peter.gaskin@humanistceremonies.org.uk 07817 364277 (call, text or WhatsApp)
Naming Ceremonies
Celebrate New Life and New Beginnings
Making Your Ceremony Special
The arrival of a child or children is a truly life-changing event.
Welcoming and celebrating new life is a fantastic way to bring people together - to celebrate and reinforce friendships and support networks and have fun!
Naming ceremonies share joy and encourage us all to think about what really matters and making our futures better. My ceremonies are relaxed and uplifting but also full of meaning.
With lovely words that celebrate life - promises and vows - symbolic actions - inspirational poems and readings and everyone taking part. Even the planning can be a joy.
Although Naming Ceremonies are also sometimes called "baby" namings these ceremonies are suitable for children of all ages. The Naming could be combined with a first birthday for example or at some other time.
The cermony style can also be adapted for older children - for instance to celebrate the blending of a new step-family or to formally welcome adopted children or to mark a coming of age.
Such ceremonies can also adapt to celebrate a changed identity or otherwise celebrate a new beginning in life.
Lindsey- Tarvin, Chester
Peter was wonderful throughout the whole process of planning and delivering the naming ceremony for our daughter. He really took the time and effort to spend time with and to get to know us as a family and designed a ceremony that was exactly the tone we wanted, incorporating everything and everyone we wanted to make it completely unique and personal to our daughter. So many people commented on how lovely the ceremony was and we have such special, happy memories of that day. Peter was brilliant to work with, incredibly patient as having 2 small children we would often get distracted during the planning process! Peter kept everything on track, even purchasing a copy of the book my reading was taken from to read on the day. He was friendly and always approachable and came up with creative ideas to ensure that ceremony was exactly what we wanted. We can’t say enough positive things about our experience of working with Peter on our daughters naming ceremony and would not hesitate to recommend him to others. It was a beautiful, special day thanks to Peters’s input. Thankyou!
Callum - Liverpool
Peter exceeded all our expectations for our son’s naming ceremony.
He took the time to understand our son and then wrote the most amazing speech.
He offers a 5* service whilst also offering great value.
Would highly recommend and we will definitely be using Peter again. Thank you!
Emily - Wirral
We were so pleased with our son's naming ceremony and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Peter to anyone considering planning one. We felt very comfortable with him guiding us through the process. He offered plenty of suggestions and was easily accommodating of our preferences. He led the ceremony with a thoughtfulness and humour. Many of our guests told us that they had found it a really meaningful ceremony.
Zoe - Altrincham
Peter conducted our 3 year old son's naming day and we cannot recommend him highly enough. He came over to meet us, got a feel for us as a family and incorporated elements of our daughter's naming day into a wonderful script. He wasn't phased at all when our son basically hid throughout the ceremony and adapted well to zoom issues and absent guideparents! Everyone commented on what a lovely service it was and how nice and personable Peter was. Would definitely recommend for any occasion. 🧡
What to Expect
I offer authentic non-religious naming ceremonies which are created to reflect upon and celebrate the joy, and the wonder of new life and our mutual responsibilities to each other. In short our ceremony is a sort of "welcome to the world" and full of meaning. You can include appropriate symbolic actions where you wish and all the while we'll ensure your celebration is warm, intimate and fun.
Naming Ceremonies can be held most anywhere - from front rooms and gardens to forests, parks, beaches and so on to village halls, pubs and other event venues
What to expect: Following an initial conversation to discuss your preferences we would have a face to face meeting usually at your home to learn about the child or children for whom the ceremony is held.
Every ceremony is unique but a typical structure is as follows:
Introductions and Welcomes
Reading/Poem
Some words on the arrival and personality of the child/children
Words on the Importance and responsibility of parenting
Parental promises
Reading/Poem
The importance of other people
Appointment of Guideparents (if applicable)
Guideparent promises
Reasons for choice of name
The naming itself (various forms possible)
Concluding words
Different people can be involved in different ways. Guideparents are particularly key to a Naming Ceremony - people who offer to provide support to your child throughout their lives - perhaps offer a different perspective but who support your own values.
If you have stories or poems you'd like to be included we can do so and/or I can help you choose other readings.
The ceremony would typically last about 20 minutes or so.
I'd draft a script from our conversations and incorporate everyone's contributions and agree everything with you before the day of the ceremony.
I charge £250 including all meetings, travel, correspondence, script writing, delivery of the ceremony a certificate as well if you wish.