The year has arrived, your little one is taking communion. It’s time to organize that day that will be a milestone in your life. If you’ve never organized a communion before, you could use a little help. For this purpose, Quémono has made a list of the main steps. We have sorted them by date, so we recommend you do them in order.
1. Choice of date and place of communion.
The first thing you will have to do is to choose the date and place of the ceremony. This is usually done 5 months in advance, so don’t get caught by the bull! This step will depend on how your child’s communion will be: in a group or individually .
In the case of a group, your child will share that day with other children, usually their classmates from school or catechesis group. When the communions are in groups (which is the most common) the parish or school is the one that divides the children in different dates, and therefore they are the ones that will indicate the date of the celebration.
In case the communion is individual (only your child will receive his/her first communion), the parents will be the ones to choose the date of celebration depending on the availability of the parish or church where they decide to celebrate the celebration. In that case, please note that First Communion celebrations are held on Saturday afternoons or Sunday mornings.
2. Guest List
Once you know where and when the communion is going to be, we recommend you to think about who you are going to invite. At the moment, we are only going to think about it, we are not going to invite anyone. . Why? Because it will be useful to get an idea of how many people can attend in order to prepare the rest of the organization steps, such as calculating the budget and finding the restaurant.
The guest list should include, in principle, the godparents and the family, but it can be extended to friends of the little ones and the parents and anyone who may be excited to attend this beautiful event. Keep in mind that this is not the list you made for your wedding, communion guest lists are much smaller. Como es lógico, el tamaño de la lista va a depender del presupuesto con el que contemos, y de lo íntima que queramos que sea la ceremonia.
3. Budget
This is one of the most important details to keep in mind before starting any preparations. We recommend that, after reading this article, you make a list of all the elements that you want to include in the organization of the communion: the restaurant, the communion dress, the reminders, etc. Calculate how much each of these items will cost (for that, you will need to have thought about how many guests there will be beforehand!) Then, add it all up and check the budget fits your personal financial situation. If it fits, great. If it doesn’t fit, try trimming some aspects. Throughout the article, we will be telling you what we can do without, and how to cut costs in each of the following points . De todas formas, ten en cuenta que también puedes pagar a plazos algunos de estos costes. For that, look for suppliers that have the possibility to pay in installments.
4. Think about the venue
Before we start thinking about where we are going to celebrate the communion day, it is essential to know how many people we are going to invite more or less. Depending on your preferences, number of guests, and budget, we can hold the celebration in a restaurant or in your own home.
In a restaurant
There are many restaurants that have experience in organizing communions. Depending on the weather and the number of guests, you can choose to book an indoor restaurant, or an estate or restaurant with gardens and outdoor spaces. Our recommendation is that you try to go to a place with gardens, where the children can play when they finish eating. You know that children get impatient and immediately want to get up from the table to play around. These farms often have entertainment such as, for example, inflatables, Candy bar, etc. You can also organize games with the children, such as the handkerchief. In this other article, we leave you some farms near Madrid for communion celebrations that may fit you.
We advise you to look for restaurants as close as possible to the church where the communion will be celebrated. . If the space is a good fit, ask them for a quote and availability for the date of the event. It is advisable to compare several sites. This way, you will have more information to be able to choose the right site. If the budget they give you fits you, great. In case it does not suit you, we recommend that you look for a restaurant that does not specialize in communions, or even a buffet. Talk to different non-specialized restaurants and organize a menu that you like, it will be more economical. As soon as you decide on a space, our recommendation is that you indicate it, to make sure that the date is reserved for you. The best thing to do is to decide and book well in advance, since as the date approaches, reservations are usually full.
In your home
Celebrating communion at home is a very interesting alternative: it’s a more intimate celebration, it’s cheaper, and you’ll have more freedom and control.. If you feel like playing music at a certain moment, play videos of when your little girl was little, etc. You can improvise without asking anyone’s permission. If you can afford it, you can hire a catering service so you don’t have to worry about food.
This option depends a lot on your home and the number of guests. If for whatever reason you see that you can’t do it at home, but this option seems interesting, maybe you can ask a trusted friend or relative for a favor.
5. Invite family and friends
Once we have thought about who we are going to invite, and we know that the number of guests fits the restaurant and the budget, we can notify the guests.
The most normal thing nowadays is to notify them by WhatsApp . However, you can also send a formal invitation by mail with a reminder, or directly call the people closest to you.
Remember to put the date and time, as well as the address of the church. Even, if you have already decided and booked it, you can tell them the place where you will go after the mass. In any case, if the restaurant is nearby, our recommendation is that you do not say where you are going to eat until closer to the date. That way, you will be able to improvise more easily in case of unforeseen events.
