By Admin
•
August 6, 2019
There's nothing cuter than your niece walking down the aisle as your flower girl, unless it's your four-year-old doing his duty as a ringbearer. But while involving kids in your wedding is a lovely and inclusive idea, in practice, things can easily get out of hand with an ill-timed tantrum or stain on your littlest sister's pricey dress. If you're worried about how to handle the kids in your wedding party, keep reading. We have tips on how to keep the youngest members of your wedding party occupied, entertained, and happy on your special day. 1. Hire Professionals Weddings aren't cheap, and you may consider cutting corners on things like childcare that don't seem as necessary as the cake or dresses. After all, you can always ask a relative to mind the kids, right? You definitely can ask a relative to take on childcare, but if you want everyone to enjoy the wedding, it's much more courteous to simply pay for professional help. Plus, having a professional on hand makes it much easier to keep track of the kids; rather than worry about the kids escaping across the golf course or getting lost in the crowd, find a trustworthy professional (including the kids' regular babysitters, if they're up for it) you can count on to make sure the kids stay safe and happy throughout the proceedings. 2. Create a Kid Zone Adults and kids alike will have more fun if each group has a space to themselves. That way, the adults can get drinks, dance, and mingle after the ceremony while the kids avoid boredom, whining, and meltdowns with games and crafts. Talk to your venue about creating a space for the kids in your party. If you plan an outdoor event, consider setting up a smaller tent off to the side of your main reception area where kids can color, blow bubbles, and play duck duck goose without running under anyone's feet. Plus, if you book a professional babysitter, you don't have to worry much about the kids escaping their corral. Even better, instead of relegating alternating members of the wedding party to kid duty, you can each settle for peeking over at the kids' tent to make sure everyone's having a good time. 3. Plan Around Naptimes Nothing is more terrifying than a nap-deprived toddler - unless it's a nap-deprived toddler at a black-tie, all-day event like a wedding. As tempting as it might be, don't try to rearrange the youngest kids' nap schedule to suit your special day. Instead, call on your professional babysitting help to make sure the kids have a safe place to nap and a person to put them down. 4. Have Kid-Friendly Food Chances are the youngest kids in the wedding party won't love the fancy meal you have catered. In the kid zone or napping room, make sure to have a good stock of food to keep kids happy. Think outside the sugar box: you don't want kids hopped up on sugar gate-crashing the rest of the wedding, though a few small, stain-free treats like marshmallows might be a good idea. Peanut butter sandwiches, crackers, apples, and oranges are all good foods to keep kids from a hunger related meltdown. 5. Work With Your Venue Your venue has had ample time to get used to all sorts of wedding parties, including wedding parties with kids. As you plan your wedding, talk to your venue about how they've handled kids in the past, where kids can play safely, and even what kinds of measures they've seen other couples tackle in the past. Looking for an elegant space for your special day? Chez Shari is here for you. Get in touch today to book your ceremony.