Brides have really strong ideas about having children at weddings, and I don’t blame them. Either they want hordes of pretty children hovering around them in billowing dresses of cream taffeta or they want a stylish child free affair with no interruptions to their big day. If you do invite children then you need to keep them entertained so they have a great time too.
Prepare
They will need to know what to expect at a wedding as they may not have been to one before. It’s worth talking about what will happen and maybe reading some books with weddings in to show them. Even if they have been to a wedding they might not remember it. You can find a list of our favourite books about weddings here.
Give them a job
If you give children a task to do then they will feel part of the day and it will give them something to focus on. You might have already chosen bridesmaids and pageboys but other children could have a task like taking the guest book around to sign or handing out sweets. This is a good idea for after the ceremony and before the meal as it can seem like a long time to wait for children.
Colouring
Children find it hard to wait for their food. It is worth giving them something to do then. Colouring and a small pack of pencils is a good way to keep them entertained and low cost. You can buy packs of wedding themed colouring books.
Bubbles
BubblesChildren love bubbles and they also look really pretty in photos.
Photobooths
Children love a disco so that part of the evening is usually sorted. A fun idea which all your guests will love is a wedding photo booth. They can dress up and look really silly in fun outfits and take lots of photos. It also acts as a lovely memento for your guests to have from the wedding.
Sweets
Failing that provide them with lots and lots of sweets. You can even set up a sweets table so they can pick and mix their favourite ones. Of course, they will have a huge sugar high but by that point, you will be winging your way to happily ever after and the child’s parents leaving the sugar crash to your relatives.
After the wedding, you can make a wedding sensory box for them to play with all the confetti and accessories from the wedding.