6. Choice of the communion outfit
Choosing the communion suit or dress may be the most time-consuming task. But don’t worry, at Quémono we are experts in this. At this point it is highly recommended that you take into account the boy or girl who is going to make the communion. Ask your daughter what communion dress style if she likes simple or more ornate, modern or classic dresses, etc. Show her several dresses, see which ones she likes. Of course, you will also want to choose the dress. Negotiate with your daughter, involve her in the process of choosing the dress. , and you will make her very excited about both the communion and the clothes she is going to wear. Also note that communion dresses can also be customized. Remove sleeves, make them out of other fabric, etc.
The delivery time of a communion dress can be up to a month (in Quémono, for example, it can be from 1 to 3 weeks) so it is better not to delay too much in choosing it. Remember that the ideal is to look at the communion dress in advance, in case you need to make some kind of arrangement or customization.
In the case of children, the costume is usually simpler and can be ordered with a little less time. You will have to start by deciding the type of suit you prefer. You can choose between a sailor or admiral suit, a typical suit jacket, or a more casual style such as skinny pants and linen shirt on the outside.
At Quémono we believe that first and foremost you have to make sure that the children are comfortable with the communion dress. Keep in mind that they will be wearing it all day long. If they are uncomfortable it will bother them and make it harder for them to enjoy their day.
Finally, you can choose to buy the communion dress online or go to a store or to a showroom so your little one can try on the outfit. If you buy it online, don’t worry, at Quémono you will simply have to take some measurements and we will choose the size. We have a lot of experience choosing the size this way, and it comes out great.
One of the most successful dresses in 2021 was the communion dress Iria.
Communion dress complements
This point is especially important in girls. Sashes, cancanes, hair accessories …. The options are endless. That is why we have made an article specifically of girl’s communion accessories. In that article, you’ll see that Quémono’s favorite hair accessory is the communion tiaras. They are beautiful, they are simple and they are comfortable, what more could you ask for? On the other hand, don’t forget the shoes. Carry the girl’s shoes The matching with the rest of the outfit gives a very original touch to the communion dress.
7. First Communion Reminders
The First Communion Reminder is a small card with the child’s name and the date of the event. They are usually completed with a phrase of thanks for attending the event, handwritten by the child himself/herself. In addition, they can include a photo of the child or a small drawing.
However, it is also possible to see reminders that are photo frames, or figurines, or key chains, pens … The good thing about these reminders, is that you can give them an alternative use or an original point that make them a little more unforgettable.
It is best if the children are the ones to deliver the reminders in person. to each of the guests on the day of the first communion. In this way, you will make the reminders much more personal. Let your child participate in the choice of reminders as well as in the communion dress, all this will make them more excited about the event; after all, it is their day!
If you want to save on reminders, you can ask your child to draw a picture and add the date of the event and the rest of the text. Take it to a stationery store and photocopy it on thick paper or white cardboard. Then, laminate it. It will be a super original and cheap reminder!
8. Decoration and entertainment
Decoration
The decoration will depend on where you are going to celebrate the communion. Whether in a specialized restaurant or at home, you can customize it to your liking. The decoration can be prepared with balloons, flowers, specific furniture, lighting, etc. If you want to decorate the table, in this other article we teach you how to decorate the communion table. You can also decorate different corners of the space. For example, you can set up a popcorn cart during the appetizer, a chocolate fondue cart with fruit when it’s time for dessert, or a candy bar. If you are on a tight budget, decoration is one of the parts you can do without. It is an extra.
Entertainment
It should not be forgotten that the first communion is child-centered. In order for them to have the best possible memory of this day, what better way than to encourage them to have fun. There are endless ways to entertain children. A good option for both children and adults is the photocall. . The great thing about the photocall is that it encourages the creation of cool photos, where you will see laughter, mixed groups, etc. And they take the pictures themselves! You won’t have to be so concerned about taking pictures of everyone to have a souvenir of who went to the communion.
Another very interesting option is to hire children’s entertainment: magicians, balloon twisting, clowns, bouncy castles, etc. Or you can hire a makeup artist to paint the children’s faces. For the little ones it is super fun, as they can choose whether they want to paint their face as a tiger, butterfly, etc. As you can see, you have endless possibilities.
9. Clothes of the protagonist’s siblings
Although the child receiving the First Communion will be the main protagonist of the event, we must not forget the rest of the family. His siblings also have to be handsome and elegant on such a special day. . If you want to give a nice touch to your children as a whole, in this article we teach you how to dressing the brothers to match the look of the child who is going to make the communion. If you are on a low budget, try to reuse elegant clothes you have at home, or even just buy the children’s accessories to match. Of course, you will also have to choose what the dads will wear, but this is quicker and can even be decided the same day if you have some fancy clothes in your closet.
10. Photography and Video
Hiring a person to immortalize the day’s events is an important very good option if you do not want to be aware of taking pictures yourselves. . In addition, this way your little girl will have professional photos that show how beautiful she looked on the day of her First Communion. If you are on a tight budget, the best thing to do is to save this part, take the main photos of the event yourself and ask the guests to pass you the photos they have taken the next day.
