Christening Invitation Wording Philippines: 17 Examples to Copy
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Quick answer
A christening invitation needs the child's full name, who is hosting, the date and time, the church's name and address, any reception and how to reply. Parents hosting use formal third person; friendly invitations use first person. Copy any of the 17 examples below and send it a few weeks ahead.
A christening invitation has two jobs: tell guests who, when and where, and say how to reply. This page gives you 17 copy-ready examples for those details. The faith lines are left to you and your parish, because they are not ours to write.
What you will find here:
- The items every christening invitation needs.
- What a Philippine invitation studio's 19 samples cover, and what they leave out.
- 17 examples grouped by host, venue and situation, plus add-on lines for godparents, dress code and gifts.
- When to send it, as published by four sources that disagree.
- What the Imbitasyon Ko christening invitation prints for you, and what it does not.
What a christening invitation needs
None of the sources below is Philippine. They agree closely on the checklist, so it is a safe starting point.
| Element | What to put | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Child's full name | The full name as your family wants it shown | Greenvelope |
| Host | Greenvelope says both parents traditionally extend the invitation | Greenvelope |
| Date and time | Day of the week and exact time, since the ceremony may sit inside a regular service | Greenvelope |
| Church | Full name and street address, because guests unfamiliar with the parish need both | Greenvelope |
| Reception | Where and when, named separately from the church | Greenvelope |
| How to reply | Leave space for it at any level of formality; Greenvelope suggests a deadline about two weeks out | Dotty About Paper and Greenvelope |
| Godparents | Optional | Greenvelope |
Dotty About Paper, a UK stationer, says an invitation is a personal way to invite family and friends, and that a christening is usually a fairly small event, so the guest list is easy to control. It also separates a formal invitation, with names in full and dates written as words, from an informal one.
On the word itself, Greenvelope says there is no difference in the service between a christening and a baptism: some churches use one word and some the other. Its advice is to use your church's term.
What the Philippine samples cover, and what they leave to you
Invitations by Dianne Tan + Design Studio, a Philippine invitation studio, publishes 19 "Baptism / Christening Invitation Wording Samples". We counted what they contain.
| What the 19 samples are | Count |
|---|---|
| Bible verses with a chapter reference | 9 |
| Verses or lines that are not Bible quotes | 10 |
| Of those 10, lines that use the word God or Lord | 8 |
| Samples that show where names, date, venue or reply details go | 0 |
| Samples that name godparents | 0 |
So the Philippine samples are mostly faith lines. They do not show the layout of an invitation, which is the part most parents get stuck on. The studio's line "Please join us in celebrating the Christening of" is the front half of one sample, and it is the opening line Imbitasyon Ko prints.
This page splits the invitation like this:
| Part | Who writes it |
|---|---|
| Opening line naming the christening | Fixed in Imbitasyon Ko; on paper, use your own or the studio's |
| Names, host, date, time, venue, reply | The 17 examples below, in plain secular wording |
| Verses, prayers and any religious wording | Not on this page. Take them from your parish or your family |
Pick your layout
| Situation | Tone | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Parents hosting | Formal or warm, third person | 1 to 5 |
| Friendly, in the parents' own voice | First person | 6 to 8 |
| Where the ceremony and reception happen | Any | 9 to 12 |
| Two children, a shared birthday, family abroad | Any | 13 to 15 |
| Chat messages | First person | 16 and 17 |
| Godparents, dress code, gifts | One line each | After example 17, not numbered |
Examples 1, 3, 9, 12 and 14 adapt structures and advice published by Greenvelope, example 2 follows Dotty About Paper's formal layout, and examples 6 and 7 follow its informal one and the "is getting baptized" style of a template guide on Oliprik. The wording is ours.
17 examples to copy
Parents hosting
Example 1: formal, daughter, reception to follow
Mr. and Mrs. [Father's Full Name]
invite you to the christening of their daughter
[Child's Full Name]
[Day], [Month] [Date], [Year] at [Time]
[Church Name], [Full Street Address], [City]
Lunch to follow at [Venue Name], [City]
Kindly reply to [Name] at [Mobile Number] by [Date]
Example 2: formal, son, dates in words
Mr. and Mrs. [Father's Full Name]
request the pleasure of your company
at the christening of their son
[Child's Full Name]
[Day], the [Date in words] of [Month], [Year], at [Time in words]
[Church Name], [Full Street Address], [City]
Example 3: together with their families
[Mother's First Name] and [Father's First Name]
together with their families
are happy to invite you to the christening of their daughter
[Child's Full Name]
[Day], [Month] [Date], [Year] at [Time]
[Church Name], [City]
Reception to follow at [Venue Name]
Example 4: one parent hosting
[Parent's Full Name] invites you to the christening of [his / her] [son / daughter]
[Child's Full Name]
[Day], [Month] [Date], [Year] at [Time]
[Church Name], [Full Street Address], [City]
Please reply to [Name] at [Mobile Number] by [Date]
Example 5: parents with the child's grandparents
[Parents' Names]
together with [Child's Grandparents' Names]
invite you to the christening of
[Child's Full Name]
[Day], [Month] [Date], [Year] at [Time]
[Church Name], [Full Street Address], [City]
Friendly, in the parents' own voice
Example 6: exclamation, lunch afterwards
Please join us at the christening of our daughter, [Child's First Name]!
