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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

How to handle kids during a wedding

There are a few typical perspectives regarding children at weddings, from the idea that weddings are family affairs to the idea that it's a solemn occasion for adults. No matter what your position is, whether you're the bride, groom, or guest, there are ways to compromise.

Bridal Concerns About Children

Brides and grooms who have concerns about children at weddings aren't anti-child. They have planned this day meticulously for months, maybe even years. Children can be a bit of a wild card when it comes to social events, especially a lengthy, detailed wedding ceremony or at a late-night cocktail reception.

Hiring a Babysitter

If you think that asking parents to leave children at home will create tension within your family or friend circle, consider hiring a babysitter if you have the budget. Many churches and reception halls have areas set aside for children. Parents won't have to leave their children at home and you won't have to worry about whether children might be disruptive.

Including Children

If you have no qualms about having children at the wedding, there are a few things to keep in mind, from ideas to including children in the wedding to keeping them entertained during the ceremony or reception.
  • Young children may be bored. Supply coloring books, crayons and other activities that might keep them amused for a few hours. This is a good task to assign a bridesmaid or a reliable friend.
  • Young children might not appreciate wedding food. Prepare for picky children and ask the catering company to offer substitute meals for children.
  • Children get sleepy at long receptions. Request a few back to back slow songs to give parents a nudge to take kids home. You might even ask parents ahead of time to remove children by a certain time.
  • Consider adding roles for children in your wedding. Besides flower girl and the ring bearer, kids can usher and distribute favors to guests.
  • Ask the photographer to make a children's gallery of the kids in attendance. 

Whether or not there should be kids at weddings is entirely up to the bride and groom. If they decide they would rather not invite children, please respect their wishes. Just as the couple has the choice on who to invite, the guests can choose whether or not to attend. Couples should understand when guests decline due to the no child policy, and guests should decline with no hard feelings if they feel they can't attend.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Lisa said...

As a wedding childcare provider, I know all about all the pros and cons have children at weddings.

There is the factor of space or seating at some venues. Then there is the cost of feeding children. I have been to bridal shows and my jaw has dropped when I have heard what some places charge even for children's reduced meals.

I also know it gets dicey though when the bridal party or when siblings of the couple have children who may be excluded from an invite, especially when they are travelling some distance.

And, even with my own family that is very kid friendly there are times we wish there was a place for the children to go so that we aren't stressing about managing them.

Having been someone who was a stranger to families needing childcare for special occassions, I also know the qualms and fears parents have. I also know that many online babysitter sites online do not know anything about the people who register on them. There background checks are not reliable.

However, there are legitimate sitter services all over our metro areas. We take pride in what we do, so please keep this in mind and seek us out.

January 28, 2012 at 1:14 PM  

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