Christening
Parties after a christening ceremony are becoming more and more common place from lavish wedding style receptions to quiet family affairs with just the Godparents and Grandparents in attendance.
The Venue
If the church where your child is being christened has a hall you would like to use for the party, enquirer about booking well in advance - bear in mind that many churches will christen more than one child during the morning service, so there will be fierce competition for the hall hire! Hotels and family pub function rooms are also popular choices for christening receptions, but again, book early! Spring and summer christenings can be celebrated with a garden party; look into marquee hire if space permits, and patio heaters if there is still a chill in the evening air!Decorations
Party supply shops are awash with christening decorations from helium balloons to baby-shaped confetti, usually in the obligatory blue and pink boy and girl designs – but there are other options and colour schemes you can consider. Pale yellow, mint green, purple, silver and white are all unisex, so going for a theme along any of those colours will bring originality to your look without being obviously 'boy' or 'girl'. And best of all, you will probably find that general pastel coloured party wares will come in considerably cheaper than 'christening' themed products.Plain white banqueting roll on your party tables will give you an excellent base on which to add your chosen colour in terms of tablecloths (hung on the table on a diagonal slant instead of lined up to each corner, allowing the white of the base cloth to show) napkins and plates. Balloon bouquets make wonderful table centrepieces and are easy to put together yourself or to have made up at a party-shop – essentially, you just need a quantity of helium filled balloons attached to ribbons of different lengths then tied to a weight covered with florists wrap (coloured cellophane).
Accessories
Sugared almonds make great table accessories, and their pastel colours lend themselves well to most colour schemes. Place them in pretty dishes on each table or in next to each guests plate wrapped in white net tied with a ribbon that matches your chosen colours.Food
As christenings generally take place at the end of the Sunday morning service, your reception will usually start at lunch time, so a good buffet or sit down meal is essential. If you have booked a catered function room, or are dining first in a restaurant, then food worries will be out of your hands, but if you are catering yourself, you might want to enlist as many helpers as possible to assist with food on the day! During the winter months you may want to serve something hot to your guests. Many church halls have basic kitchenettes and a cooker available – make use of it by preparing simple things like baked potatoes (par boil first on the morning of the christening and put them in the oven before the service so they are ready to eat afterwards). Hot quiches or even pizza are other options that can be heated through with very little hassle.The Cake
If you haven't saved the top tier of your wedding cake (and frankly, has anyone?!) then you'll be needing a cake. Practically every high street bakery offers a cake making service, but if you are after something a little more bespoke or one off, then enlist the services of a dedicated cake maker and sugar-crafter – they will be able to copy your designs and come up with the exact type of cake you desire, be it a traditional white iced fruit cake with your baby's name and christening date on, or something a little more elaborate (a replica of the church, perhaps?).Entertainment
Background music usually suffices for christenings, with no need for a DJ, fancy sound system or even a dance floor, but if you want to go the whole party hog, then do not let tradition or 'what everybody else does’ stand in your way – it's your family's big day, and even though it has a serious and sincere undertone, it is up to you how you celebrate it! If you are running it along a more formal theme with a sit down meal and speeches, provide little gift bags at the table for young children – fill with small colouring books and crayons to keep fidgety children in their seats during the serious stuff!Your childs christening is one of the most important days of their life – so make it a fantastic, family focussed day to remember!
