To wear jeans to a christening?

[Greedytiger]

I am breastfeeding so can’t wear any of my usual dresses. Can I wear black jeans and a smart ish jumper?

@Bluntness100 at our church Baptisms are carried out during a regular church service, so even if your guests all dressed up over half the congregation would be in their 'regular' church clothes (at ours mostly jeans!)

Am in Ireland where we go to lots of baptisms n funerals. (relatively speaking! ) it's Catholic & I just find it way more informal than in the UK. We'd not bat an eyelid at jeans. especially if u directly involved like mum r dad godparent.

I think I've been brought up that you don't wear jeans to church. Don't know why, we aren't particularly religious. Sod it, as long as you are smart. Jeans can look nice and dressy with the right top and accessories. God, my mother would have a fit haha!

Maybe a better question Purple would be what denomination is the Church? Jeans aren't appropriate in any Church I've attended.

@Bluntness100
Going to a regular church service is not the same as going to a christening, I'd have assumed anyone who was a regular church goer would know this.

This doesn't make any sense. I'm a Churchgoer, we have lots of Christenings at our Church, we don't dress up. I don't know until I get to Church and get handed the order of service that there's going to be a Christening that morning. I usually wear Jeans to church, as do most of the congregation.

Wear what you feel comfortable in OP.

ThatsMeInTheSpotlight

What kind of churches have you attended?
I'm fairly certain that my maternal grandparents would have been outraged at 'jeans in a church'... But I personally probably wouldn't even blink. (not that I'm a regular church goer nowadays.😅)

The christening I have been to with the most relaxed dress code is the one with the most religious parents who took the whole christening thing very seriously but the dad wore jeans. They didn't have a huge party afterwards (just tea and biscuits in the church hall) as it was all about the service and what the service meant.

Is it really the Christian thing to be judging the kind of trousers someone wears just because they're in a church? I would never go to a church where I felt judged for what I wore- I'd want somewhere inclusive.

I think in the UK, the real issue is the number of hypocrites having christenings, who don’t go to church regularly or actually even believe.

I’m sure the priest would welcome anyone regardless of the colour of their jeans

Yes of course but with heels and possibly a jacket

Its a church, wear something appropriate, not dressy but smarter than jeans, try trousers

I think in the UK, the real issue is the number of hypocrites having christenings, who don’t go to church regularly or actually even believe.

I agree with this. Too many people see it as an excuse for a party or an event so distant relatives can meet the baby and not for it's real reason.

Depends on the church. At my family’s church, absolutely not for a baptism.

Not at church, but my nephews wore jeans to my fil’s funeral. I was taken aback, I admit.

I wouldn't. Smart trousers I would. Or skirt with tights?

What would happen at your family's church @Cherrysoup? Would the vicar refuse access to someone in jeans or would it be that members of the congregation would judge and whisper about the person? Genuinely interested.

NameChangeNugget I totally agree - I was brought up church of England with very church centered parents (lay preacher/ church warden/ PCC) and forced to attend church at least once per week, often more. I come from a large family and not one of my siblings is a believer or attends church, so I was absolutely taken aback when one after the other they started christening their children.... Why? They seem unable to say except that it's one of the things you do or it's nice for the grandparents. I was shocked as I'd have assumed being dragged to church and put through church schools for 16+ years and stopping going completely and permanently upon leaving home would have made them think ...

At the traditional C of E church I had to attend throughout my childhood and teens christenings were part of the absolutely bog standard 9:30am Sunday service. The only seperate christenings I've attended have been Catholic (much better as much shorter - I'd swear the vicar at my childhood church used to use christenings and Christmas service to punish heathens who didn't attend between special events by dragging the service and sermon out...)

No, either dress smartly or don't go.

either dress smartly or don't go.

But there are likely to be loads of the congregation there in jeans. Do you expect them to dress smartly as well?

Are you a regular churchgoer perunatop?

Completely depends. No one in my family would wear jeans to a baptism - Male or female - it would be frowned upon, but the one you're attending may be different. Only you can know.

Some people just like to feel superior by inventing stupid "rules" to judge people for breaching.

I loved this comment. It's, like, the definition of religion.

@vivacian yet there's loads of people on the thread saying jeans would be fine - the opposite of having stupid rules - by reference to their own churches? so surely it depends on the individual and/or their own church, not 'religion' as a whole?

fwiw I was at a baptism recently where about 75% of the congregation was in jeans, including both of the baby's parents and several of the church elders.

Why would anyone criticise anyone going to church or a christening in jeans? What’s wrong with jeans? No wonder church attendance has collapsed with people having silly notions about what someone should wear to church.

Yep.

It's not the fact that it's in a church. It's a formal occasion, regardless of where it takes place and I would always make an effort in respect of that and out of respect for the family, same as with any big life event. Mind you I'm half Scouser half Italian and both halves would be equally horrified at schlepping up at at special occasion in a pair of jeans . Oh, and NO-ONE has worn a fascinator since about 1996!

No wonder church attendance has collapsed with people having silly notions about what someone should wear to church.

Yes, but the people with these misconceptions about jeans being unacceptable appear to be non church goers.