At Laurie’s naming there was a choir. Sadie’s was in a park, where her dad sang and played guitar to her. For Henry there was a marquee in the garden. And Zoe and Hannah’s party was upstairs at a pub. Jane’s parents planted a tree for her, festooned with wishes.

Whether it’s an elaborate event or a simple gathering at home, I always make sure that each naming ceremony is unique and personal. Parents are always closely involved in deciding the form of the ceremony and in choosing readings.

Naming ceremonies are moving and joyful, celebrations of the arrival of a new person into the family, the circle of friends, and into the world. They mark a rite of passage, and provide an opportunity for everyone to express their hopes and dreams for the child, and to make promises as parents and guide parents.

From time immemorial people have celebrated the rites of passage in their lives. Parents and families often want a meaningful way that is non-religious to celebrate the safe arrival of a child into their family.

To raise children without formal religion is not, of course, to raise them without values. Parents who choose a humanist naming believe that children should be free to make their own choice about what they each believe when they are older. So the ceremonies I conduct are based on humanist philosophy, centred on concern for our fellow human beings, while being tolerant tolerant of other beliefs. As humanists, we believe that we need to make the most of the one life we have as resourceful, self-reliant, realistic and constructive human beings.

If you have further queries or would like to arrange a booking, please email me or call 07930 314 259.

Here are some recent testimonials:

 

“Saturday was such an absolute joy! Thank you so much for being a part of it. We had the most wonderful time.” Ashle, Boo and Zephyur’s mother-Bourmier

Naming of Boo and Zephyr Barrett-Bourmier, 2nd September 2023

 

“Thank you so much. It was such a beautiful celebration, Sally everyone thought you did a brilliant job and couldn’t believe how personal it was. Thanks for being a total professional – it was a joy to work with you!” Paige, Elsie’s mother

Naming of Elsie Primrose Morris, 22nd April 2023

 

“Thank you so much for creating such a lovely Naming Ceremony. We couldn’t have wished for a more meaningful, intimate, and special day.” Kate and Dan Hubert, Monty and Summer’s parents

Naming of Monty and Summer Hubert, 17th September 2022

 

“Thank you so much for leading such a lovely ceremony on Saturday, and for your kind words. We thoroughly enjoyed the occasion, as did our guests, and we were thrilled with how it went. Thank you for providing guidance/structure for the script and for adding your warmth, compassion and professionalism to the day. We are most grateful.”  Katie and Jamie, Ava’s parents

Naming of Ava Bezencenet, 13th July 2022

“Thank you so much for conducting Alex’s ceremony. It was wonderful.  You did such a fantastic job.  Everyone was full of praise for you!” Tabitha. Alexander’s mother

Naming of Alexander Idris Al-Mahdawie, 16th July 2022

 

“I just wanted to send a quick but very warm thank you for the beautiful ceremony you’ve organised for us. I’m sure you’re used to mums who are so overwhelmed by everything around during the day, and I’m very grateful that you kept the ceremony going so smoothly. There’s no way I could do it myself on the day. Thank you thank you!” Milena Piróg, Helena’s mother

Naming of Helena Liliana Piróg-Leighton, 21st May 2022

 

“It was so special and you were brilliant. Thank you so much. We had so many good words about your ceremony, your way of speaking and the things you said. We are so happy and it was a perfect day for the little one.” Andrew, Cassius’s father

Naming of Cassius McDonnell, 5th March 2022

 

“Thanks so much for doing the ceremony. Everyone loved it.” Mark, Charlie’s father

Naming of Charlie Page, 2oth October 2019

 

“Thank you once again for such a lovely service on Saturday, everyone throughly enjoyed it and were very complimentary of you.” Kahjia, Tullia’s mother

Naming of Tullia Bell, 27th July 2019

 

“Thank you for a lovely ceremony, we had a wonderful day and it felt very special. It was lovely to have you back again. We filmed the ceremony and it is wonderful to have to keep!” Angela, Oliver’s mother

Naming of Oliver Hunt, 15th June 2019

 

 

 

 

 

