Etiquette: Should I Send Out Formal Christening Invitations?

A christening or baptism is a beautiful day, especially for the parents and godparents. Of course, most children are too young to remember their christening day, but it is nice for them to have things to look back on when they have grown up. Etiquette dictates that you should send out formal christening invitations. Fortunately, we have a lovely selection of personalised christening invitations for you to choose from. We think they’re excellent for your child to look at when they are older.

Why Send Out Invitations?

Like any event, guests need time to prepare themselves. It is therefore important that you formally invite people to a special event such as a christening or baptism. It all very well discussing things and having the odd text message flying backwards and forwards, but this can easily get confused and people may not realise they have been officially invited. Your child’s baptism card should be sent out probably four weeks before the actual ceremony. This is a sensible amount of time for people to be able to make preparations, especially if they have to travel to the venue.

Who Gets Invited?

Who will be invited to a christening or baptism will generally depend on the venue and budget. Some christenings form part of a standard Sunday church service, so you will be sharing your day with the congregation. The christening party will be invited to the front to gather round the font, and this will typically consist of the parents, godparents, and perhaps grandparents. Inviting the godparents should be done in advance, but do be aware that it is an honour that a few people turn down. So, if you are confident that your friends will be delighted to be the appointed guardians in this situation you could use their invite as part of the process of asking them. And after the event, make sure you send your gratitude with a christening thank you card.

If you want to have a larger party after the ceremony then you may have two styles of invitations, one for those coming to the actual service and one for those invited afterwards. It’s up to you how many people you invite as long as the people who are actually playing a role in the ceremony understand their duties.

What Information Goes on the Invite?

Obviously, you will need to have the child’s name featuring prominently on the invitation. You would then include the venue, the date and time. It’s also nice to include a Bible verse, greeting or poem. Some people like to include the names of the godparents and parents and it is entirely up to you. If people are travelling from further away and do not know the local area it is manners to include some forms of directions and useful information. However, it is better that this is included on a separate piece of paper rather than the main invitation. You can include things like directions to the venue, parking arrangements, directions to the after party and local hotels and guesthouses of people will be spending the night. If you are concerned that people will not realise it’s a Sunday best type dress code, you can also include this information on the information sheet.  Finally, you will also want an RSVP card on the invite so that you have an idea of numbers for catering.

If you’re organising a christening for you son or daughter then make sure you stop by to check out our collection of professional but amazingly cheap christening invitations. They are printed on our premium card stocks, meaning you end up with a lovely keepsake that will last a lifetime. But if you are looking for something a bit more ‘21st-Century’ then take a look at our range of digital christening invitation cards. This are christening and baptism cards that have been designed to fit a standard smartphone screen. They are priced at just £12.50 and come with a free digital RSVP service. Our wider electronic invitation collection can be found here.