Organizing a Baptism Party?

The most important things you need to know before starting to plan

Most of the times, a baptism party is the second most important event in the life of a couple after the wedding.

Oddly enough, however, with a baptism things are very different from organizing a wedding. If for a wedding, the bride gets the leading role with all preparations, with the baptism it is usually daddies / gentlemen who take over.
So, as a new father, you should not be surprised or alarmed if this project will be assigned mostly to you. Many locations (mostly 4 and 5 star hotels) have a dedicated event coordinator who will guide you throughout the entire process.
Florentina Moise has been an Events Manager at Crowne Plaza Bucharest since 2012 and shares some pieces of advice from her experience in the field.

A Daddies mission

„In 90% of cases, men / fathers are tasked to find the right location and organize a baptism party. Most of the negotiation is carried out by fathers – it was quite with surprise that we found out they are extremely conscientious, do their homework rigorously, want everything to be perfect; Mums are usually caught up with baby and intervene only at the final decision on the location and possibly as far as decorations are concerned. ”
With baptisms, parents are more relaxed than with the wedding, but a different kind of stress comes up – the children – the baby on the one hand, and the children of other guests who may have very different ages and which must be considered for an entertainment program on the other hand.

Children: what do we do with them at a party?

„Weather permitting, we install inflatable castles in the garden, put chairs and tables even in the garden so that children enjoy as much of spaciousness and outdoors as possible. For 5-6 hours, they run up and down the garden, are involved in games, face painting, etc. „Certainly, outdoor space will make the difference and will allow more parents to enjoy the tranquility of the party.”

How can we ‘accessorize’ a baptism party?

A Candy Bar is a Must-Have
„A Candy Bar is a must at a baptism, both for children and adults; kids may be or may not be allowed to eat sweets, but adults will certainly highly appreciate delicious decorative set; Trending are the colorful cupcakes, macarons, sliced ​​fruit and chocolate fountain, glasses with crème brulee … ”

Entertainment

In the background, entertainment is, naturally, adapted to the occasion, meaning that it becomes more playful, in childish tones.
„In recent years, magicians seem to have risen in preferences. They usually do a great job at interacting with guests, creating moments of suspense, stimulating a pleasant atmosphere,” said Florentina.
In terms of music, usually a DJ is enough, no need for special guests or live band to play as in the case of weddings.

Depending on tastes, you can opt for the traditional fairies. Beware, though, to settle in advance as clearly as possible the scenario of this moment, so that it is neither too long nor too tiring for the child.

Duration of the event

Baptisms are shorter in duration than other types of parties and partying lasts 5-6 hours at the most.
„Everybody thinks of children, of their bedtime. Precisely for this reason, they can organize baptisms on Sundays, when they start at 14-15 and end around 20 – 21. ”

The Menu

„I recommend no more than three main courses – appetizer / starter, fish, main course plus dessert. No cabbage rolls! Stuffed cabbage rolls were most probably on the wedding menu, there is a strong tradition in this regard and it is not recommended to remove them … But at a baptism, things are different – time is shorter, the guests are on average younger … ”
It all ends, of course, with the baby cake. „There are some recurrent decorative themes – angels, booties, baby dolls, either in diaphanous colors such as white, pink and blue – or in bright, vivid colors – yellow, green, red etc.” says Florentina.

Florentina Moise is a member of the Events Sales Team at Crowne Plaza Bucharest Hotel.

As Event Manager she has coordinated over 300 private and business events.