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When planning for your special day it is important to think about even the smallest guests. If you are having children present you might be wondering how to make a wedding kid friendly – well these tips will help you off the starting blocks and help inspiration to strike.
First up, before worrying about your guests, have you made sure to Insure your wedding with PYF? I’m a big advocate for insurance, and often tell people to Get insurance for the whole family, as you can never be sure what is coming down the pike!
Catering to little ones at your wedding takes more than just offering chicken strips and chips on your menu – particularly as a crying or overwhelmed little one could have a big impact on your wedding day.
Plan your wedding ceremony accordingly
If you’re planning your special day around your own children then you may want to take their normal nap schedule into consideration where possible.
For example my youngest will nap for 1 hour at 11am, and so I’d plan to have my ceremony after this time if I was booking my wedding now, to allow for her usual routine to take place.
Little ones are typically in their best mood earlier in the day so perhaps try and plan accordingly for your special day!
Take photographs earlier in the day
Likewise with your photographs try to plan them for earlier in the day. This can be quite a long winded, and frankly a little boring task, for little ones, and so you will want to aim to complete family photographs featuring little ones as early in the day as possible. You could even come up with some fun photo ideas for the kids at the wedding!
You can instruct your photographer to obtain some candid photographs also, which will allow your little one to get back to having fun in next to no time.
Get them involved
Little ones will love being involved in the main ceremony and having an official task. Ring bearer, bridesmaid or flower child are all some of the great roles that you can provide little ones with.
This will give them a sense of purpose, comes with a very cool outfit and they are able to be part of the magic of the day too so you can create memories to last a lifetime.
Consider a children’s entertainer
If your budget allows then a children’s entertainer can be a great way to keep little ones occupied.
A magician, face painter, balloon modeller or even a clown can all be great ways to make the day more special for little ones.
You can have designated times where the entertainer performs, or even just a set window where little ones can queue up to have their face painted.
This can be great to bring a little bit of energy back to small children and get them back in a fantastic mood ready for dancing or perhaps in a lull in between meals or activities.
Provide child friendly wedding favours
Wedding favours seem to be less popular these days, perhaps because they are a little bit of a waste of money in the scheme of things, but if you are providing them then consider making tailored ones for child attendees.
Personalised placements and colouring pens can be a great way to occupy children while they’re waiting for their meal to arrive.
Bubbles can be great fun, though they are more suited to outdoor venues and summer days due to the likelihood of making the floor slippery inside your venue!
Some other great ideas can be jewellery making kits (depending on the age of the child), travel board games, make your own mask kits or even personalised toys. These can be a great way to say thank you for attending your wedding while being usable for the future also.
Have a menu with suitable options
Tailor your menu to ensure that your little attendees are catered to. Speak to parents to see if children have any allergies or food aversions and you can easily cater your menu specifically to their needs. This will help to avoid any potential meltdowns during dinner and of course a nutritious meal will energise them for the dancing portion of the evening when they’ll be able to show off their best moves!
Make additions to your playlist
If you’ve got a playlist for your disco, or perhaps a band, consider intertwining some children’s songs, perhaps for 15-30 minutes at a time, or even just at the beginning of the reception.
This is a great way to get children burning off some of their energy and is a lovely way to end the night for any children who are heading home for a sensible bedtime.
There are lots of ways that you can incorporate the needs of your tiny guests into your special day, without making it all about them. Having lots of activities on hand, as well as regular snacks and entertainment, will help to keep energy levels high without anything spilling over.