Saturday Baptism - Need advice

bridetobe920

Hi everyone -

DD will be baptized on a Saturday at 5pm.  DH and I aren't super religious, so I am not 100% sure of protocol/etiquette.  First question, what would be appropriate gifts for DD's godparents?  Secondly, should we plan to give a donation to the priest?  What would be an appropriate amount?  Lastly, considering the time of the ceremony, what would be an appropriate meal to serve afterwards?  Or, would it make more sense to just take everyone to a restaurant for dinner following the baptism?  Thanks so much for any input!

GatorWedsNole

I just went to a family baptism this last weekend, so everything is of fresh in my memory...

• I don't know that it's necessary to give gifts to the godparents, but if you'd like to: what about a nice silver photo frame and the promise that you will send them a photo holding the baby in a few weeks?  I wouldn't get the fram engraved or anything like that.
• I would imagine that the church has a "standard" donation amount.  Could you call the church office and find out? 
• My suggestion would be that you call restaurants near the church and see if you can get a private or semi-private area.  They could probably help you set up a menu with a few options that will you help you budget for dinner and maybe a couple glasses of wine for each adult. You might want to include the dinner on the baptism invitation so that people can plan accordingly.  (My family's baptism was on a Ssunday morning, so we were all invited to brunch afterwards - this was all on the invite)   HTH!

6fsn

I'm going to ignore the issue of a baptism when you aren't religious because this is an entertaining board.

We did not do godparent gifts, but it's not unheard of.  Like pp said a photo frame or a small religious keepsake.  I assume the godparents are religious?

It is customary to donate to the person doing the baptism.  A lot of that will depend on your region and the church.  You can call the office, but I know at our church I got a non-comittal response.  For small rural churches I'd tend to the $35-50 range.  For a city I'd tend toward $100.  This might also be something to ask a fellow parishioner.

Since the baptism is at 5, people I'd do dinner in some form.  Whether it be in your home or in a restaurant is going to depend on your budget, guest list and ability.  Either home or restaurant would be lovely.  One thing to consider is your child though.  If the dinner could run into bedtime I'd consider having it at home.

Adjudi-Kate

I bought tee shirts for the Godfather and Godmother that I thought were really cool.  This link.  They loved the shirts and had fun posing for pictures in them at the brunch we had.  I also got the godparents a little photo book with pictures of my daughter.  The grandparents and great-grandparents were presented the same album.  Presents all around!

We made a donation.  I think it was $50.  Our church is pretty small and didn't ask for anything, so we felt it was approriate. We go to church there and contribute to the collection every week, plus the baptism was held in the middle of the regular mass, so I didn't feel obligated to give a fortune.

We took the family to brunch at a nearby restaurant immediately following the baptism.  The restaurant had a little room set aside for us and we had a buffet, with a server who brought us drinks. It worked out well and was really easy for everyone.