Children at a Wedding

Thinking about having children at a wedding? Weddings are occasions where children are sometimes not included. While everyone enjoys seeing young ones dressed up and dancing, children are also easily bored and tire early. When thinking of inviting children to a wedding, it is important to have some plans in place to make the wedding kid-friendly enough to ensure that everyone attending has a good time.

The ceremony. Think in order of events, and plan for the kids at each step. The ceremony is usually the most formal part of the day. Kids need to be quiet and respectful, not distracting, and they should basically sit still. While these adjectives are usually counter to kids' innate natures, there are ways to help achieve what you want.

Also consider the length of the ceremony. Some couples choose a short ceremony, so you may not be as concerned about keeping kids quiet for a brief time.

Seating. Kids should be seated near the back, or at least on an aisle, with their parents. This will allow a parent to take the child out as needed for a bathroom or fidget break. If a child becomes restless and noisy, the parent should take the child outside out of courtesy toward the wedding party and other guests.

Quiet play. Kids have a short attention span. Try having a big basket full of little boxes of raisins or fruit snacks-quiet snacks that aren't messy-for kids to have during the ceremony.

For children at a wedding, it would be nice also to find some small quiet toys or books, crayons and little pads of paper or finger puppets to offer in the basket. Don't get anything that rattles or makes electronic sounds. Party stores and the bargain bin at department stores are great places to look for these, and they won't break your budget. Let the kids who are arriving choose a few items from the basket to have while they are seated. They will appreciate the novelty, and you'll appreciate their good behavior.

The reception. To make the wedding succeed with children as guests, a babysitter is the best helper you could have. The parents will be grateful for the break, and they will surely be more relaxed because the kids will have a trained person ready to entertain them. If possible, hire a student teacher, young college student studying education, a nanny or an experienced babysitter. You may want to find a babysitter who doesn't know any of the guests and who won't be distracted by any of the wedding festivities.

When booking the reception, try to get a separate room near the main reception room for the kids' VIP room. This is a space for setting up the babysitter and kids' activities, as described above. It would be perfect if there could be a space in that room with a couch, or else consider bringing some blankets and pillows for kids to have a place to rest when tired. If you can't get a room like this, set up a corner of the reception room for the kids' area, where the babysitter will be and where activities will take place. Big extra points if you can hire someone to do a little magic show or balloon animals for children at a wedding.

As for the activities, provide games, books, art supplies, snacks and party favors. Small craft projects like door hangers, bookmarks, bracelets or necklaces are easy to find and inexpensive. If you were able to arrange a kids' VIP room, the venue may offer a TV/DVD with a few kids' movies. Always have some wet wipes, a box of tissues, a garbage can and a roll of paper towels to tidy up any messes.

It would be smart to have separate kid-friendly food for the meal. Not only will it save you money, but the kids will also be more likely (and happy) to eat. This will help you avoid crankiness from the hunger of picky eaters. Talk to the caterer about having a buffet of little hotdogs, pizza, pasta, French fries, fruit or other inexpensive and fun foods that kids like. An ice cream bar would also be a hit with the kids.

Kid-friendly wedding favors are a good idea, as they can keep the children busy. Kids love taking pictures, so an assortment of disposable cameras would be fun for kids to take pictures of the reception. Some of the pictures might turn out to be keepers. Small containers of bubbles add to the festivities and are good additions to a party. Tissue paper flowers are fun and easy to make, and the kids can give them out at the reception or decorate the tables with them.

On the day of the wedding, try to talk to the parents when they arrive, and introduce them to the babysitter. Have the babysitter show the parents the activities, the food and the kids' VIP room, if available. Also ask the parents to inform the babysitter of any allergies or health issues to avoid any problems. Be sure the babysitter knows which parents belong to which kid, when there is a need for the sitter to ask a question or when to bring the parent and child together.

With planning and creativity, children at a wedding can be a success, and the parents can enjoy themselves, too.