What to wear for baptism? (female)


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Hi y'all, I'm getting baptised into the Mormon church next week and was wondering what I'm supposed to wear. I have lots of friends and family coming to see me so I want to look somewhat decent even though I will be dunked under water for a good 10 seconds. Here are my questions:

 

1. Shoes - do I wear something or just go into church barefoot and put shoes on afterwards?

2. What should I do with my hair? Should I even bother styling it beforehand?

3. Makeup - this is a big one. I feel totally naked without any makeup on and really don't want to look like a monster for something as important as this. Do I wear makeup or just put it on later?

 

Thanks!

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54 minutes ago, Maddiec said:

Hi y'all, I'm getting baptised into the Mormon church next week and was wondering what I'm supposed to wear. I have lots of friends and family coming to see me so I want to look somewhat decent even though I will be dunked under water for a good 10 seconds. Here are my questions:

 

1. Shoes - do I wear something or just go into church barefoot and put shoes on afterwards?

2. What should I do with my hair? Should I even bother styling it beforehand?

3. Makeup - this is a big one. I feel totally naked without any makeup on and really don't want to look like a monster for something as important as this. Do I wear makeup or just put it on later?

 

Thanks!

Welcome, Maddiec, and congrats!

1.  Just wear to the baptism what you would typically wear to church on Sunday. Usually the folks planning the service will have a white jumpsuit for you to change into for the baptism ceremony itself.  (It would be a good idea to confirm this with your missionaries.)  You’ll want to have a towel and a change of dry underclothing.  

When my kids were baptized (and I did the baptisms) I arrived at the church in Sunday dress and changed into white baptismal clothing.  I also put on white socks, because it just feels weird to me to be barefoot in church.  But I’ve seen other people barefoot at baptisms, and no one said anything about it.  

2.  When my daughters have been baptized, my wife usually did their hair in a tight bun.  If you have long hair, you don’t want it loose—if it floats up and doesn’t go all the way under water, they’ll have to repeat the baptism.  

3.  Being a male, I really can’t advise you on this one.

Oh, and you shouldn’t be underwater for anything like ten seconds.  Just down and up again.  🙂

Again, congratulations!

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 @Maddiec Congratulations! Welcome! 

Absolutely crucial to wear white underwear. Bra could be white or nude. You will need to wear your hair back. Bring a couple of fluffy towels to dry off. Often there are sisters to help you but just in case..I would ask the brother who interviews you for baptism if his wife will be there. Maybe call this sister and ask if she can help you after the baptism.

I was baptized as a teenager and there was no sister to help me and no towels! So take control! Bring towels. You will not have time to dry your hair but if you have bangs, I would bring a hair dryer and dry your bangs. Forget make up and nylons because the congregation will be waiting for you, you will not have time. Nothing worse than trying to quickly put on nylons when you are wet. Think of an outfit that you can quickly change into when you are wet and cold! 

Good luck and all the best! 

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On 10/24/2019 at 11:43 PM, Just_A_Guy said:

Welcome, Maddiec, and congrats!

1.  Just wear to the baptism what you would typically wear to church on Sunday. Usually the folks planning the service will have a white jumpsuit for you to change into for the baptism ceremony itself.  (It would be a good idea to confirm this with your missionaries.)  You’ll want to have a towel and a change of dry underclothing.  

When my kids were baptized (and I did the baptisms) I arrived at the church in Sunday dress and changed into white baptismal clothing.  I also put on white socks, because it just feels weird to me to be barefoot in church.  But I’ve seen other people barefoot at baptisms, and no one said anything about it.  

2.  When my daughters have been baptized, my wife usually did their hair in a tight bun.  If you have long hair, you don’t want it loose—if it floats up and doesn’t go all the way under water, they’ll have to repeat the baptism.  

3.  Being a male, I really can’t advise you on this one.

Oh, and you shouldn’t be underwater for anything like ten seconds.  Just down and up again.  🙂

Again, congratulations!

So I show up to church in my normal Sunday clothes and then get into the baptismal clothes after? How long will I have to get ready after getting dunked? 

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2 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

 @Maddiec Congratulations! Welcome! 

Absolutely crucial to wear white underwear. Bra could be white or nude. You will need to wear your hair back. Bring a couple of fluffy towels to dry off. Often there are sisters to help you but just in case..I would ask the brother who interviews you for baptism if his wife will be there. Maybe call this sister and ask if she can help you after the baptism.

I was baptized as a teenager and there was no sister to help me and no towels! So take control! Bring towels. You will not have time to dry your hair but if you have bangs, I would bring a hair dryer and dry your bangs. Forget make up and nylons because the congregation will be waiting for you, you will not have time. Nothing worse than trying to quickly put on nylons when you are wet. Think of an outfit that you can quickly change into when you are wet and cold! 

Good luck and all the best! 

Thank you! I will definitely wear white undies and bring towels with. What should I wear to church before the baptism? Should I try to look put together or just go minimally dressed and get ready later? Also, about how much time will I have to get ready after the ceremony? Pictures are definitely going to be taken and just forgoing makeup will be hard for me (blonde hair, no eyebrows.) I know it sounds petty given how sacred a baptism is, but being seen by everyone I know looking like a wet rat is super embarrassing! Any tips?

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Taking a symbolic approach, perhaps what you wear after your baptism could be something totally different from what you wear before your baptism. Maybe wear old, smart perhaps unwanted clothes to your baptism, clothes that you'd be happy to leave behind and then totally new clothes after your baptism. I like the thought of being a new person in CHrist, so I'd be inclined to buy a simple but smart set of new clothes and put them on for the first time after your baptism. And then I would only wear those clothes in future for special, sacred events, such as going to the temple, or being confirmed, or going to someone else's baptism. 