“Just wanted to say from me Paul and Carter how amazing of you to do our naming ceremony. It was absolutely beautiful. Everyone loved it and we had a brilliant night. Thank you so so much.” Kirstie Searston, Carter’s mother

Naming of Carter Henry Higgins, 20th October 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Thank you for the ceremony and for your lovely wishes. We all had a wonderful day!” Marina Jankovic, Lana and Teodora’s mother

Naming of Lana and Teodora, 29th May 2018

 

 

 

 

 

“From the moment we met Sally, we knew that she was the perfect fit for our sons naming ceremony. She was so warm, welcoming and really wanted to get to know us so she could really personalise our son’s day. She was so open to suggestions and was helpful with ideas that once we received the final copy we were delighted! The day of the ceremony went perfectly and Sally’s delivery of the ceremony was beautiful and she also had some great comic timing! We really want to thank Sally for making the day so amazing, that we are still getting comments about it now!” Holly and Josh, Ralph’s parents

Naming of Ralph Owen, 26th January 2018

 

“Thank you so much for the ceremony and for being so accomodating of our disorganised state. I think everyone really enjoyed it – we certainly did. And I think Alisa thoroughly enjoyed the day too (which is of course the most important thing!). Thank you again for all your help and care.” Pat and Adel, Alisa’s parents

Naming of Alisa Connor, 31st March 2018

 

 

 

 

“Thank you so much for a really meaningful and beautiful ceremony.” Sarah, Zoe and Hannah’s mother

Naming for Zoe and Hannah Zimmerman, February 14, 2018

 

 

 

 

“Thank you so very much for the ceremony on Saturday. It meant so much to us that you could come back and lead our ceremony for Laurie, just as you did for Nathaniel. We think you are wonderful, as did countless numbers of our guests. You are have such a warm, welcoming and witty manner, as well as perfect command and dignity despite hordes of squealing children! A special thank you for putting up with our last-minute-itis as well.” Alexandra, Laurie’s mother

Naming for Laurence Cyril Clarke Oates, 10th February 2018

 

 

 

“Thank you for holding a wonderful naming ceremony for my daughter on Saturday. It was a perfect day and I felt warm seeing how much love Fiona has around her.” Jasmine Finnamore, Fiona’s mother

Naming of Fiona Finnamore, 1st July 2017

 

 

 

“We want to say a special thank you to for conducting the ceremony precisely to suit our needs and our crowd. You’re an excellent listener and certainly a warm and wonderful ‘people person’. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you to friends or happy to be a reference for anyone considering using you for future ceremonies.” Stephanie Mathern (Leila’s mother)

Naming of Leila Maxine Mathern Servis, 11th June 2017

 

 

“We had the most wonderful day and a lot of that is thanks to you. Thank you so much for the perfect ceremony, it was wonderful and Tessa clearly enjoyed it. Everyone, literally EVERYONE said it was brilliant, moving and pitch perfect.  We really cannot thank you enough, if we’re lucky enough to have any more children we’ll definitely come to you again.”  Charmian Walker-Smith (Tessa’s mother)

Naming of Tessa Maxine Collett-Smith, 27th May 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Thank you so much for being part of this special time in our lives. We really enjoyed Saturday and our friends were all very touched by the ceremony.” Vivien, Georgia’s mother

Naming of Georgia Ava Myall, 20th May 2017

 

 

“Thanks so much for Saturday – it was a lovely ceremony and so many of our friends and family commented on how much they enjoyed it – many hadn’t known what to expect!” Laura, Noah’s mother

Naming of Noah Hong, 11th February 2017

 

 

 

“We were extremely pleased with Lennox’s naming ceremony and think it went really well. Thank you. My mum and dad very much enjoyed meeting you too.” Claire, Lennox’s mother

Naming of Lennox Jordanoski, 4th February 2017

 

“We just wanted to say a huge thank you for helping us to create such a very special day for Gray and our family yesterday. It was absolutely everything we hoped it would be and more, and was a perfect celebration of our little boy, and the people most important to us. Everyone commented on how beautifully you delivered the ceremony and I heard a number of people wondering why anyone would opt for anything else to mark such an occasion.  Thank you again, it is a day we’ll never forget.” Gwanwyn, Grayson’s mother

