Managing your small children at your wedding

Weddings are a celebration of love, and many couples want to include family members of all ages—including little ones. While children can bring joy and cuteness to your special day, they can also be unpredictable.

If you're inviting kids to your wedding, here are some ways to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for everyone.

1. Set Clear Expectations

Decide upfront whether you want a child-friendly wedding or prefer an adults-only affair. If kids are welcome, communicate this in your invitations and wedding website, letting parents know what to expect in terms of child-friendly accommodations.

2. Provide Entertainment

Small children can become restless during a long ceremony, so providing entertainment is key. Kids absolutely LOVE bubbles and even crying little ones can be distracted long enough with the magic of bubbles floating through the air. You could also consider setting up a designated kids’ area with coloring books, small toys, or quiet activities to keep them engaged while adults enjoy the event.

3. Hire a Childcare Professional

For a seamless experience, hiring a babysitter or childcare provider can be a game-changer. A designated caregiver can keep an eye on the children, allowing parents to relax and enjoy the ceremony.

4. Have a Kid-Friendly Snack Station

Hungry kids can quickly become cranky. A small snack station with easy-to-eat options like crackers, fruit, and juice boxes will help keep little ones happy and occupied throughout the ceremony.

5. Time Your Ceremony Wisely

If you have your own small children and you’d like to minimise the issues with their sleep times, or unsettled times, try to schedule your ceremony at a time when the children are least likely to be tired or hungry. Mid-morning or early afternoon ceremonies work well to avoid naptime meltdowns.

6. Offer a Quiet Space

Some children may need a break from the excitement. Providing a quiet space where parents can take their kids if they need to calm down will be appreciated by guests and help minimize disruptions.

7. Give Kids a Role in the Ceremony

Keeping children involved can make them feel special and engaged. Assign them roles such as flower girl, ring bearer, or even “mini wedding attendants” to hand out programs or welcome guests. If they are your children, there are lots of ways to include your children in your ceremony, so check out our post on this for some great ideas.

8. Prepare for the Unexpected

Kids will be kids, and some noise or minor disruptions are inevitable. Have a relaxed attitude and embrace the charm they bring. Inform your officiant/celebrant and wedding planner about your kid-friendly approach so they can adapt accordingly and just go with the flow.

9. Communicate with Parents

Encourage parents to bring essentials like favorite toys, extra diapers, and comfort items. Let them know if there's a designated space for kids so they can plan ahead.

10. Consider a Kid-Free Reception

If you love the idea of having children at the ceremony but want a more formal reception, consider offering a kid-free reception. Parents can make childcare arrangements in advance while still including their little ones in the important part of the day.

Final Thoughts Having children at your wedding can add a layer of fun and warmth, but it requires some thoughtful planning, and depends on you as a couple and how you see your big day.

By setting expectations, providing entertainment, and preparing for their needs, you can create a kid-friendly wedding experience that keeps both parents and little guests happy. With a bit of preparation, your wedding day will be a beautiful celebration for guests of all ages!

Wedding Rituals and Traditions - Gorgeous Wedding Earth Ritual

 This is one of our all time favourites!

Requirements: Guest participation, medium sized plant pot and seedling

In most wedding traditions, the main focus is naturally on the bride and groom, and where appropriate, their children. They seek to convey the significance and beauty of bringing two individuals together or in uniting a family. The ‘Earth Ritual’ does this, but it goes a little further by involving all of the family and friends in attendance. They not only take part, but are asked to contribute and it is this contribution that sets the foundation for the ritual.

When sending out wedding invitations a small note is included, asking each guest to bring a small container filled with some soil from around their home. (it only needs to be a small amount, especially if it is a large celebration.)

A medium sized plant pot and a seedling are placed on a nearby table. At a certain point in the ceremony, the celebrant may introduce the ritual that is to be performed.

Example:

‘Amanda and Alex have chosen to include a special ritual in their ceremony that involves all of you as their loved ones – those people that they hold most dear.

Each of you has been asked to bring a small amount of soil which was lovingly taken from your own home, filled with love and hope, and today it is hoped that as each of you place your earth into this vessel, it will retain that love.

Once the pot is full, Amanda and Alex will plant the seedling that rests beside it, ready to grow and be nourished by the love of all of you.

I would now like to invite the parents and grandparents to come forward.’

(Once they’ve finished)

‘If everyone else could now please come forward.’

(When everyone has added their earth)

‘Amanda and Alex – your pot has now been filled with the love, hope and best wishes of all of your family and friends. It has been taken from their own lives, their own homes and now passed on to you as symbolic foundation of your future life together. As you now plant the seedling, let its growth and beauty be a constant reminder of the blending of your two lives and families and the love and support that they have for you as they watch you grow together.’

(Couple finish planting the seedling and the celebrant returns to the concluding of the ceremony)

This ritual is easy to do and very effective. As long as everyone participates, its significance is beautiful and memorable. The wording can be changed and easily adapted to suit all situations.

The Wedding Gurus xx

Wedding Rituals and Traditions - Handfasting with Children

Some time ago we brought you a version of a 'handfasting' which has been very popular on the blog, so we thought we would follow it up with a fabulous way of including children in this wonderfully meaningful ritual.

Including children in a handfasting:

Celebrant: 'When we think about marriage we immediately visualize the joining of two people. But this is not always so. Marriages unite families and as is the case in many families today who already have children, they give us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and embrace some of the other important relationships in our lives.

During a wedding ceremony rings are sometimes exchanged with a promise. As (Bride) and (Groom) are not exchanging rings, but instead binding their hands, they thought appropriate that their children should also take part as a reminder of their promise to them on this day.

(Bride & Groom) wanted to find a way to let their children know now how special and wonderful they are, and how privileged and blessed they feel to be their parents'.

Children step forward and their hands are bound with the parents

Celebrant addresses children:

'(Insert children’s names): These are the hands that will support encourage and protect you through all of life’s ups and downs, happy times, sad times, love and we hope, great joy. This binding is a reminder of the love and respect that each of you have for the others and that which will last for a lifetime'.

You can amend the wording of any of our ritual examples to suit your own family circumstances. Check out some of the others we've shared in previous posts.

The Wedding Gurus x