Alex Christening Day | St Mary's Greek Orthodox Church | The Penridge Suite | London

Baby Alex accompanied by his Godparents, older brother and Mum and Dad was christened at the beautiful St Mary’s Orthodox Church on Trinity Road in North London. As it was also his Dad’s 40th birthday a double celebration was in order - and the family partied the night away with their friends and family at popular North London venue The Penridge Suite. Thank you so much for choosing Christine Constantine Photography to capture Alex’s special day! Check out the pics..

Awesome suppliers list:

Christening outfit/accessories - @sofiacouturebabyboutique

Lights/Plinth/Cake Stand - @roxys_lights

Cake - @mariawestuk1

Balloons/Teddies/Decor - @blownawayeventsuk

Soft Play - @hoppartyhire

DJ/Music - @djfunksy

Inside St Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church

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Greek Christening Photographer

Amalia Christening Photography | St Panteleimon Church | Harrow | London

Proud parents Marilena and Zac could not keep the smiles off their faces as they christened their third gorgeous daughter Amalia in a traditional Greek Orthodox Christening ceremony.

And I was thrilled to be their Greek Christening Photographer for such a significant day for their family at the Greek Orthodox Church of St Panteleimon in Harrow.

Little Amalia looked utterly adorable in her cute little outfit by Maria Bambino (@bambinocoutureltd) and the Lambada Christening candle was decorated by the talented ladies at Alexandria Couture (@alexandria.couture.uk) Jordana and Anna.

Greek Orthodox Christening Photography

As a Greek Christening photographer with over 14 years experience I always take photographs of all the details, such as the lambada (Christening candle), the Christening outfit and the Christening Cross etc.

The service was followed by a lovely celebration back in Marilena and Zac’s garden, complete with delicious private catering ensuring all the guests were well fed and watered.

The stunning Christening cake and candy treats were courtesy of Sophie (@sophiekcakes) and displayed on a cart which had been beautifully decorated by Despina from Jamboree Carts (@jamboreecarts).

Amalia’s Christening Cake and Candy Table

Oh my!!! And HOW adorable are these images?!!!

The following weekend I went back to their house for a much more intimate photo shoot of just Amalia and her immediate family.

With less people and distractions around it meant we could focus on recreating some absolutely adorable portraits using the props they had kept from the previous week’s party. And we came up with these!!

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Christine Constantine Photography

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An Eritrean Catholic Christening in South London | Clapham | London

I hadn’t been into St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Clapham before so it was a wonderful opportunity to visit this church that had been part of my neighbourhood for many years. It was a beautiful and very special Catholic Christening for the newest addition to my clients who are of Eritrean descent. Having never shot an Eritrean Catholic Christening this was a real treat for me and reminded me of why I love living in South London so much. After the baptism we headed to local Eritrean restaurant Adulis in Oval for food and dancing and I was also treated to a traditional Eritrean coffee making ceremony which very much forms part of any Eritrean special occasion. The food was warm and the guests/family even warmer. Had such a lovely day with them. Here are my favourite pictures from the day.

St Mary's Roman Catholic Church Christening Photography, Clapham

Check out more of my work here: www.christineconstantine.co.uk/christenings

Nine Steps to a Greek Orthodox Christening | Christine Constantine Photography

GREEK CHRISTENING TRADITIONS

A Greek Christening is a very important part of a baby’s introduction into the spiritual world. As a Christening photographer, I shot many Greek Orthodox Christenings before I began to understand the symbolism of each and every tradition, so I put together this blog to make things easier for you to understand by going through some of the traditions and the meanings behind them.

An Orthodox Christening is essentially two elements. Baptism and Chrismation. Baptism is the immersion into the Holy water by the priest and Chrismation follows the baptism whereby the child is anointed with holy oil. This is made up of olive oil and sweet smelling ingredients. The priest anoints the child by placing the oil on several parts of the body - the head, chest and feet. The child is now a Christian and a part of God’s people.

Below is a list of all components of the day as they occur chronologically:

ALL IMAGES ARE BY: CHRISTINE CONSTANTINE PHOTOGRAPHY

The Exorcisms

The prayer is followed by three Exorcisms and yet another prayer, the prayer of acceptance. After the Priest, summing up, asks God to drive out and banish from the baby any evil spirit which may be hiding in its heart and make him a member of the holy flock of Christ, a member of the Church, and a child and heir of God’s kingdom.

The Godparent, holding the child, is asked to face west and renounce the devil and all his works in a question and answer form (three times). He will then be asked to blow on the devil. In this case ‘west’ represents a place of darkness where the devil himself lives.

