Guide
Christening photo booth: planning, frames and ideas
By La Cabine Bretonne · published
A christening often brings three or four generations together around a little one: parents, godparents, grandparents, cousins and friends. A photo booth gives everyone a chance to pose with the baby or as a family, and leaves the parents with prints to add to the album of those early years. Here is how to plan it, from the ceremony to the reception, and how to choose the frame.
Why a photo booth works at a christening
At a christening, most photos are taken during the ceremony and then over the meal, usually on phones. A photo booth offers something different: a moment where each guest poses facing the camera, in good light, and leaves with a print. Grandparents keep one, and the parents stick a copy in a guest book.
It is also an activity that keeps children busy while the adults chat, with no screens or loud music: a reason to dress up, pull faces and have another go.
A soft frame in the colours of the day
Christenings call for gentle shades. Striped designs such as Riviera Blue Stripes, Candy Pink Stripes or Rainbow Stripes frame the photos in ivory, with text to personalise. Gingham designs such as Blush Pink Gingham or Sky Blue Gingham add an ivory name panel for the baby’s name.
For a more natural look, Apple Blossom draws a spring orchard in pinkish white, and First Buds shows bare branches with fresh green shoots. More ideas in the pastel christening and christening photo strip collections, and on the christening and new baby page.
What to write on the frame
The frame carries the baby’s name and the date of the christening. A few ideas:
- “Louise’s Christening”, followed by the date;
- “Welcome, Gabriel”, for a naming day or a non-religious celebration;
- the place of the ceremony or the reception;
- the godparents’ names, on a second line;
- “Thank you for coming”, as a thank-you to your guests.
Keep one short main line, readable on a print a few centimetres wide. Our guide to birthday and christening photo booth wording has more lines, and the design’s colours can be changed in the editor to match your decorations.
Religious christening, civil ceremony or naming day
The photo booth suits every kind of celebration. For a church christening, set it up at the reception venue rather than at the church, and open it once the ceremony is over. For a civil naming ceremony, the party that follows is often shorter, so have the booth ready as soon as guests arrive.
For a simple welcome party with no ceremony, the frame can say “Welcome” rather than “Christening”, and the booth can run all afternoon. Whatever the occasion, match the wording on the frame to the ceremony the family has chosen.
When to open the photo booth
A christening usually follows the same pattern: the ceremony, drinks, then a meal or an afternoon tea. The photo booth fits in from the drinks onwards, when guests arrive at the reception, still smartly dressed and happy to join in.
Think about the baby’s routine: photos with the baby are easier early in the reception, before a nap or the tiredness of a long day. After that, the booth keeps running for the other guests, and children happily come back to it while the adults are eating.
Getting the whole family to pose
A few ideas so everyone gets a photo:
- the parents and the baby, then with the godparents;
- the grandparents on both sides, and great-grandparents if possible;
- the cousins together, with a few simple props;
- a chair for older guests, and a cushion or small bench to hold the baby comfortably.
Keep the light soft and avoid harsh flashes a few centimetres from a newborn. Our guide to photo booth props and backdrops has decor ideas that suit children.
A guest book for the child
The guest book is the other treasure of a christening: each guest sticks in their print and writes a message for the child to read one day. It is a gift that grows in value over the years, and one the family will leaf through again on every birthday. Our photo booth guest book guide explains how to prepare it, and our guides to a baby shower photo booth and a first communion photo booth carry the idea through to other childhood celebrations.
Print size, files and printing
A 4×6 print holds one to three photos and readable text; a 2×6 strip lines up three poses, handy for a guest book. Our guide to choosing a photo booth print size compares the options.
Once the design is personalised, you download a high-resolution PNG overlay, transparent where the photos go, ready for your software; our guide to installing a template in dslrBooth covers the setup. If you are hiring the booth, our guide to hiring a photo booth lists the questions to ask. Customising Riviera Blue Stripes takes a few minutes, with no account needed.