Articles: christening

A christening involves fewer decisions than a wedding, but the same questions return. How to word the invitation so it sounds warm and clear. Whether to add a photograph of the child. What, besides invitations, is genuinely useful on the day.

Invitations: style and wording

Classic designs with delicate ornament still have their followers, though calmer layouts are chosen more and more often: pale paper, one accent colour and text you can read at a glance. If you want a photograph, one picture with plenty of space around it works best. The wording usually needs only a short set of facts.

• Who is inviting - the parents' names, sometimes the child's name first.
• When and where - date, time and the name of the church.
• What follows - the address of the reception and a rough time.
• How to reply - one phone number is enough.

The table set and a keepsake

The invitation usually starts a whole series. The same design carries easily onto place cards with guests' names, a menu for the table and thank you cards handed out at the end. When everything shares one colour and one typeface, the table looks considered without extra decoration.

A separate article covers the keepsake: a personalised disc with photographs and a recording from the day, printed and packed in a cover that matches the invitations. It works particularly well for godparents and grandparents, especially when the pictures would otherwise stay on a phone.