Naming of Grayson Carroll, 3rd December 2016

 

 

 

“Just to say thanks so much for doing such a wonderful job on Saturday. Everyone commented on how nice and personal the ceremony was and what a great job you did. We all had a fantastic day and the ceremony was perfect.”  Mark, Jack’s father

Naming of Jack Page, 19th November 2016

 

 

 

 

 

“We had the most wonderful day thank you. The ceremony was so personal and there wasn’t a dry eye! Your script was perfect and the suggestion of involving the grandparents was genius! Such heartfelt words. Sadie is indeed a very  lucky lady and she certainly took  a shine to you. Only seen a few photos from the ceremony and Sadie is beaming and giggling in them all.” Jo and Chris, Sadie’s parents

Naming of Sadie MacDonald, 25th September 2016

 

“Thanks so much! Saturday was such a special day and we were so lucky with the weather! I’ll be sure to recommend you if any of our friends are looking for a Celebrant.” Jennifer, Sophie’s mother

Naming of Sophie Lundy, 23rd July 2016

 

 

“We recently celebrated our son’s Naming Day and chose Sally as our Humanist Celebrant for the second time. Once again, we were delighted with her services. Sally is helpful, creative and thoughtful to work with to achieve the perfect day. On the day, Sally read the service with charisma and was well received by our families and friends.  I would not hesitate to recommend her as a celebrant.” Kathryn, Byron’s mother

Naming of Byron Harris, 26th June 2016

 

 

“Thank you for this and for running such a lovely service on Saturday.  Everyone commented on how lovely they thought it was and we all very much enjoyed the day.” Shahrnaz Firouzabadian, Kamyar’s mother

Naming of Kamyar Firouzabadian, 9th July 2016

 

 

 

 

“It was a really wonderful day and we were delighted by how well it all went. Thank you for all your help and guidance in putting it all together.” Sophie, Orson’s mother

Naming of Orson Taylor, 26th June 2016

 

 

 

 

 

“Thank you so much for yesterday. You made the whole ceremony feel personal, but with a strong sense of occasion. We couldn’t have been more thrilled. Everyone was singing your praises and saying how much they enjoyed the ceremony. Thank you for printing us such a lovely copy too.” Sophie, Indigo’s mother

Naming of Indigo Tidman, 2nd May 2016

 

“Just wanted to say what an amazing day we had, we loved every second and it felt very special indeed. The ceremony was just gorgeous and so many people have commented on how lovely, touching and personalised it was and that it really made the day. Many people had no idea what a naming day really was, I think lots of them may now be having one when they themselves become parents!” Angela, Ava’s mother

Naming of Ava Rose Hunt, 2nd April 2016

 

“We had a Naming Ceremony on the 20th of March 2016 for our two children, Kacey and Luna. As their family is made up of Atheists and Christians, we felt it was appropriate to have a Humanist celebration that was inclusive of everyone. Sally provided some beautiful words, sensitive references and plenty of good humour! The Godparents were delighted to have been so involved in the ceremony and to have had a hand in creating such a personal experience for the children. Sally took great care in devising a script that paid tribute to all of the special people in our lives and really cemented the values of us and our wider circle of family and friends. This will be a day I will never forget and will enjoy recounting these moments with my children in years to come. Our guests have since remarked on the wonderful ceremony and warm, welcoming nature of Sally as a Humanist Celebrant. Thank you again Sally for all of your hard work in helping us to create such gorgeous memories with our babies.” Kira, Kacey and Luna’s mother

Naming of Kacey and Luna Cunningham, 20th March 2016

 

“First, we just want to thank you for the wonderful afternoon on Saturday. You created a ceremony that was perfect for us: just the right combination of solemnity, humour, joy and celebration. Everybody said how much they enjoyed it and they all liked the way it was so much more personal that a traditional christening, whilst still remaining a proper ceremony. And everyone commented on what a wonderful celebrant you were too! So thank you very very much. It meant so much to us to welcome Nathaniel in that special way, and we will treasure its memory.” Alexandra Clarke, Nathaniel’s mother

Naming of Nathaniel Oates, 14th November 2015

 

