Everything You need to know about Your First Holy Communion

First communion or confirmation has a significant value in the life of a young child for building close relationships with God. The first confirmation celebration depends upon your faith or your church. Some people with Christian faiths especially members of the Roman Catholic Church celebrate this holy sacrament when a child gets to the age of seven or eight. Adults can also receive their first communion if they converted to Christianity. 

Traditionally, Easter is the best season to celebrate the first communion. The holy ceremony of the first communion held in a church. Parents send confirmation invitations to their close friends and families to take part in this special occasion of their child. For planning the first communion of your child, you must know the following thing.

Confirm date with your church

Confirm the date and time for your child’s first communion with your church. It is very important to secure a date and time for your child’s first communion so that you plan your child’s first communion ceremony accordingly. Usually, Catholic churches schedule the rituals of communion once or twice a year. Therefore, you should communicate with your church and finalize the date before planning the actual ceremony. 

Decide upon an after party

An after-party is not a ritual in a communion ceremony. It is similar to bat mitzvah after-party. Therefore, it is totally up to you to decide whether you are going to throw a reception after the confirmation ceremony or not. 

Make Your Budget

Before you start with your planning, it is important to figure out your budget. Consider every cost like the cost of invitation cards, the after-party location, the food you are going to serve, catering service, thank you card, etc. 

Prepare Guest List

After securing a date, you can start with the actual planning process. Start with preparing the list of the guests whom you would like to send your child’s communion invitation cards. Remember that your first communion invitation means, the one who will attend this ceremony will take part both in church and after-party celebrations. Keep your close friends and family members at the top of your confirmation invitations list. If anyone of the family member or friend is non-Catholic then make sure that they stay seated comfortably when church’s members start Holy Communion rituals.

Choose a Location for the After Party

If your list of confirmation invitation cards is small then consider arranging celebrations at your home. For example, you can arrange a party in your backyard or even decorate your dining room for small celebrations. This will not only give you a chance to become creative, but it will also save you a lot of money. However, if your first communion invitation lists hit over 20 guests then you should look for renting a banquet room at a restaurant. Remember to stick with your budget. 

Budget Your Food Costs

After preparing the list of your guests, make a budget for the food. If your guests are less than 20, then you can serve a filling dinner or lunch. For keeping the costs low, opt for a variety of bite-sized sweets. Choose a good size communion cake to serve every guest or instead of serving a big size cake, offer your guests first communion cupcakes. Try to keep your servings for two extra persons other than your guest list just in case. You can prepare the food one day before the communion ceremony. Preparing food a day before the ceremony will save a lot of your time. 

Send Invitations

Send communion invitations to all of your expecting guests. Include all the relevant information in the invitation card like the following

• Date
• Location 
• Time of communion ceremony
• Time of the after party
• Name of the parish

Include all the basic information in your first communion invitations card. Try to send the invitations 4 to 5 weeks before the ceremony so that your guest can schedule their busy life accordingly. 

Secure a Hand for Help

Although you are likely to prepare your decorations and food the day before the ceremony, there will be some other tasks to consume your timing and attention. Ask a family member or friend to stay behind the party to carry out the after-party tasks. It is more likely that the guests will head straight to the after-party location after attending the church ceremony. Therefore, you should have someone right at the place to attend your guests in case you get late. 

Thank you, Card

For showing gratitude to your guest’s presence, give a thank-you note to all the guests. You can either go for readymade thank you cards or you can become creative with your handwriting. Involve your child in this activity to show him/her the value of thankfulness. Your guests will highly appreciate your concerns.

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