Ceremony FAQs
Naming Ceremonies
QUESTIONS
- Are there any restrictions on when and where a naming ceremony can be held?
- How much notice do I need to give to the celebrant?
- Can single parents, unmarried and same sex couples have a naming ceremony for their child?
- What documentation do I need to supply for a naming ceremony?
- Can we write our own ceremony? And if we can, where can we find information to assist us?
- What can we expect for our fee?
- Can Godparents be appointed at a naming ceremony?
- One of the people I want to appoint as Godparent cannot be at the ceremony, can I still include him/her?
ANSWERS
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Are there any restrictions on when and where a naming ceremony can be held?
A naming ceremony can be held anywhere and at any time. This is a matter of negotiation between you and your celebrant. Generally speaking professional celebrants are happy to perform a naming ceremony at the venue of your choice and on the day and time of your choice. Just bear in mind that most naming ceremonies are held during the day at the weekend, and weekends are usually heavily booked, so if you can be somewhat flexible you will have a better chance of being able to book your celebrant of first choice.
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How much notice do I need to give to the celebrant?
A naming ceremony is not a legal ceremony, and therefore there is no legal requirement to submit notice to a government department, thus there is no legal requirement for a period of notice for a naming ceremony. However, because naming ceremonies are held at the weekend, and professional celebrants can be heavily booked, it is best to book your celebrant as early as possible.
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Can single parents, unmarried and same sex couples have a naming ceremony for their child?
The marital status of the parent(s) is of no concern to a civil marriage celebrant, and therefore civil marriage celebrants will perform naming ceremonies for the children of single, unmarried and same sex couples. You will need to check with individual religious marriage celebrants as to the protocols of their particular faith.
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What documentation do I need to supply for a naming ceremony?
There are no legal requirements to supply any documentation for a naming ceremony.
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Can we write our own ceremony? And if we can, where can we find information to assist us?
All professional celebrants can assist you to write your own ceremony by providing information and guidance. Alternatively you can find information and resources both in books and on the Internet. Some celebrants will write a ceremony for you in line with your specific requirements. Others will provide you with a selection of ceremonies that you can mix and match from to craft your own ceremony.
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What can we expect for our fee?
All professional celebrants will perform the ceremony at the venue of your choice and provide a naming certificate. The detail of what each celebrant provides needs to be discussed with the celebrant, and what your fee covers may differ from celebrant to celebrant. It is up to the client to determine whether what a particular celebrant's fee covers is value-for-money.
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Can Godparents be appointed at a naming ceremony?
You can, but do not have to appoint Godparents as part of a naming ceremony. While a naming ceremony differs from a Baptism or Christening in that the Godparents are not required to accept any religious responsibility, most people in our society now understand the term Godparent to mean an older adult who acts as a friend and mentor to the child and supports his or her parents in the parenting role. Many people do appoint Godparents, and may use the term Guardian, Mentor, Sponsor or something similar to describe them. It is perfectly acceptable also not to appoint Godparents.
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One of the people I want to appoint as Godparent cannot be at the ceremony, can I still include him/her?
By all means. The person will be mentioned by name, and you can have them sign the certificate at a later date.
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