[Day], [Month] [Date] at [Time]
[Church Name], [City]
Lunch afterwards at [Venue Name]. Please reply to [Name] by [Date].
Example 7: "is getting christened"
[Child's First Name] is getting christened!
Celebrate the day with us on [Day], [Month] [Date] at [Time]
[Church Name], [City]
Reply to [Name] at [Mobile Number] so we can plan the food.
Example 8: a small gathering
We are keeping [Child's First Name]'s christening small, with family and close friends.
[Day], [Month] [Date] at [Time]
[Church Name], [City]
Please reply by [Date]. Seats are limited, so please come only as named on your invitation.
Ceremony and reception
Example 9: reception at the same place
The christening of [Child's Full Name]
[Day], [Month] [Date], [Year]
Ceremony at [Time], [Church Name], [City]
Reception follows in [Hall or Garden Name] at [Church Name]
Example 10: reception at another venue
Ceremony: [Time] at [Church Name], [Full Street Address], [City]
Reception: [Time] at [Venue Name], [Full Street Address], [City]
Hosted by [Parents' Names] for [Child's Full Name]
Please reply by [Date]
Example 11: ceremony only
[Parents' Names] invite you to the christening of [Child's Full Name]
[Day], [Month] [Date], [Year] at [Time]
[Church Name], [Full Street Address], [City]
This invitation is for the ceremony only. There will be no reception.
Example 12: reception only, at home
You are invited to the reception for [Child's First Name]'s christening
[Day], [Month] [Date] from [Time] to [Time]
[Home Address], [City]
Please tell [Name] if you are coming.
Greenvelope's advice for a split guest list is to send the shorter list its own invitation rather than explain the split on one card. Example 12 is that shorter invitation.
Special situations
Example 13: two children
[Parents' Names] invite you to the christening of their children
[First Child's Full Name] and [Second Child's Full Name]
[Day], [Month] [Date], [Year] at [Time]
[Church Name], [Full Street Address], [City]
Example 14: christening and first birthday on one day
Two celebrations, one day!
[Parents' Names] invite you to the christening and first birthday of
[Child's Full Name]
Christening at [Time], [Church Name], [City]
Birthday lunch at [Time], [Venue Name], [City]
Kindly reply by [Date]. One reply covers both.
Example 15: for family abroad
[Parents' Names] invite you to the christening of [Child's Full Name]
[Day], [Month] [Date], [Year] at [Time] (Philippine time)
[Church Name], [City]
Family abroad: watch online at [Video Link] and say hello afterwards.
Check with the church before you promise a video link. That is our advice, not a rule from the sources above.
Chat messages
Example 16: message to a guest
Hi [Name]! We are christening [Child's First Name] on [Day], [Month] [Date] at [Time] at [Church Name], [City], with lunch afterwards. We would love to have you there. Please reply to me here by [Date]. Here is the invitation: [Link]
Example 17: reminder
Hi [Name]! A quick reminder about [Child's First Name]'s christening on [Day], [Month] [Date] at [Time] at [Church Name]. Are you able to come? Please let me know by [Date] so I can give the caterer a headcount.
For chasing late replies, see the RSVP guide, which is written for weddings but works the same way.
Add-on lines
These are single lines to paste under any example. They are not counted in the 17.
Godparents, the format Greenvelope calls the conventional placement after the ceremony details:
Godparents: [Godparent's Full Name] and [Godparent's Full Name]
If the ceremony sits inside a regular service, Greenvelope says to note it, because guests will plan for a full service:
The christening takes place during the [Time] service at [Church Name].
Dress code:
Dress code: [Attire or Color]
Greenvelope advises leaving gifts off the invitation, and 1Invites says, about baptism invitations, that gift registry information on them is generally considered inappropriate. If guests keep asking, this line is ours:
Your company is all we ask. No gifts, please.
Godparents on the invitation
The Philippine samples above name no godparents, so the only published format we found is Greenvelope's, from the US. It calls the line optional and says many families introduce the godparents at the reception instead.
| Option | What the source says | In Imbitasyon Ko |
|---|---|---|
| A "Godparents:" line after the ceremony details | Greenvelope: conventional placement | No field. Type it in the closing message |
| "Together with godparents" inside the sentence | Greenvelope: a fit when godparents are close family | Closing message, as free text |
| Leave them off and introduce them at the reception | Greenvelope: many families do | Nothing to set |
| Names under "Also Inviting" | Not in the sources | Shown one per line at the bottom, so it reads as co-hosts, not godparents |
A Daily Tribune news item on ninongs and ninangs says that stacking a child's baptismal certificate with multiple ninongs and ninangs runs counter to Church norms, and that canonically only one sponsor is required, male or female, or at most one of each. It is about the certificate, not about invitations, and it is a single newspaper's account, so ask your parish how many godparents it records before you decide how many names to print. For the asking itself, see how to ask someone to be ninong or ninang, which is written for wedding sponsors.
