Types of Naming Ceremonies

Your child's naming ceremony is an opportunity to bring together family and friends to witness your formal commitment to your child and to parenting your child.  It is a wonderful centrepiece for a family celebration, either to formally welcome the child into the family (which can be done at any age) or to celebrate the child's first birthday.

Different families have different needs, so I offer you a choice of ceremony packages.

Naming Ceremony Custom-Created and Officiated by Jennifer Cram (from $400)

A fully personal custom-created ceremony is created just for you, a ceremony that is all about your child, your family, developed, created and performed by one of the most experienced naming celebrants in South-East Queensland, a ceremony that your family and friends will say was "so them".

Naming Ceremony
A richly symbolic formal naming ceremony, including family, friends, appointment of sponsors, which can be as light-hearted and casual as you choose.  The ceremony also serves to formally welcome the child into the family.

First Birthday Naming Ceremony
It is common to hold a naming ceremony as the centrepiece of the child's first birthday celebrations.

Naming Ceremony for an Older Child
A richly symbolic formal naming ceremony, including family, friends, appointment of sponsors, which can be as light-hearted and casual as you choose, and which is developed in partnership with the child.

Combo Ceremony (POA)

A  combo naming ceremony is a ceremony that includes the naming of two or more children who are not brother/sister to each other. A different type of combo ceremony is where a naming is incorporated as part  of a wedding or reaffirmation of vows ceremony. Because of the complexity and work required to develop and officiate at a combo ceremony an additional fee will apply.

DIY Naming Ceremony ($225)

Most people choose to have an officiated naming ceremony developed, created and performed by an experienced celebrant. However, where you choose to conduct the ceremony yourselves, or have a close family member or friend lead you through the ceremony, I offer a script-only service,. This service allows you to have the benefit of a personal ceremony developed and created by a very experienced naming celebrant, regardless of where you live, and regardless of whether I have a prior booking for your chosen day. I have created ceremonies for families all around Australia and for ex-pat Australian families posted overseas.

Ceremonies for Non-Traditional Families

Anyone with responsibility for a child can arrange and host a naming ceremony for that child. This includes couples who are not married, couples of the same gender, foster parents, guardians, single parents. There are no restrictions!

Adult Naming/Re-Naming Ceremonies ($400)

There are a number of reasons why an adult may wish to have a naming or re-naming ceremony. Any or all can be accommodated in a sensitive and celebratory ceremony.

Pet Naming Ceremonies (POA)

Welcoming a new fur-person or other companion animal into your life and family? I bring the skills developed over years of creating hundreds of heart-warming and personal baby-naming ceremonies to the development and creation of a naming ceremony tailored to you pet.

Spiritual Ceremonies/Baby Dedication Ceremonies/A Touch of Religion?

Unless you specifically request religious inclusions I assume that the ceremony will be secular.  However, if you wish, you may include religious references, readings and/or prayers in a naming ceremony.  Where you yourselves are not religious but someone important to you is, this can be accomplished in a number of ways that are not intrusively obvious to guests who are not religious but which lend an air of familiarity to the ceremony for those who are. This is also a way to acknowledge dual religious heritages within a secular (non-religious) ceremony.