Christening checklist
Most of the work happens before the date is even set. Once the church and the godparents are confirmed, the rest is really just a lunch for extended family.
23 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Date agreed with the vicar, priest or celebrantChristenings compete for the same weekends as weddings — ask months rather than weeks ahead.
- Church or venue booked and confirmed in writing
- Godparents asked and confirmedA proper conversation, not a group text — it's a role they're agreeing to, not an invitation to reply to.
- Order of service or programme arranged, if the celebrant wants one
- Outfit for the baby
- Christening gown or outfit sorted
- Family gown checked for size and any repairs it needs after being in a box for a decade
- Outfits sorted for parents and godparents
- Guest list drawn up and invitations sent
- Lunch venue or home hosting decidedSettle this before the guest list grows any further — a table for fifteen and a marquee for forty are different invitations.
- Catering sorted for the lunchCooking rather than booking somewhere puts you into a bigger job than the day itself.
- Cake ordered or made
- Photographer booked, or a family member asked to take the photos properly
- Flowers for the church, if wanted
- Gift for the godparents, if that's the family's tradition
- Baby's things for the day
- Change of outfit for after the serviceA christening gown rarely survives lunch unscathed.
- Nappies and feed timed around the service, not fitted in before it
- Certificate collected or requested from the church
- A few words thought about, if someone's expected to say them at lunch
- Seating planned for lunch, older relatives away from the noisiest end
- Somewhere for coats and prams at the venue
- Thank you cards, or another way of thanking people once the day is over
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- How far ahead should we book the church or venue?
- Several months if you can. Weekends fill up with weddings and other christenings alike, and a date fixed early is one less thing competing for everyone's diary later.
- How do we actually ask someone to be a godparent?
- In person or on the phone, not by group text. It's a role with a real expectation attached, and it deserves a proper conversation rather than a reply typed in five seconds.
- Who pays for the lunch afterwards?
- There's no fixed rule — it's usually the parents, but plenty of families split it or let grandparents host. Decide early so the venue booking isn't made twice by two people assuming it's theirs.