Christening and Naming Day Planner

Who this is for

The ceremony, the people and the money, on one page. Where and when, who is leading it, who has a role — godparents, guide parents, readers — then the guests with their replies and the costs with estimate against actual.

Parents planning a christening, baptism, naming ceremony or welcoming, and the grandparent or friend who has taken on the gathering afterwards.

What this helps you track

• The ceremony details in one place: where, when, who is leading it
• Who is invited, how many each invitation covers and who has replied
• Who has been asked to take a role and what it is, in your own words
• What the day is expected to cost and what it actually came to

How to use it

1. Fill in the child's name, the date, where the ceremony is and who is leading it, and where people are gathering afterwards.
2. List the guests one invitation per row with the party size, and set the reply when it comes back.
3. Where a guest has a role — godparent, sponsor, guide parent, reader, whatever your ceremony has — write it in the role column in your own words.
4. Enter each cost — the venue, food, cake, outfits, a gift for the child — with an estimate before it is booked and the actual once known.
5. The difference, the totals and the heads invited are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add and subtract by hand.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What do I need to arrange with the church or celebrant?

Ask them. Requirements differ between denominations, celebrants and countries, and the sheet does not state any — the person leading the ceremony will tell you what is needed where you are. There is a field for who that is.

Does it assume a religious ceremony?

No. The fields say ceremony, led by and roles, and take whatever your day is — a christening, a baptism, a humanist naming, a family welcoming. The role column is free text so the words are yours.

How many godparents or sponsors should there be?

That depends on the ceremony and on you. The role column takes whoever you choose, and the note column what each has agreed to do.

Is there room for a larger guest list?

The printed page holds a family-sized list. The browser and workbook versions add rows without limit, and the wedding guest list and RSVP sheet is built for a long list with a second printed page.