Children In Your Wedding Party

In times past, a wedding ceremony was a beautiful celebration for the bride and the groom. Where once there were bridesmaids, groomsmen, the ring bearer, and the flower girl, we are seeing more and more couples choosing to include their own children in the ceremony. If you are planning to have children at your wedding, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Keep in mind the age of the child when planning their role in the big day. A young child may get stage fright when "there are all those people" that weren’t there during rehearsal. Consider having him or her walk down the aisle with an adult in your wedding party. Babies get fussy and children get bored. It’s pretty hard for a little person to sit still for any length of time. Instead of having them stand on the stage for the entire ceremony, you might simply have them walk down the aisle and sit with the family until it is time for them to participate in the ceremony. Another option is to decorate a small chair allowing the child to sit through the ceremony instead of standing. Also, consider the time of the ceremony. If the child that is to take part in your wedding still naps in the afternoon, plan to hold your ceremony later in the day to ensure that the child is happy!

Choose a gift to present to your child(ren) that they can keep. The Family Medallion represents the love of more than two people. It is a symbol of family. Other gift ideas are charms, sixpence, or other coins. By giving a gift to the child, you may make them feel like they got “married”, too.

Will there be other children that are invited to your wedding? Perhaps you might consider a small gift bag with color crayons and a pad of paper to give to guests with children. Some couples choose to have a designated person to provide child care during the wedding ceremony. While children are precious, a screaming baby is not what you want to hear while speaking your vows.

If children are going to be attending your wedding reception, keep in mind that young children may not “like” wedding food. Ask your caterer to make suggestions for a child-friendly alternative to add to your menu.

Children might also get restless during the wedding reception. A quick and easy way to help with this is to cover their tables in paper linens. Put containers of crayons on the tables and let them draw a special picture for you. Also, consider their need to move about when planning your seating for the reception. You might place the children’s table near the back so that they can move about without as much distraction.