When to send it
| Source | Send | Reply by |
|---|---|---|
| Greenvelope, US invitation platform | 4 to 6 weeks before; lean toward 6 if guests travel | About 2 weeks before the day |
| Oliprik, Danish christening-wear shop | Typically 4 to 6 weeks | Not given |
| 1Invites, invitation-template site (baptism page) | 3 to 4 weeks; 6 to 8 weeks for a destination baptism or a major holiday | Not given |
| Dotty About Paper, UK stationer | "A few weeks" notice; as soon as the venue is confirmed | Not given |
Our advice: fix the church date first, because every other line depends on it. None of the four is Philippine, so ask your parish how far ahead it books before you print a date.
Making a christening invitation in Imbitasyon Ko
Imbitasyon Ko has a Christening type in the same builder as the digital debut invitation. Choose it under "What are you celebrating?" when you start (the default is Wedding), or change it later in the editor. You can browse the look on the themes page, where the demo invitations are wedding examples.
| Part | What a Christening invitation does |
|---|---|
| Name | One name. The box is "Child's nickname", and the first editor tab is headed "Who's being christened?". It is needed to publish |
| Cover heading | Reads "The Christening of" above the name. You cannot edit it |
| Opening line | Fixed: "Please join us in celebrating the Christening of:". It shows read-only in the Cover & greeting tab |
| Parents line | Under "Add details": father, mother, child number. Guests see "Child of" plus the parents, or "First child of", "Second child of" and so on up to the sixth child |
| Events | Buttons "+ Christening", "+ Reception" and "+ Other Event". Christening starts at 2:00 PM, Reception at 6:00 PM, and the date starts empty |
| Dress code | A Dress Code tab with a note and up to 6 motif colors |
| Closing | Standard text, or your own closing message of up to 600 characters. "With love," stays and the child's name is not in the signature |
| Left out | Entourage, Our Story, the Catholic, Christian, Civil and Islamic opening choices, and the Bible verse option |
| Message to guests | The ready-made message says "to celebrate the Christening of:" followed by the child's name |
Two details matter for the wording above. The builder always puts "Mr." before the father's name and "Mrs." before the mother's, so type the names without titles, and the line says "child", never son or daughter. Every event needs a date, a start time and a venue name before it saves.
| Need | What the builder offers | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| A godparents or ninong and ninang list | None; the entourage section is hidden for a christening | Put a Godparents line in the closing message |
| A verse or prayer | None; no scripture is shown | Type your own in the closing message if you want one. The builder does not supply or check religious text |
| Your own opening line or cover heading | Fixed by the type of celebration | Nothing; the rest of the page is editable |
| A reception that follows the ceremony automatically | Reception is a separate event with its own date, time and venue | Fill in both events |
| A reply-by date field | None | Put the date in the closing message and in the message you send |
| The free wording tool | The invitation wording tool is wedding-only: it asks for Groom's and Bride's nicknames | Use examples 16 and 17 for chat messages |
Plans are the same as for any invitation, paid once per invitation. Free costs ₱0 and allows free themes only, personal links for 20 guests, 2 gallery photos and a small watermark band on the published page. Standard is ₱499 and Premium is ₱999; see pricing. To send the link, see how to share your digital invitation. For a dress code line, the dress code guide is written for weddings but its wording ideas carry over.
The practical takeaway
Decide who is hosting, then pick the example that matches: parents use third person, friendly invitations use first person. Put the child's full name, the church's name and street address, the date and time, any reception and a reply deadline on it, and keep verses and prayers for your parish to supply. Fix the church date first, send the invitation a few weeks ahead, and use a chat message such as example 16 for guests you reach on Messenger or Viber.
Frequently asked questions
What should a christening invitation say?
It should name the child, the parents or hosts, the date and time, the church's name and address, any reception and how to reply. Greenvelope lists these items and adds the godparents as optional. The 17 examples on this page put them in order.
What is the difference between a christening and a baptism?
Greenvelope says there is no difference in the service itself: some churches say baptism and some say christening. Use your church's word on the invitation. The Imbitasyon Ko invitation type is called Christening and prints that word on the cover.
When should you send christening invitations?
Sources differ. Greenvelope and Oliprik say 4 to 6 weeks, 1Invites says 3 to 4 weeks for baptism invitations, and Dotty About Paper says a few weeks, as soon as the venue is confirmed. None is Philippine, so fix the church date first.
Do you put the godparents' names on a christening invitation?
It is optional. Greenvelope calls a Godparents line after the ceremony details the conventional placement, and says many families introduce godparents at the reception instead. Imbitasyon Ko has no godparents field, so use the closing message.
Should you include gift information on a christening invitation?
Greenvelope advises leaving gifts off the invitation, and 1Invites says gift registry information on baptism invitations is generally considered inappropriate. If guests keep asking, a short no gifts line is an option.
Do you send invitations for a christening?
Dotty About Paper says an invitation is a personal way to invite family and friends, and that a christening is usually a fairly small event, so the guest list is easy to control. A chat message with the details also works, as examples 16 and 17 show.