Should you invite children to your wedding?
Whilst planning your wedding, have you thought about this yet? This can be quite a divided topic, with some choosing not to invite children to their wedding.
I love seeing children at weddings! After working as a teaching assistant for several years, I must have a soft spot for kids! I think they add a little more charm to a wedding, in their cute outfits and their cheeky personalities. Of course, this means you can get some awesome photos of kids being kids for your wedding album too!
There are many reasons why you should invite children to your wedding. It's easier for any friends or family to attend if they have children of their own, rather than arranging childcare or perhaps it's nicer to give them the option? Perhaps you already have children of your own and it would be easier to invite everyone else's too so as not to offend anyone? Plus that way your child/children will have some playmates!
Inviting children means you could have a flower girl or a pageboy to add to your wedding party, giving them a part to play on your wedding day. It's a lovely experience for them and it's a great way to create some amazing memories for your family.
As important as it is to capture photos of the older generations of your family, it's also important to capture photos of the younger ones too. We all know they don't stay little for long!
As I mentioned earlier, they add that extra bit of magic to your wedding day. They can also make the dance floor more interesting!
If you're thinking of having a child-free wedding, there could be some advantages to this.
They can be unpredictable at times, when they get tired or bored a crying fit may well happen at any moment! When they get over excited, they can get carried away and have an accident. Of course not all children are like this, every child is different so this may not be the case.
It gives your guests the chance to really let their hair down and have fun, I think that it can be nice to give them a choice however. Some parents are happy to have their children with them, some would rather hire a childminder so that they can really have fun.
Inviting children can add an extra expense to your budget, such as putting together activities or entertainment for them. If you choose to have a flower girl/pageboy there is the expense of their outfits or even adding them to your bridal prep arrangements with a hairdresser.
If you are thinking of having a child free wedding day, how can you word it in your invitations so as not to offend anyone? You could mention about it being due to your budget, or that there is limited space at your venue. Perhaps you could say that you would like all adults to relax and let their hair down without worrying about supervising. Just remember that you're telling your friends and family that their children aren't invited, these children are their world so be very careful not to offend anyone.
If you are thinking of inviting children, think about how to keep them occupied. Little goodie bags are great, you can fill them with different things appropriate to their age such as puzzle/colouring books, sweets, toys, silly straws etc. Amazon is great for wedding activity books for kids! You could go all out and hire some sort of entertainment, such as a balloon artist or even a bouncy castle! It is even possible to hire a creche to come along. If you have children of your own, ask a few different guests beforehand if they can share the supervising, maybe grandparents or auntie/uncles?
As I have mentioned already and it may have been obvious throughout this blog post, I stand on the side of inviting children!
Oh and if you're looking for a child friendly photographer, then look no further. I have worked with children for several years, gaining lots of experience. It helps that I'm a big kid myself!
