Mar 8, 2008

Children Wedding Activities



Inviting or not inviting children to your Wedding Ceremony and/or Reception is a decision that is truly up to the Bride and Groom. This article is for couples who choose to have children at the Reception.

Children are unpredictable; this is one of their biggest Charms, but also one of the hazards of inviting them. It's lovely to include all of the special people from your life in your Wedding, even if they are some of the smallest people you know. It will be a great way to let them know how special to you they are, and give them a sense of what a big, fancy, grown-up special event is like. It may end up being too much for them to handle though, so consider that they may need a time-out from the festivities as well.

Some ideas for keeping the children occupied during your Reception:

Have a separate room (or at least a separate area) for the kids- Arrange for a baby-sitter to keep a close eye on the kiddos. You don't want them disrupting the more formal moments, but more importantly, you don't want them to find a way to hurt themselves or others (playing with a steak knife or tripping a waitress carrying a heavy tray would put a damper on things.) The kids don't have to be sequestered to this area all night, just be sure each child does have some form of adult supervision at all times.

Have activities for the children- Look for a Wedding-themed coloring and activity book, or use any general activity book. Provide crayons, paper, perhaps paper placemats, for the children. This will help keep them entertained during meal time, and especially during toasts which might not be able to capture their interest.

Have a tea party- If you are able to have a separate room for the children and a sitter or two, have a tea party theme for them. They're already all dressed up, and with juice and cookies this can be a more relaxed but still special event they can participate in. You could also have it themed like the Mad Hatter and March Hare's tea party from Alice in Wonderland to make it extra fun.

Hire a magician- If you can afford it, hire a magician to come and do some simple tricks or make balloon animals for the kids for an hour or two.

Special Bridal Visit- Make sure during your rounds the Bride and Groom take a minute or two to spend in the kids room. This will both show these little guys that they valued guest and also give you a break from the formality of the event- a nice little breather, and perhaps a chance to sneak a kiss in the hallway.

Keep story books on hand- Make sure there are some books a sitter or parent can read quietly to a group of children.

Goody bags for the kids- Give the kids a bag when they arrive that has treats and little activities to keep them happy. Stay away from anything noisy or potentially destructive- you don't want a yo-yo destroying your wedding cake!

Teddy Bear Toss- If you're doing a bouquet and garter toss for the adults, and you'll have a lot of children, you might want to consider doing something for them. Toss a soft white teddy bear, or some other plushy (A Webkinz would be quite popular), for the kids to catch. They'll have fun and be awfully cute to watch.

Kid's Dance- Get all the kids onto the dance floor with the Bridal Couple or the whole Bridal Party. What great pictures you'll have!

Things to keep in mind-

Not all parents will be comfortable leaving their children with a baby-sitter they don't know. Not everyone might think children are as cute as you (or their parents) think they are. Including or not including children is a big decision that brings up a lot of emotion for many people. Make the decision for yourself and stick to it, because you aren't going to be able to please everybody.

--Minnie

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