What's your view on children at weddings?

Do you feel like screaming children running around the church would ruin your wedding, or do you think children are an essential part of making your wedding special? There are split views about having children at weddings, and brides have their own opinions on the subject. Here are a few things to keep in mind before you make the final decision as well as some activities for occupying children at weddings.

Deciding whether or not to invite children to your wedding is your choice alone. It is your special day and should go exactly the way you want it. Whatever you decide you should be specific on the wedding invitations about whether children are included or not. If you don’t do this, some guests will think they can bring their children, and others will think they can’t.

You should also be consistent; if you let one guest know there are no children allowed, and then invite others to bring them along, you’ll have some very upset parents. They only exception should be young babies who should always be able to come with their mums even if you’re not inviting older children. You might want to only invite children to the reception and not the ceremony itself, in which case you should provide a babysitter for out of town guests during the ceremony.

The things to keep in mind before you decide whether to have children at your wedding:

What time of day is the wedding – is it too late to have children coming along?
Are you having a lot of out-of-town guests who may struggle with childcare?
Is your wedding venue suitable for children and are they catered for?
Do a lot of your friends have young babies? They won’t come without them!
If you have children of your own it will be more fun for them if more children are invited.

If you decide to go ahead and include them there are lots of ways to entertain children at weddings:

Create a children’s table

While the youngest children will need to sit with their parents, older kids might have more fun if they are sitting together at a children’s table. They’re less likely to get bored by adult conversations, and they won’t be running between tables to visit each other. You could serve foods children love at that table and include activities such as quizzes or colouring.

Provide favours for children

Wedding favours specifically designed to keep children busy during the wedding reception are gaining popularity and are available in a range of shapes and sizes to match your wedding’s colour scheme or theme. They usually consist of toys and craft items designed for a specific age group and gender, which can help provide quiet, mess-free entertainment at the table.

A special entertainer

Sometimes there is a specific part of the wedding that you would prefer to be child-free, for instance the ceremony itself or the wedding speeches. If so, you could hire a magician or a puppet show to supply an alternative activity for the children at this point. Check with your venue if they have a room you could utilise for this purpose. If you are organising an outdoor wedding reception, you could have a bouncy castle, some sports equipment, or a trampoline so the children can let off steam.

A wedding babysitter

Having a dedicated wedding babysitter will relax the parents and will ensure there is a chance for their children to play or sleep while they are enjoying your wedding. This is especially good idea if you are planning an evening wedding, or if you are holding the reception at a hotel where a number of your guests are staying; the parents can keep partying late into the night knowing that their little ones are safely asleep nearby with the babysitter.