Congratulations on your baptism, you've made the best decision you will ever make. 

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12 hours ago, Maddiec said:

Thank you! I will definitely wear white undies and bring towels with. What should I wear to church before the baptism? Should I try to look put together or just go minimally dressed and get ready later? Also, about how much time will I have to get ready after the ceremony? Pictures are definitely going to be taken and just forgoing makeup will be hard for me (blonde hair, no eyebrows.) I know it sounds petty given how sacred a baptism is, but being seen by everyone I know looking like a wet rat is super embarrassing! Any tips?

Very true that they will not start without you but...they WILL be waiting for you so...All women look a bit ‘drowned rat’ after baptism. Sorry! 

Wear before: A dress because most/many will be in Sunday dress. I have two polyester long dresses. This is what I wore to church. They are indestructible. In part, I am Canadian and part of my culture is fitting in and following social rules. (I have met a lot of American woman who share my values. Especially women from downtown Detroit and the south. Just saying). If the sisters wear dresses, I wear dresses. Also, I am often asked to do stuff: teach a class at the last minute or just lend a hand in general. Ask me to help and I will!

The great thing is that you are entering a world in which help is only a phone call away at any hour of the day and night. You will make friends with people who are so fantastic, you will not believe it. And they will be your friends forever.

You have come home! You will spend the rest of your life with people who share your values of kindness and caring. 

Okay back to clothes. I am also pale as a pint of milk so I hear you. I have a tube of make up that I slap on. Fast slap of lipstick, Seriously get ready as fast as possible. However, I do come from a culture in which the feelings of others are very important.

After baptism and quite likely for the rest of your existence, you will glow with a calm reservoir of strength and beauty. No doubt you are currently beautiful. Well you just wait. It only gets better! You will have a light inside you that will carry you over the bumps and valleys of life. You will be very glad that you made this decision and you will feel God’s love on your darkest day.

For clothing after  I like those polyester long dresses.  Easy to get on and you look taller, more elegant. It is nice to hang out with people who do not care about your wardrobe or bank account.

Welcome sister! We are so happy to have you with us! 

 

Edited by Sunday21
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This is my advice from observation:

1.) If you don’t have an all white washable dress/pantsuit, ask the missionaries for the jumpsuit ahead of time.  This way, you can go into church in the jumpsuit.  I wore my high heels with my jumpsuit.  Haha.  But most people just wear white socks/keds.  If the missionaries can’t give you the jumpsuit ahead of time, wear your Sunday clothes to the baptism and you can get into the jumpsuit right before you walk into the font.

Bring Sunday clothes (don’t forget matching shoes) and hang it in the bathroom that connects to the font.  Also bring towels and baby powder (dab yourself with baby powder so your Sunday clothes won’t be sticky on you in the humid bathroom.

Wear slip/camisole over your undies.  A lot of jumpsuits become see-through when it gets wet.

2.)  Hair:  The tight braid is the easiest.  You can get fancy with it.  I wore mine in an intricate french braid.  My niece wore hers in a braid ring around her head.  We both had flower and jewel inserts in the braid.  It gets wet and it still looks the same.  All I had to do was tap it with a towel to absorb the drips and that’s it.

3.) Make-up:  Waterproof mascara and cream foundation.  The rest you can touch up in a quickness.

Good luck and Congrats! 

 

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17 hours ago, askandanswer said:

Taking a symbolic approach, perhaps what you wear after your baptism could be something totally different from what you wear before your baptism. Maybe wear old, smart perhaps unwanted clothes to your baptism, clothes that you'd be happy to leave behind and then totally new clothes after your baptism. I like the thought of being a new person in CHrist, so I'd be inclined to buy a simple but smart set of new clothes and put them on for the first time after your baptism. And then I would only wear those clothes in future for special, sacred events, such as going to the temple, or being confirmed, or going to someone else's baptism. 

Congratulations on your baptism, you've made the best decision you will ever make. 

That's a cute idea! I just might do that.

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11 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

Very true that they will not start without you but...they WILL be waiting for you so...All women look a bit ‘drowned rat’ after baptism. Sorry! 

Wear before: A dress because most/many will be in Sunday dress. I have two polyester long dresses. This is what I wore to church. They are indestructible. In part, I am Canadian and part of my culture is fitting in and following social rules. (I have met a lot of American woman who share my values. Especially women from downtown Detroit and the south. Just saying). If the sisters wear dresses, I wear dresses. Also, I am often asked to do stuff: teach a class at the last minute or just lend a hand in general. Ask me to help and I will!

The great thing is that you are entering a world in which help is only a phone call away at any hour of the day and night. You will make friends with people who are so fantastic, you will not believe it. And they will be your friends forever.

You have come home! You will spend the rest of your life with people who share your values of kindness and caring. 

Okay back to clothes. I am also pale as a pint of milk so I hear you. I have a tube of make up that I slap on. Fast slap of lipstick, Seriously get ready as fast as possible. However, I do come from a culture in which the feelings of others are very important.

After baptism and quite likely for the rest of your existence, you will glow with a calm reservoir of strength and beauty. No doubt you are currently beautiful. Well you just wait. It only gets better! You will have a light inside you that will carry you over the bumps and valleys of life. You will be very glad that you made this decision and you will feel God’s love on your darkest day.

For clothing after  I like those polyester long dresses.  Easy to get on and you look taller, more elegant. It is nice to hang out with people who do not care about your wardrobe or bank account.

Welcome sister! We are so happy to have you with us! 

 

Beautiful comment sister. You're right about the Mormon community being amazing, we really are a family and I know I can trust any of them with my life. I don't want to keep everyone waiting for long so I think I'll just do minimal makeup or wear none at all. It will be a bit weird, but there's no other people in the world I would rather see me bare faced and drenched than my LDS family. Thank you!

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