A new person has arrived. Two families have become one. A loved one has chosen a name that finally fits. An adoption has gone through after years of waiting.
These are enormous moments, and they deserve to be truly celebrated. A naming or family ceremony brings together everyone you love, honouring this new chapter and sharing meaningful promises for the future.
Every Kind of Family, Every Kind of Beginning
Naming ceremonies
Whether you're welcoming a baby, marking an adoption, celebrating a personal renaming, or blending families, we gather your favourite people together to mark this new and exciting chapter.
Re-naming ceremonies
For anyone stepping into a name identity that is truly theirs, at any age, and for friends and family gathered to hold space, honour their journey, and celebrate who you are.
Adoption ceremonies
To honour the day your family officially became what it already was. These are, without exaggeration, some of the most emotional ceremonies there are.
Family blending ceremonies
For two families joining into one. Children get their own promises, their own moment and their own place in the story.
What is a Naming Ceremony?
A naming ceremony is not a christening and it is not trying to be. There is no religious content unless you want some, no requirement to belong to anything, and no expectation about what your family looks like.
On the legal side: a naming ceremony has no legal standing, but then neither does a christening. Registering the birth is the legal part, and that happens separately at your register office. What a naming ceremony gives you is the meaning, the gathering and the promises.
Instead of godparents you choose guideparents, and they can be anyone. Best friends, siblings, grandparents, the neighbour who has been there since day one.
Written by Someone Who Has Done the Nap Schedule
My experience as both a nanny and a celebrant brings a practical, child-friendly approach to every celebration.
I know how long children can actually sit still, so I write to fit. I know that the ceremony needs to land in the gap between the morning nap and snack time. I know how to give an older sibling a job so they feel important and included. And if your little ones make a bit of noise during the ceremony, don't worry, we just roll with it.
Looking after children for so many years has made me deeply in tune with what families need. Now I get to use all of it to build the celebration you have been picturing.
The Lovely Extras
A sand ceremony is my favourite for families. Everyone pours a different coloured sand into one jar, the layers mix, and you keep it forever. It is perfect for blended families and brilliant for children because they get something to do.
Candle lighting works beautifully for honouring a grandparent who is not there. And if there is a tradition from your own family or culture that you want woven in, tell me and I will build it in.
How It Works
-
Let's connect
A free, no-obligation phone or video call so we can meet, talk about your family and explore your ideas.
-
Secure your date
I send you a booking form, and a 50% deposit locks your date into my diary.
-
Questionnaire and scriptwriting
You get a fun questionnaire about your child's arrival, your family traditions and your hopes for their future. From there I write a completely bespoke script, with guidance on choosing guideparents, writing family promises, picking readings and adding symbolic elements.
-
Fine-tuning together
We refine and edit until you are 100% happy with every single detail.
-
The day
I arrive 30 minutes ahead of time, coordinate with your venue or helpers, make sure the ceremony set up is perfect and lead a relaxed, joyful ceremony.
-
A lasting memory
A printed keepsake copy of the script arrives afterwards, and I am here for whatever your family celebrates next.
Kind Words
“Sarah has a natural ability with words that is super engaging. Emotional, genuine, and just plain lovely, that's how I'd describe it. I love her connection with the audience and her inclusive approach, I just know she will make the most beautiful impact.”