Wedding Reception Planning - Who's Invited?
Should you invite children to your wedding?

This really is a million dollar question and is a very personal one... I had children at my wedding but I have also organised many weddings where children have not been invited. This decision must lie with the bride and groom and they must not be swayed by the thoughts of others it is their wedding day and will hold memories that they will cherish forever. I have a few simple suggestions here for both scenarios to help you to cope with your decision of whether to invite children or not.

Scenario one ~ Invite children:

Children can be great fun at a wedding, however, if you decide to invite children then you must be aware of how demanding they can be... children can get bored very quickly (especially during the ceremony and speeches) therefore the easiest way to ensure a stress free "child friendly" wedding is by giving them something to do. For my own wedding I made several small activity and colouring books for the children (we had 23 children attending!) these I found to be a fabulous idea... they kept the children amused in the church, we used again between courses during the wedding breakfast, they amused to children during the speeches and the children also took them home at the end of the reception. I have suggested this idea to some of my brides and they too found these to be very successful.

Please see below for ideas to keep the children amused and stop them from getting bored:

* As mentioned you can have a lot of fun making activity and colouring books for the children
* You can have a "quiet corner" set up in the venue with colouring books and quite toys. The children can play here if they begin to get restless.
* You can hire a magician to amuse the children.
* You can hire a different type of children's entertainer.
* There are "wedding crèches" available to hire with qualified staff

Scenario Two ~ Do not invite children

If you decide not to invite children to your wedding then you must stick to that decision and not be swayed by what other people think or say. You may find that you have a lot of opposition to the decision and some people may not be able to, or may not want to attend without their children. To avoid confusion or embarrassment you must ensure that you state on your invitation that this is a "child free" wedding and if you find that you have a lot of opposition then simply tell people the reasons for not inviting children and that you hope they can still make the wedding.

Please see below for ideas to keep the peace with friends and family if you decide not to invite children:

* Consider inviting children to the evening reception instead of the ceremony and wedding breakfast
* Have a minimum age. For example, only invite children over 14 years old
* Suggest childminders in the area for the guests
* Explain that it is not only their children that are being excluded
* Ask if they can attend the ceremony without their children and bring their children to the reception in the evening
* Explain that there will be nothing for the children to do as you are not inviting children

These suggestions should help with both scenarios, but the most important thing to remember is that it's your wedding and should be the day that you envisage. Make your decision and stick to it!

Pazazz Weddings and Events

by M Kirk -

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