A week ago we baptized baby Catherine. The service took place in my childhood church where my sister was baptized, we received our first communion and confirmations, Curtis was baptized as an adult, and then we were married. Now that we’ve moved back to Florida, we knew this would be our church home with our girls and so when Catherine was born her baptism was one of the first things we looked ahead to plan. The Episcopalian church has certain days on which the sacrament of baptism is performed. There are some exceptions, but in general we have four days that are considered baptism days. Margaret’s was on All Saints Day which is traditionally November 1st or the Sunday after so when she was almost 10 months old. I felt like All Saints Day in this case would be too soon after having Catherine and I was wary of the unpredictable newborn feeding schedule and my own recovery if I were to do this less than 8 weeks after having her. We see many precious tiny babies get baptized and I am always in awe of the newly minted parents with their lives together so soon! The Easter Vigil is one of my favorite services of the entire year and it is when Curtis was baptized, but we decided the evening hour was too much for both our girls. So we arrived at Pentecost – the seventh Sunday after Easter- and I am so glad we did.
Baptisms and their celebrations can look many different ways – my own was casual and private performed by a family friend and Episcopalian priest who came to the house when I was just a few days old before they moved from Florida to New Hampshire. My sister’s just a few years later was a more formal affair at church with a home reception. My husband’s was as an adult followed by dinner at a special restaurant. No matter how big or small, planned or last minute, a baptism is a special occasion in the life of a Christian family. Besides the sacrament and service, as well as being surrounded by our loved ones, a few things made the celebration extra special.
Vintage Silver Containers – For the flowers at the luncheon afterward I used silver containers that had been the centerpieces at our wedding. Leading up to our 2009 nuptials, I collected abandoned and tarnished revere bowls and other silver vessels from The Salvation Army and other thrift stores to use on our tables. Since then they have been used at too many special events to count. They’re not without their flaws and I am pretty haphazard at polishing them – but I love them. I love to arrange flowers myself and I got lucky with peony season at Trader Joe’s.
Monogrammed Cocktail Napkins – For our wedding I ordered a bunch of extra napkins, and kind of like the silver containers, bring them out for special occasions. I plan on hoarding some to stow away in my old age to force on my children even when they claim they don’t want to use musty 30 year old paper napkins. These in particular are from American Stationary, but I know now there are so many great options. One of my favorite Etsy shops is Gracious Bridal out of Austin, TX and I use them now for most of my napkin and cup customization.
Guest Book – I did this for Margaret’s baptism so I knew I’d do it for Catherine as well. I love these Mark & Graham ones, and had their names put on them. I envision pulling them out for their special events to come. For Margaret, we used it for the baptism luncheon as well as her first birthday. The next time I anticipate it making an appearance will be when celebrating her First Communion, which is closer than I am ready to admit! If there is enough space, how special will this be to bring to a graduation celebration, bridal shower, or other special life event for guests to leave notes?
Stationary– We used the same stationary source as we did for Margaret’s and they do an incredible job from the Etsy shop, Dingleberry Degsigns. The letterpress style has such a great feel to it. I love paper invitations, and I think they are always in style. I knew I would send paper invites for such a small and intimate event, but I am definitely a Paperless Post and Evite convert for other special celebrations. Favors – I think party favors are lovely but I am not firmly in the camp of having to have one. For this, we did letterpress bookmarks with scripture. Easy to take, non-perishable, and can be put to use in a prayer book or any book.
Baptismal Gown – Neither my husband nor I had a gown so we decided to start our own tradition and pick out one for our girls to wear. We went with this Feltman Brothers classic and look forward to them using it for their own families. I intend to get their initials and baptism dates embroidered on it.
Food – Because we knew we’d be at the service all morning, we decided to have the food catered. Aside from knowing the food was taken care of and that we could truly relax and celebrate with our friends and family a bit more, having the catering company to help with clean-up accomplished the same thing. For anyone local, we used Pier 22. This is our second time working with them and they are very accommodating and delicious.
What We Wore – For both Margaret and Catherine’s baptisms my dress had lace detailing – I felt like it was light and complimentary to the softness of the occasion. For Margaret’s, I this long sleeve blue Adrianna Papell and I felt great about it, especially for November in Dallas. For Catherine I found my dress at Talbots and they no longer have my exact dress, but there is another similar one there if anyone is on the hunt for something like this. While not a piece of clothing per se, I loved using the G.H. Hunt Christening Shawl. It is the same one Kate Middleton has used for her babies in their famous post-hospital pose. I bought this while Curtis and I were praying we’d be adding to our family soon, and I kept it in my closet and would look at it every once in a while – dreaming of Margaret’s little brother or sister and knowing one day she’d be wrapped up in it. Curtis went with a navy suit and classic tie look that picked up the subtle pink details in my dress but read blue. Margaret is also in Feltman Brothers and loved her dress so much she didn’t want to change all day – even running errands with her grandparents later!
Drinks – Allow me to share with you my new favorite brunch offering – champagne and pineapple juice. Around our house I am calling it the Florida Fizz, though it might have an official name already that I don’t know of. Until then, and maybe forever, it will be Florida Fizz time in the Hamlin House. Beside that we had iced tea, coffee, and water as well as champagne (neat), sparkling rose and wine.
Sentimental Items – My hair clip was my grandmother’s favorite and is perfect for the occasion because of the shell’s symbolism in the sacrament. I felt even more surrounded by love wearing this as well as earrings that belonged to Curtis’ grandmother.
No matter the occasion, but especially for something as meaningful to a family as a spiritual tradition, so much of the joy can come from planning for the day. Talking to our priest, thinking about little Catherine in the dress we used for Margaret, and dreaming up the celebration for after church was so wonderful and then such a special day come to life, surrounded by family and friends, was an absolute dream.
Photo Credit to Chase Gause
Dear Grace, it was a lovely and Blessed time to share in your beautiful family. I thought that was Gaya’s silver hair clip but didn’t get around to asking you! So special! You are remarkable in your attention to detail – unpretentious elegance. I so enjoy your blog – you inspire me to do greater things!! Love, Aunt Felicia
A beautiful post, with lovely details, about a very special day! (I especially love the hair clip – Gaia’s?)
Such a special day, and no surprise that you put so much love and thought into it! The images are beautiful too!