Two complete speeches for a christening, as they might be given at the meal after the service: one by a godmother, one by the parents. The families are fictional, but the structure can be reused. After each speech, you will see why it works. The structure behind it is explained on christening speech.
Example 1: The godmother speaks, Sarah for Freya
Situation: Christening lunch at a pub after a church service, 35 guests, about two and a half minutes.
Dear family, dear friends. And dear Freya, although you are missing this completely because you have been fast asleep since the final hymn.
I am Sarah, and since this morning I am officially your godmother. For anyone who does not know me yet: I am the person who has been through every maths test, every house move and every terrible boyfriend with Freya’s mum since we were eleven. When she asked me in winter whether I would do this, we were sitting in her kitchen, you were roughly the size of the rolling pin beside us, and I cried first. Then I said yes. In that order.
Freya, I have known you for seven months. I know that you prefer a bunch of keys to any toy anyone has bought, that you laugh when someone sneezes, and that you have your dad’s patience, which means none at all. That is not much material for a speech. It is enough for a promise.
I promise you three things. First: at my house, you will be allowed things that have to be negotiated at home. Chips for breakfast may fall into that category. Second: one day I will tell you how your parents really got together. The long version, including the part your dad always leaves out. Third: if you ever need someone who will simply listen and will not report everything back to your parents, that person is me. That applies at seven months, seven years and seventeen.
Your parents chose a baptism verse for you: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” They searched for weeks and rejected two candidates before choosing this one. I think it fits. And I intend to be one of those ways: the one with the chips.
Your mum made the christening candle that was lit in church earlier. If it looked slightly uneven to anyone, that is handmade, and it is meant to be that way.
To Freya!
Why this speech works: The speech solves the basic problem of every christening speech, which is that there is not much to say about a baby yet, by naming the small details exactly: keys, sneezes, patience. That feels more honest than borrowed poetry. The three promises are the heart of the speech and rise from comic to serious, so the godparent role gains weight without the speech becoming heavy. The baptism verse is brought down to earth with the chips joke, and the christening candle gives the mother a small compliment. The toast at the end tells the guests clearly when to raise their glasses.
Example 2: The father speaks for the parents, James about Oliver
Situation: Celebration in the grandparents’ garden after a Catholic baptism, 40 guests, about three minutes.
Dear guests, on behalf of Marie and me: welcome, and thank you for being here. Some of you left home at five this morning to be in church on time. Oliver thanked you by falling asleep at the exact moment the water touched his head. Father Paul said he had not seen that in thirty years. Thank you as well to Grandma Carol for this garden. She has mown it every day since Tuesday so it would look like this today.
A year ago, Oliver did not exist. It is worth pausing on that. A year ago, Marie and I slept late on Sundays and had opinions such as “all pushchairs are basically the same.” Today we know there are 40 kinds of parsnip puree, and Oliver rejects 39 of them. We would still take none of those days back. Well, perhaps 14 March, when all three of us were overtired.
A few people have asked us in recent weeks why we are having Oliver baptised. For us, it is this: this circle. Today we promised, in front of all of you, to guide this small person. You heard us do it. That makes you witnesses. No excuses now, dear godparents.
Which brings me to you, Sarah and Toby. You were the easiest decision in this first year. Sarah, you were at the hospital three hours after Oliver was born, carrying sandwiches. Toby, you assembled and dismantled the changing table three times during the move without swearing once. Those are exactly the kinds of people you want around your child.
Oliver, if you read this in twenty years: we wish you curiosity about everything beyond the garden fence. A friend who brings sandwiches when life gets serious. And the certainty that you can always come back here, whatever you have done. Ask your grandad; he knows that from me.
And now, please raise your glasses. To Oliver!
Why this speech works: The welcome thanks people with a concrete detail, the five o’clock journeys, and gets its first laugh from the baptism itself. The contrast between “a year ago” and “today” tells the first year of parenthood in two sentences. The 40 purees replace sentiment with a detail every parent recognises. The godparents are thanked with two pieces of evidence, and the sandwiches return later in the wish for Oliver. The final wishes are addressed to the adult child, which gives the celebration a view forward and makes the closing toast feel larger.
The pattern behind both christening speeches
Both speeches use the same four steps: a welcome with concrete thanks, an honest look at the child through the two or three details already visible, promises or wishes as the heart, then a clear toast. The godmother speaks directly to the child; the parents speak to the guests. Both work as long as the speech stays under four minutes and every guest can understand the anecdotes. You will find structure, length and the common mistakes on christening speech.