Children at your Wedding... or Not!
Guests should always assume that children are not invited, unless they are named on the invitation (ie Mr and Mrs Johnson, Samantha and Rebecca). However, increasingly guests feel put out if children are excluded. If you are not inviting ANY children, it is sensible to include a note with the invitations saying "unfortunately we are unable to accommodate children" - don't feel that you need to justify your reasons. If you are only inviting children of close friends and family, it is tactful to telephone others with children before sending out the invitations to let them know or they may feel that their chidren have been singled out.Entertaining Children
If you do have to invite children to your wedding, here are some tips and handy hints to try and keep "little ones" amused and allow the adults to have fun.- Hire babysitters or a creche service.
- Hire a children's entertainer, clowns or puppet show.
- Seat children together at a special “kids table”. Cover the tables with paper and put crayons or felt-tip pens in the middle.
- Give each child an activity pack including games and puzzles, bubbles, crayons, colouring books.
- Serve a kids meal consisting of chicken nuggets, pizzas, cheesy potatos, pasta, fish fingers etc.
- Give children jobs at the reception ie asking guests to write messages in the Guest Book, passing around favours, handing out disposable cameras.
- Have a special cinema corner set up for young ones, with comfy pillows, popcorn and juice showing tiny-tot favourites like Finding Nemo, Shrek, The Lion King etc.
It may seem like a lot of additional effort, but this day is one to remember for the rest of your life, and if having children at the wedding means you can ensure your closest friends and family can also be there, it's well worth it!