Planning a Greek Orthodox Christening Reception at a Restaurant
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In the Greek Orthodox faith, the Christening is a very special time because it marks the true beginning of your spiritual life in the Orthodox Church. It is the tradition for the ceremony to take place in infancy.
Since the Christening is so important, people love to celebrate the occasion with a special reception and meal after the ceremony. Traditionally, the godparents pay for the items needed during the ceremony and the parents and/or the godparents pay for the reception that follows.
Even though the reception is a tradition not a religious necessity, mostly everyone has at least a small gathering. Some families, however, love to give their guests a quality experience either by cooking a big meal themselves or offering it at a restaurant. Having it at a restaurant, however, is the easiest way to give guests a great experience without the hassle.
Choose the Best Restaurant
Your very first step in planning your Christening reception at a restaurant is to seek out the best restaurant for your needs. As a Greek-American, you may consider holding the reception at your local Greek restaurant.
If not, select a restaurant that has a menu that will appeal to a wide variety of people. The goal is to find a place that has good food with a nice atmosphere at affordable prices.
One thing to remember is that if your guest list is fairly large some restaurants won’t be able to accommodate that. Determine how many guests you expect before you start considering where to have it. This may help you narrow it down,
Sending Out Invitations
Once you find the restaurant and make the guest list, your next step is to send out the invitations. By now, you should have set a date with your priest.
The invitations should have the time and date of the Christening, where the Christening is, and where the reception will be. Setting a “respond no later than” date is also a crucial element of the invite.
Note that paper invitations sent through the mail are still the most effective even though there are plenty of great electronic options. Not everyone has email or checks it reliably and you may miss a few people.
Plan out the Details
Once you have a restaurant selected, your next step is to plan out the individual details such as what people will eat, the cost, and what to do about the reception favors such as the Koufeta (white candied almonds) and the witness pins.You will need to provide the favors yourself. However, the restaurant may place them on the tables for you while things for your guests.
Another important consideration is whether or not you will serve cake. Some places won’t allow you to bring cake so if this is important to you, then you will want to find out in advance if they allow it before you book the venue.
Greek Christenings are special events and should be celebrated. If you are having a Christening reception at a restaurant, it is a good idea to chose a place that is affordable and also has wonderful food.
Categorized in: Greek Christening Traditions
This post was written by Greek Boston
