LDS Baptism Ideas with free printables

Wonderful LDS Baptism ideas for keeping the day extra special without the stress of going overboard! Free printables included! Post contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you.

Last month I had the wonderful opportunity to watch my oldest enter the waters of baptism. He decided to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has been excited for this important step in his faith for over a year and he really wanted it to take place on his 8th birthday. Thankfully it worked out that it was!

This being my first baptism I ever planned, I was clueless to all the needed details. There aren’t a ton, (I don’t want to stress you out from the get-go!) but again I was oblivious to a few of them. So if any of you were like me, hopefully this post of LDS baptism ideas can help you get a jump start on planning your own child’s baptism.

Baptism Photos and Invites

A few weeks before the special day, we took our son on a little photoshoot in his suit and tie. We had the grand intention to take them on the temple grounds, but both the times we went the gates were closed. Bad luck!

We opted for taking them just in our backyard. And thankfully we captured several great shots of him!

The photos were two fold, to have a few pictures of him framed at the baptism and to have an image of him on the invites. Invitations aren’t necessary at all. You can definitely invite over the phone, in person or through a text or email.

That being said, the invitations were really nice to have! My son was able to give them to some of our neighbors and mail them to a few close friends who do not attend the same church as we do. All the information was on the invite so we didn’t need to worry about conveying any of the particulars, because the card said it all!

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LDS Baptism Ideas for the Entry

We had a small table outside the entrance of the meeting room which included his baptism memory book (thank-you Grandma and Grandpa for the gift!). This book is a wonderful keepsake! It has places to write the details of the baptism day, personal thoughts, a place for photos, a guest list and is interspersed with scriptures.

We had the book opened to the guest list pages on the table, along with pens, and a framed scripture related to baptism found in 3 Nephi 30:2. Which reads:

“Come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins and be filled with the Holy Ghost.”

It is was a fitting verse for the occasion so I put it to a little design and framed it. You can download the 5×7 inch printable for yourself by clicking HERE.

The Baptism Program

Also on the table were the printed programs for the baptism. The primary presidency had offered to make and print the programs for me. So it maybe the case for you in your ward as well. You would just need to give them all the information prior to the event. Here is a list of all the assignments of people they will ask about:

• Chorister
• Pianist
• Opening Song
• Opening Prayer
• Talk on Baptism
• Who is performing the Baptism
• Talk on the Holy Ghost
• Who is performing the Confirmation
• Closing Song
• Closing Prayer

I opted to design my own program because I wanted them printed in color and I guess I was on a roll of creating anyways. 🙂 The programs I created are simple and coordinate with the invites nicely. They were only two sides instead of four pages and with the schedule outline on the front and the songs we would be singing on the back.

Get their input

I definitely recommend involving the person getting baptized in the planning of the program and in the inviting. We had the luxury of my son being the only person baptized so we were able to plan it exactly how he wanted.

He was a bit hesitant to ask certain people he wanted to participate, so I lended a hand there, but he did most of the asking. We suggested names but let him do the choosing. He asked two friends from his class to say the opening and the closing prayers. I just found that really sweet.

And I’m thinking it made the baptism a bit more meaningful for him since he had a hand in choosing who would speak (again thank-you Grandma and Grandpa!), which songs we would sing (not your traditional baptism songs), who would be involved in the ordinances, and who would say the prayers.

I created this Baptism Program Checklist Printable that made the planning super easy!

What to do while they Change?

I had originally planned to just have a special musical number for the audience to listen to while he changed into dry clothes. But then my friend suggested having everyone write their testimony or a special note to him during that time. I loved the idea!

So when he changed, we passed out white notecards and pens to everyone. While they wrote down their thoughts, there was a lovely violin and piano duet playing primary songs in the background.

It was a perfect activity to pass the time while we waited and my son has really enjoyed reading and rereading all his notes from family and friends.

LDS Baptism Brunch Ideas

When did it become a thing to plan big get-togethers after baby blessings and baptisms? I’ve heard of that more and more lately. It’s great if that’s what you want to do, but definitely not necessary. And not worth stressing over. Sadly a friend of mine who, after recently having a baby, confided in me that she was dreading the baby blessing day. Solely because her extended family expected her to host a big affair afterwards. Yikes!

All the baptisms I have attended have had a few treats for guests to munch on while they mingle afterwards. This option for me was totally doable and I guarantee there are people at church who would be more than willing to bring a plate of goodies to share! It also keeps the focus on the baptism itself instead of the after party at someone’s house.

Since the baptism was held in the late morning (ending shortly before lunchtime), we decided to forgo the sweet route and provide a small brunch bar of fruit and bagels.

Everything was nice, but nothing too over the top. I admit I was starting to get a little carried away at first and was thinking about adding veggies, meats… But then my husband reminded me to keep it simple. ‘Let’s keep the focus on the ordinance, not on the food!’ He was most definitely right!

I have a post with a few more details about the bagel bar that you can read about HERE (including all the bagel bar printables!). And it includes free downloads to all the bagel bar labels for you to print and use. You know, help relieve some stress for ya!

CTR Cookies

I really wanted to have CTR cookies for the baptism. And I wanted the cookies to have that perfect, smooth finished icing look. But… was clueless to how to do it. Thankfully my mom came into town a few days before to lend a hand (and provide the CTR cookie cutter). Thanks again Mom!

Originally, I was planning to make a standard royal icing but then came across this recipe. I decided to give it a try as well as this sugar cookie recipe. I’m SO very glad I did! The icing worked wonderfully and actually tasted good! So many of those amazing looking sugar cookies are as hard as a rock and taste disgusting, but not these ones!

We displayed the CTR cookies in these little clear baggies for an easy take home treat. And everyone loved them! I received many compliments on how good they looked and a lot of surprised looks when they discovered I had made them. Pretty good for an amateur!

I definitely would recommend investing in a few icing tips and couplers to hold them in place if you want to make your life easier and get that professional look. They don’t cost much but make a WORLD of difference. Take it from this newbie. 😉

We had invited several friends who weren’t familiar with the CTR acronym. So I designed a printable that clarified that CTR stands for “Choose the Right”. The lyrics from the hymn “Choose the Right” are lightly in the background for more depth as well. You can download my CTR printable for free by clicking on the link.

Baptism Overview

If you were looking for some LDS baptism ideas and only gleam one thing from this post, I hope it is to keep the focal point on the baptism and confirmation ordinances. Don’t get carried away with any unnecessary details (I know it’s so easy to do!). You want them to recognize that the baptism was the focus of the day. Remembering how happy they felt being baptized and the good feeling they got after receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, not the added fluff.

I’m so grateful for family members that made the flight here and friends who came to show their support! My son LOVED his baptism day! He said it was his favorite birthday yet and the best present he ever got was receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. What a special boy he is! I am so proud of him!

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