Children in Your Wedding?

Children

IN YOUR WEDDING?

Your wedding is one your biggest days ever. Including children is always a joy for the bridal party and attendees. Children can participate in the ceremony or if not, they can be included in the wedding in other ways. Most children love having a special job and will be delighted to be included, just make sure the job is appropriate for their age.

Including small children in your wedding can sometimes be a challenge. The good news is there are ways to work it so there is no drama during the ceremony. It’s especially important that if small kids are going to be part of the bridal party, that they have a practice walking down the aisle in front of people. With all that practice, even the most outgoing children can suddenly become shy when put on the spot. Having an older sibling or groups of kids can make the walk down the aisle easier for a younger child. Decorate a wagon wedding style and ask one of the older kids pull the younger one. The younger child will love it and won’t even notice that people are fawning over how cute he or she is!

Don’t get flustered if one of the little ones gets stage fright. Small children can’t be expected to perform on cue! It might be wise to seat their parents or grandparents at the end of an aisle in case they are needed to give encouragement or make a quick exit.

If you want children involved in your wedding but not the ceremony, there are other jobs to help them feel included. Handing out the wedding program as guests arrive before the ceremony is very helpful and anyone over the age of 8 can handle that. If your dog is a big part of your family and you want him or her to take part, have a child walk the pet down the aisle.

If you are going to invite children to the reception, be sure there are options for them. A bored and unhappy child can make for lots of drama! Make sure there are some kid-friendly food options on the menu. Food they like will make them happier and we want happy children!

Often kids are seated at their parent’s tables. To be honest, it is not a lot of fun for them. If you can, seat children at their own kid’s wedding table. Provide fun favors for the kids or age appropriate goodie bags filled with sweets, small games, coloring books and crayons. Cover the kids’ table with kraft paper and let them draw on the tablecloth!

Make sure teens attending the wedding also have their own table, if there are only one or two, seat them at the table where their parents are sitting.

You can also give kids special jobs at the wedding reception too, like making sure everyone has signed the guest book, handing out favors or slices of cake.

Kids at weddings can make your day even more enjoyable as long as you do the homework and provide them with plenty of activity and support if they need it. ™