The Confession of Faith

Then the Godparent, holding the child, will face east again and affirmatively answer the Priest who will ask them (three times) if they have pledged their allegiance to Christ.

After doing so, the Godparent will recite the Creed, the Symbol of Faith (‘To Pistevo’ in Greek) which is a summary of the Orthodox teachings,

The Blessing of the Oil and Anointing

Once the priest has blessed the water in the font, the Godparent will offer a small bottle of olive oil over which a prayer for the banishment of evil is read.

The priest then pours three times in the shape of a cross, on the water in the Font, in order to render the consecration of the water complete.

The Godparents are now required to undress the baby who will then be anointed with the holy oil on the forehead, nose, ears, mouth, chest, legs, feet, hands and back. The Godparent will then anoint the child, to prepare him.

The Immersion

Now the baby will be immersed three times in the Font which represents the ‘Tomb of Christ, symbolically being ‘buried’ with Christ, then ‘raised’ with Christ.The baby is then removed from the Font and placed in the arms of the Godparent who is waiting for them with a white sheet. The truth of baptism lies in this profound action and is reflected in many of the prayers during this rite. The truth is that the candidate for baptism has chosen to die and be reborn for Christ. The newly baptized child is now a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Chrismation

Holy Chrismation is the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit which marks all baptized persons with a seal that sets them apart as possessions of Christ. The Holy Spirit thus embraces them and protects them like a shield to enable them to live the faith into which they have just been baptized. This is why Chrismation is also known as the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit. In fact the priest will recite "The seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost" (in Greek: Σφραγὶς δωρεᾶς Πνεύματος Ἁγίου) everytime he makes the sign of the cross on the baby with the oil. He makes the signs of the cross in the same parts of the body as the anointing prior to the baptism.

The sacrament of Chrismation is an extension of the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost was poured out on the Apostles. It is by Chrismation that a person becomes part of the people of God.

The Tonsure

Tonsure is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the head as a symbol of religious devotion or humility. After the Baptism and Chrismation, the Priest will tonsure the child by cutting some of his hair crosswise to signify that Christ will be the head of the child from now on and that he will reject other allegiances.

The Vesting and Procession

The Priest now blesses the child and places a “garment of righteousness” on it. The child will then be taken by the Godparents to be dressed in fresh, clean garments and the Priest will read additional prayers.

The child the returns to the front of the church fully dressed and is prayed over with a symbolic washing away of the oil, receiving the blessing of Christ. The Priest then places a cross around the child’s neck as a sign of protection.

The Godparent, holding the infant, and followed by a child holding the baptismal candle (lambada), will then be led three times around the baptismal font. This is an act of rejoicing with the angels in heaven and with the other Christians present at the addition of one more member into the flock of Christ.

The Procession, conducted in the form of the Cross around the Font, is a joyous occasion and the Priest and Chanter sing “As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluya”.

The Readings

Bible readings follow, from the Epistle of St Paul to the Romans (6: 3-11) where Paul makes the comparison between the immersion and emersion with the Burial and Resurrection of Christ, and from the Gospel according to St. Matthew (28: 16-20) where the Divine Institution of Baptism was established. The Priest then reads the Conclusion prayers.

Holy Communion

The child is then given its first Holy Communion, its first taste of the Body and Blood of Christ. Just as a mother physically nourishes her newborn infant with milk, so too the Grace of God offers as spiritual food, Holy Communion to its newest member, just born through baptism.

For at least the next three Sundays after the Baptism, the Godparent will be expected to take the child to Church to receive further Holy Communions.

The mother of the baptized child will then be called by the Priest to make the sign of the Cross and kiss the Icon of Christ thanking Him for the great blessing of rendering her child a member of His Church. The service is now concluded and the baby and lambada is passed back to the parents. They will then be asked to kiss the hand of the Godparent as a sign of respect and gratitude for taking on the high responsibility of assisting in the spiritual development of the child throughout its life.

ALL IMAGES ARE BY: CHRISTINE CONSTANTINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Zaria's Christening | St John the Apostle Church | Whetstone | London

Zaria was Christened in Anglican Church St John the Apostle in Whetstone, North London A family-friendly church situtated on 1163 High Rd, London N20 0PG. The Christening was a very sweet and special ceremony; and afterwards a small celebration took place with just close friends and family. Here are a few images from the day..

St John the Apostle Church, Whetstone

To see more Christenings click here : www.christineconstantine.co.uk/christenings

Marillia's Christening | 1888 Restaurant and Cocktail Bar | Nicosia Old Town

Here are my pictures of the gorgeous baby Marillia on her Christening Day! Celebrated after at 1888 Restaurant and Cocktail bar in Nicosia Old Town. Check out the awesome mermaid cake by La Parfaite!

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