Ceremony of Naming

A naming ceremony gives parents, family and friends the opportunity to welcome a child or children of any age into the family. The ceremony could celebrate the birth of a new baby, or welcome an adopted child or stepchild. Using specially chosen readings, poems or music you will create a unique event that you and all your guests will treasure. The ceremony can involve parents, guiding adults or grandparents.

The ceremony can be held at our registration offices or a licensed venue. We are also able to hold ceremonies in other venues such as a community hall or social club, but this is subject to inspection and agreement. There is also a fee for this inspection. If you would like a venue which does not currently have a licence, please contact one of our offices and we will explain what you have to do.

Planning your ceremony

When you have decided and provisionally booked a date with the venue, please contact us to arrange a Celebrant to conduct your ceremony. Once you have done this you can then confirm with the venue. When everything is booked we will then send you our Ceremony of Naming pack which will include an options form.

The options form needs to be completed and returned to us with the fee due, no later than three months before the date of your ceremony. If your ceremony date is within three months of booking, please return the form and payment immediately.

The Celebrant will contact you by phone a few days before the ceremony to discuss your options and how the ceremony will run. Or, you may like to book an appointment to meet one of our Celebrants to bring in the options form and pay the fee. Again this needs to be no later than three months before the ceremony date. If your ceremony is booked within three months we will make an appointment for you to see one of our staff as soon as possible.

Please note, a Ceremony of Naming has no legal standing. Ceremonies will be conducted by trained Registrars. At a Ceremony of Naming they are called Celebrants because they are not performing a statutory duty.

On the day of your ceremony please ensure that you arrive on time as we do not wish to rush your ceremony. In the event that you fail to keep the ceremony time you have booked, we reserve the right to postpone your ceremony. This cancellation policy applies to all ceremonies booked with us.

To contact us please call Buckinghamshire Register office on 01296 382481, Wycombe 01494 475092.