Family-Friendly Wedding

Determining whether or not to have kids at your wedding can be a heated debate for many couples, but assuming you decide to extend an invite to pint-sized guests, here are a few tips to ensure a fun, family-friendly day for everyone…

Special Seating: When deciding the seating chart for the reception, pay special consideration to the families that have kids. Offer special tables strictly for kids, or group families together so the parents can talk while the kids interact with one another. Guests with small children may appreciate a table near the exit or the restrooms, but you never want anyone at your wedding to feel snubbed or slighted in any way so make sure that families still feel apart of the fun.

Kid Menu: Providing a kid’s menu at the reception is a great way to please parents and save a little dough. Since kids are often picky eaters, consider offering a special meal just for them with kid-friendly fare like chicken tenders or grilled cheese. Often, your caterer will not only be happy to provide age-appropriate food, it can save you money since it’s less expensive to prepare and less of it will be consumed.

Goodie Bags: Pass out goodie bags to children instead of wedding favors. Load a gift bag with fun games, activities, and crafts to keep kids entertained during the reception. Head over to the local dollar store or craft shop to stock up on coloring books, markers/crayons, puzzles, bead sets, or other fun toys and games. Go the extra mile and create gender- or age-specific bags awaiting each guest at their seat.

Childcare: Alleviate the stress of having kids running through your reception hall by offering a childcare room. If the venue allows it, book an additional room and hire a couple teens or college students to babysit for the evening. Parents will love being able to party with you while knowing their kids are being safely taken care of nearby.

Entertainment: Create a kid-friendly corner, or chaperoned room, full of entertainment for the children. For younger kids, set up a TV showing cartoons or create an arts-and-crafts station. Older kids will love wasting the night away at a video game station or playing board games.