When I first started doing namegiving ceremonies the majority were scheduled for a Sunday, predominantly in the morning (though when potential clients discovered I was already booked for the morning of the particular day they'd chosen, they often did slip their ceremony to the afternoon).
But I'm noticing a change. Over the past few months I'm seeing a shift as more ceremonies (both numerically and proportionately) are being booked for a Saturday. I don't know what has caused this shift, but whatever it is, is must be making it harder for parents to find a suitable celebrant for the day and time they have selected. Saturday is peak time for weddings, also performed by celebrants.
But day of the week is not the only consideration. If you're at the stage of thinking about organising a naming ceremony for your baby, then you already know that babies have their own schedule, which doesn't always align with yours. At certain times of the day they are more sociable, more alert, and more amenable to the sort of activities a naming ceremony involves. For a baby this means being clean, being rested, and not being hungry. So the primary consideration must be choosing a time for the ceremony which fits your individual baby's feeding/sleep schedule.
A namegiving ceremony must always be conducted on "baby time". This means that as well as being scheduled at the best time for the particular baby, there must be enough time to pause the ceremony and tend to the baby's needs (or the needs of another baby present)if the baby needs changing, feeding or generally soothing.
Of course other considerations can include work commitments or travel plans of the guests, but a good celebrant whose schedule fits yours, a relaxed and happy baby, and an environment that is comfortable for all guests, are the ingredients that make for a happy and relaxed ceremony. All it takes is a little bit of juggling and a lot of planning.
Even if you do carefully plan, the child may not always cooperate. But don't stress. Celebrants who do baby namings are used to the unexpected. And sometimes it is the unexpected that makes the ceremony particularly memorable. I remember one ceremony where the child, who was old enough to run, was not impressed with the proceedings and kept taking off. When we got to the naming his father was doing aeroplanes with him to keep him happy. So when I named him, he was laughing, and upside down. I'm sure everyone present will treasure that image.
Til next time ...