“Thank you so much for the beautiful service on Saturday – we couldn’t have asked for it to go any better and have had so many lovely compliments on it from the older generation who I think were pleasantly surprised at how personal but still ceremonial our supposedly hippy option was! Everyone also said how well you led the ceremony. You made the day and all the planning of the ceremony easy for us. It was a day we will always remember and tell Edward about.” Tanya Tillet, Edward’s mother

Naming of Edward Zahaan Bennet Seymour, 8th August 2015

 

“Thank you so much for such a wonderful ceremony – everyone loved it!” Marcus Lee, Johnny’s father

Naming of Johnny James Lee, 18th July 2015

 

“We were really pleased with the naming ceremony, and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Thank you so much for being a part of it and presenting it so well.” Josie Pearson, Henry’s mother

Naming of Henry Allen, 17th May 2015

 

“We had a wonderful time and we are so glad to have had this precious experience, which was made all the more so by you. We can’t thank you enough.” Tara Cross, Eva and Imari’s mother

Naming of Eva and Imari Cross, 16th May 2015

 

 

“We still have people telling us what a wonderful day it was – thank you so much for your part and lovely words.”

Kellie Sloane, at the naming of Amelia Sloane-Cory, 27th December 2014

 

 

 

“Sally was fantastic from the moment I contacted her regarding our naming ceremony. She helped us compile the ceremony always gently chasing us about getting it done and making fantastic suggestions and I really needed the gentle nudges at the end of my pregnancy and the first few weeks with a newborn!”

Sarah Pugh, at the naming of Leo and Juno Pugh, 2nd August 2014

“We were thrilled with the ceremony. It was very special so thank you so much.”

Amy and Paul Dowling, at the naming of Marlo Syon Dowling, 17th May 2014

“Harrison’s naming ceremony was everything we wisyhed for and we couldn’t have done it without you. Second to our wedding day, it was the most special day of lives and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Sally, you were an absolute pleasure to work with, from the initial explanation of humanist naming ceremonies to the support and assistance throughout the event, to the beautifully delivered script and ceremony on the day. We could not recomKend you highly enough to anyone else.”

Kathryn and Graham Tooby, at the naming of Harrison Charles Tooby, 11th May 2014

“A fabulous naming day. Thanks so much for everything Sally. It absolutely went as we hoped. The old man in his rocking chair was a star turn!”

Peter and Lucy Carter, at the naming of Ollie Gil Carter, 23rd February 2014

“Dear Sally, please allow me to express our thanks for the beautiful ceremony you conducted for Megan. So much more personal than any other baby welcoming I have attended, the day was incredibly special and memorable. From helping us to shape the ceremony itself (and your endless patience with our tweaks and strange requests) to leading it in such a human manner, from working with us to include gestures towards Megan’s Jewish background (the lighting of the Chanukiah was inspired, and combing it with the wishes, brilliant) to being happy to hold the whole thing in our building site of a house, you were definitely the right woman for the job! The icing on the cake was being presented with a printed copy of our ceremony, which we will treasure. We felt like Megan was properly welcomed into our family and circle of friends, and that is very much thanks to you and your imagination, authority and sense of ambition in what we could achieve.”

Kathryn Kramer, at the naming of Megan Kramer, 1st December 2013

 

 

“The ceremony was great and everyone said how much they enjoyed it.”

Harriet Hickey, at the naming of Eva Scout Hickey, 14th September 2013

 

 

 

“We were really happy with Sally. She made a real effort before the day to ensure we had the celebration that we wanted for our daughter. Lots of people commented afterwards how lovely the ceremony was and how much they enjoyed it.”

Sarah Tough and Peter Tang, at the naming of Marnie Isabelle, 28th July 2013

“I had never done a humanist ceremony before but needn’t have worried , as Sally just guided us through it in such a delightful way , helping us structure it and getting the speeches in place for all the many godparents. It was a really such a memorable  day and everybody commented how beautiful the ceremony was which was all down to Sally’s brilliant skills. She will do my wedding for sure and I would recommend her to everyone.”

Nikki Parrott, at the naming of Dylan Jacob, 16th June 2013