Welcome little one!
You made a whole entire human! It’s a pretty big deal! So it’s not surprising that more and more non-religious families are looking for ways to mark and celebrate their new arrivals.
Or maybe you’ve recently adopted a child or become a blended family with a new partner and your respective children?
Whatever your circumstances, a naming ceremony is a lovely excuse to gather together your favourite folk and to officially welcome your baby or to celebrate the family you’ve become! It’s an opportunity to thank the people who support you and it’s the perfect chance to acknowledge the regular absurdity of day to day life with a little one!
...just sit back and relax
No doubt, with a young family in tow, your time and energy will be in short supply. That’s where I come in. My job is to help you work out how you’d like to celebrate, and to guide you through the whole process so you end up with a beautiful ceremony without breaking a sweat! That way you can just sit back and relax (or catch up on sleep/tidy the toys/mow the lawn/shave your legs!?)!
So what happens next?
chat
Before you book, let’s chat! I’d love to hear more about the celebration you’re planning and I’m always happy to answer any questions you might have. Head over to my contacts page to get in touch…
book
If you decide to go ahead I’ll send you a contract so we have an agreement in writing.
I charge £375 for Namings. This is paid in 3 equal instalments; £125 when you book, £125 when you receive your ceremony script and £125 the week of the ceremony. Travel is charged on top.
plan
A couple of months before your baby’s naming, we’ll meet to plan the ceremony. I’m happy to be as flexible as possible and fit in around naps and feeds.
The best namings are the ones which are simple (because little ones are wriggly!) but full of joy and meaning. I’ll offer plenty of guidance on readings, music and ways to involve or pay tribute to the special people who support your family. We can discuss whether you’d like to include parental promises or assign Guardians/Guide Parents. But more than anything, I’ll want to get to know you and your little one so I can create a ceremony which perfectly reflects the quirks of your family!
write
With every naming I write, I’m aiming to nail it first time! But I’m not precious. So if there are things you want to add, change or re-work, that’s fine. We’ll tweak it until it’s perfect.
celebrate!
On the day of the ceremony I’ll arrive early so I have time to chat with anyone directly involved. And once you give me the nod to let me know you and your little one are happy to start, I’ll conduct your totally personalised ceremony, guaranteed to leave everyone feeling all warm and fuzzy!
Humanists UK have a helpful FAQ section which you can visit here.
Elliot
This one’s mine! He’s nine now. He’s funny and curious and endlessly chatty. His mind is full of weird and wonderful creatures which he loves to draw. And if he’s not busy illustrating his latest manga-inspired comic, he’s nagging me for time on the Nintendo! But I remember the fog of new motherhood so well. I remember the sleepless nights. I remember how long it took to leave the house. I remember how I was still wearing my maternity jeans 18 months after I’d had him because my days were fuelled almost entirely by cake! But would I ever swap it for the freedom of youth? Never.
Well…almost never!
Happy Families
“Laura was just great at arranging our naming ceremony. She made it very personal to us, was lovely and friendly to work with and on the day delivered such a fantastic ceremony that afterwards it opened our guests’ eyes to humanist ceremonies. We would highly recommend Laura!”
The Braithwaites
"We booked Laura for our son Harry’s naming ceremony. Laura was amazing. She perfectly captured our feelings and thoughts for Harry and put it all into our ceremony. She gave the most amazing personal service to our family. We had such a wonderful special day.
The Stones
"From the first meeting with Laura, she made us feel so at ease and made the who process so easy. We stayed in contact via email and she sent me drafts of the script to read over and edit but to be honest, I didn’t need to alter much - she had made it perfect. Everything she wrote about us was spot on and she managed to include our humour which was a lovely addition. I had so much positive feedback from our guests after the ceremony!"
The Cowleys
Say hello!
Ready to chat about your ceremony? Get in touch – I’d love to find out more about your plans for the day.
