedding order of service and this document will also help close family members know when they are required for official photographs.
The order of the reception is something that you will need to plan carefully. There are some people who will want to make speeches and there are special moments such as the cutting of the cake to fit in.
At the reception, the best man usually gives the first toast. But in the modern day wedding, the maid of honour often makes a speech too. Before the speeches begin, ensure that all guests have a drink so that they can make a toast. And once the speeches are over, it’s time to celebrate!
