Baby Showers and Naming Celebrations

step-by-step guide to the perfect naming ceremony

Step 3 - Decide on where to hold the ceremony & who should conduct it

The main options are summarised below:

At your local Registry Office:

Most registry offices offer naming ceremonies. You will usually pay a one-off fee which is for a ceremony room and a celebrant to perform the ceremony. The celebrant from your local Registry Office may or may not be a registrar, but will be at the very least a member of the Registration Service staff who has been fully trained as a Naming Ceremony celebrant. Fees will vary from area to area, and are likely to vary depending on whether you want to book it midweek or at the weekend. Be aware that often Saturdays aren't available, as these are so booked-up with weddings. We found prices to be around £180 for a mid-week ceremony, or £250 for a weekend ceremony. Contact your local registry office for more information.

At an alternative venue (such as a hotel or at your own home):

Registry Office Celebrant
In most cases, a celebrant from your local Registry Office can attend to your ceremony at an alternative venue. You will have to select this venue from an approved list provided by the registry office, usually the same list of venues that are licensed for civil weddings. The cost of a Registry Office Celebrant will vary from area to area, but we found prices to be around £150 during the week, £180 on a Saturday, and £210 for a Sunday. You will of course have to add to this, the cost of hiring the room at the venue itself.

Civil Ceremonies Celebrant
Civil Ceremonies - Tel: 0845 0048 608
Civilceremonies.co.uk
Civil Ceremonies have over 200 trained celebrants covering the whole of the UK. They have worked closely with local authorities and The Baby Naming Society to come up with the very best packages for naming ceremonies. It is worth noting that Civil Ceremonies celebrants will allow you to make religious references within the naming ceremony if you wish. Prices range from £168 to £198 for an external venue, with an additional £30 if you wish to have the ceremony at home. They base the ceremony on a Œstandard script‚ but with this you are still able to make your own choices of readings and promises to include. Alternatively, for £65, they can work with you and provide a 'bespoke script' which is totally tailor-made to you. The 'bespoke script' can be performed by a celebrant, or you can simply use it yourself, for a parent, friend or relative to conduct the ceremony.

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Humanist Celebrant
The British Humanist Association - Tel: 0207 430 0908
Humanism.org.uk
Humanism is the belief in leading a good life without religious or superstitious beliefs. A British Humanist Association celebrant can conduct a ceremony for you in the venue of your choice including your own home, priced between £95 - £130. They will usually want to arrange a meeting with you beforehand to discuss what you want to include in the ceremony - it is worth noting that they strictly will not allow any references with religious connotations. However, our top tip is that they do publish a book called New Arrivals which is a guide to non-religious baby namings, available from their online shop for only £6. It is a practical guide to naming ceremonies including sample ceremony scripts and readings which could prove a useful guide to you if you want to put together your own ceremony.

Do it yourself!
You can buy guides and scripts from the organisations above, or simply write your own ceremony. There are no rules to naming celebrations, so you can say anything you want and anybody you want can say it! Sometimes this can be the parents, grandparents, or simply a friend or family member who is good at public speaking! When you do it yourself, you choose how formal or informal to make it. It might be as simple as thanking everyone for coming and making a toast to the child.

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