Adoption order and celebration hearing

[LaLaLands]

Hi all. We are currently awaiting our children’s final court date for their adoption order to be finalised. As we are in a different part of the country to where the AO will be granted (All being well), we won’t be attending. We would like a celebration hearing closer to us and we are wondering how this might play out in the future. Is the “big day” the date the AO is granted or when the celebration hearing is?

congratulations. The granting of the adoption order and the celebration hearing are two separate things, the celebration hearing is not a legal hearing - just an excuse for a party ! Its quite common to have the celebration hearing closer to home.

What you regard as the 'big' day is up to you I think. Some families don't mark any of them. My son is a party animal and would, if he could, celebrate first meeting day, moving in day and celebration hearing. We tend to mark moving in day now - for some reason its become more important to him. The formal adoption day doesnt mean anything to him really - he wasn't there, I didn't tell him about it just in case something went wrong.
Enjoy your day

What Ted said. If you ring the court doing your AO, they will arrange for a celebration hearing in your nearest family court.

10 min in a courtroom with a judge who just basically says congratulations. You get to sit on a chair in front of the royal arms and take photos.

Is the “big day” the date the AO is granted or when the celebration hearing is?

I think you've had that. The kids are home now, that's the biggie.
Congratulations.

I do think it's good to have a big party once funneling is over and you are into a routine. Gives chance for extended family to meet them and for you to look back and realise what you've accomplished. We used their birthdays as with both ours it happened to be good timing, but the celebration hearing is as good as any.

Thank you - all good points!

We were planning on a birthday celebration as both their birthdays are within days of each other. But not the AO and both their birthdays are within a week of each other so we are planning on marking the celebration with close family and friends.

It’s nice to think that in the future we can choose to celebrate the date we met them or the date they joined our family which is later in the year, away from their birthdays and AO. But for now, we plan to celebrate their (expected) AO knowing it’s before the actual celebration hearing. It’s nice to know there’s no right/wrong ways - we can do our own thing.

Thank you!!

Typo. “Now the adoption order...”