How dressy do I need to be for a christening?

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

I think I was about 13 when I last attended a christening, and am now triple that. How smart do I need to be for them?

Also have two kids under ten - are they expected to wear more formal wear? Is it as dressy as a wedding?

You should be as smart as a wedding.

I was going to say, not quite as smart as for a wedding!

Oh god

Not as smart as a wedding. I’d avoid jeans

I find lots of people don't dress up for anything anymore. So often I've gone places and been more dressed up then most, eg lovely Michelin guide restaurant a few weeks ago, me and oh nice dress, smart trousers and shirt, a few 20 something's in baggy joggers and a hoody!

Can't go wrong with a dress, or smart trousers & nice top.
Kids I'd put in chinos and shirt/polo shirt, or just a nice dress

Def not dressed for a wedding but something nice. I wore a light wrap dress that is similar to this one.

I spend 100% of the time in jeans and hoodies even at work so dressy for me is switching to linen trousers in the summer

Ripped jeans or swimwear would be inappropriate, but smart end of the range of what you have already is fine, whatever that means to you. Just enough to show you’ve recognised it’s important to the family.

Smart, but not as dressy as a wedding.

I went to the first christening I've ever been to a few weeks ago and I also didn't know how to dress!
Everybody there was smart casual except for the god parents who were in full suits and dresses.
I wore skinny jeans, a smart blouse and a blazer, and some short heels. They were all my work clothes and I seemed to fit in fine! So I suppose 'office smart' is what I'm getting at

The last christening I went to was in a Catholic church so I expected it to be smart but most men and some women wore jeans and casual tops. I felt a little overdressed in my smartish dress and heels.

OK this is good news.

@Tippexy

You should be as smart as a wedding.

No..no really…christening used to be done as part of Sunday services. Certainly in CoE. Yep, historically that would be Sunday best, but now most people are a good deal more casual as they would be to attend Sunday morning family services.. Definitely don’t need wedding type gear- hats or head covering are very unusual. Smart tops, smart skirt or trousers, or a simple dress if godparent, men in jacket and tie (aLthough no one will mind form the church if he wears an open neck smart shirt ).. If you are not a godparent then smart casual is ample.

Honestly, it is just an extension to the church service, all eyes and focus is on the child. You don’t want to get baby slobber down your expensive wedding clobber🤣.

If the parents are holding a posh party after that means you feel you have to dress up more formally, then they kind of miss the whole point of a christening. It is not a party to welcome the child into the world, it is a service to commit that child to a Christian upbringing. Hey ho, guess it’s another thing that gets forgotten these days .

A christening I went to last summer in Bath countryside it was a more posh affair so bought a nice dress I think from Anthropolgie.

The christening before that, 3 years before, I got a floral long dress from Arket and wore that - but it was autumn, cold and was in Hackney so a bit more avant garde.