Invitation templates / Christening invitations
A Thousand Cranes: a christening invitation template
Squares of paper fold themselves into cranes and fly up to a mobile that spells the child's name; then guests fold one of their own.
The design
Folding a thousand paper cranes is an old Japanese wish for a long and happy life, now shared around the world. The whole invitation is that wish, told in paper and in the language of a folding diagram. It opens on a table of flat coloured squares: one by one they fold into cranes and fly up to a hanging mobile, each carrying a letter of the child's name. A guest can swing the mobile with a finger and touch a crane to make it beat its wings. Every part of the page is a numbered step of the diagram, with its valley-fold line and its instruction ("Crease firmly", "Thread the string"). Guests fold a crane for the child themselves, fold by fold under their finger, and send it off to join the thousand; the godparents are cranes that flutter when touched; the order of the day is a senbazuru string down which a crane slides to each moment as you scroll; the dress colours are squares from a paper pack that fold into cranes when tapped; a paper plane carries the livestream link to family far away; the photographs are an accordion-folded book you page through; and every reply folds one more crane, which flies up to join the flock.
Colours and type
A Thousand Cranes comes in 4 colourways: Unbleached washi, Cherry blossom, Morning sky and Matcha & persimmon, with 2 type pairings: Washi and Kami. The colours and type change in the editor at any time; the layout stays its own.
Who it suits
Made for christening / baptism, baby dedication and naming day, in the Playful & illustrated style.
What is included
An invitation website with the church and the celebration after, the godparents, your photos, a song if you want one, and the RSVP with the number of adults and children coming. You write your own words and add your photos in the live editor, send every guest a personal link by email or any messaging app, and follow the replies as they come in. Free for up to 20 guests, with the full design.
More christening templates
- Painted Tiles: A wall of hand-painted blue-and-white tiles: the panel is set tile by tile, the name goes in last, and guests turn crooked tiles, fire the glaze and repaint the frieze.
- Christening Bells: Two polished brass handbells tied with satin ribbon on white linen: tap one to ring it and the name appears, then polish the tarnish off the brass to reveal the engraving.
- The Christening Cake: A three-tier christening cake in white fondant and sugar roses on a porcelain stand: turn it with a finger, watch the name piped onto a sugar plaque, and cut a slice at the close.
- Written by Hand: A calligrapher's desk: the child's name is written live in pointed-pen copperplate, and the guest changes the nib, blots the ink, tests the colours and tries the pen.
- The Certificate: An engraved baptismal certificate on a leather writing desk: press the brass stamp into the molten wax to seal it, and watch the godparents sign in ink.
- Blind Dove: A thick white cotton card with a dove pressed in without ink: the light rakes across as you scroll, and the dove rises out of the white.
- The Favour Table: The bomboniere table on the christening morning, seen from above: one satin ribbon unspools down the table as you read, threading every favour and tag of the day, and ends tied to your own.
- Fresco Under Plaster: An old chapel wall: a fresco of a May sky and olive trees comes out from under the whitewash, patch by patch, with the child's name painted in the band beneath.
All christening invitation templates