Keeping Kids Busy at a Wedding
Keeping Kids Busy at a Wedding
Kids add so much hilarity to weddings, however, you want to be sure to keep them busy during the right times. It is important to keep in mind the length of your ceremony so the kids do not run out of things to keep them occupied. Although the focus usually goes on keeping the adults happy, open bar, and a good DJ, anyone? your younger guests deserve the same amount of consideration. Whether they are in the bridal party or simply esteemed guests everyone will be happier with these fun ideas for keeping kids busy at a wedding.
The Ceremony
Let’s start with the ceremony. The options you will have available to the kids will differ depending on whether you are having a full-length church ceremony or a quick ceremony at your reception venue.
Full-Length Church Ceremony
If you are having a full-length church ceremony, likely it will last an hour or more. Consequently, kids will need more time-consuming activities. Coloring books and crayons are the perfect quiet time-consuming activity. Luckily you can even buy these at the dollar store, so they are great for your wedding budget! A nice aspect of coloring books & crayons is they are mess-free and easily tailored to the interests of the kids. For example, if you know your niece and nephew are in love with Paw Patrol, coloring pages with those characters will be a hit!
A Quick Reception Venue Ceremony
Obviously with kids, and some adults, a quick ceremony is ideal. In this case, small fidget toys are a great option. Small toys buy you just enough time for the ceremony to be as quiet as possible before the kids’ imaginations get bored. Again, thank you dollar stores. If you are around kids at all, you’ll know fidget toys are all the rage nowadays. Kids will be more than happy getting to keep a fidget toy as a memento from your wedding.
After The Ceremony
You’ve gotten married! Now everyone can let loose a bit. However, don’t forget kids are less patient than adults. There are still plenty of things to keep in mind when trying to keep little ones busy.
Wedding Photos
Once the wedding is over, the next most difficult aspect for kids, specifically kids who are in the bridal party, will be wedding photos. It can be really boring for kids to stand around waiting for it to be their turn. Pro tip: take all photos that will involve the kids first, then let them go run, play, & eat. In the meantime, while they’re waiting for photos to start, have mess-free snacks ready. Think pretzels, goldfish crackers, peanuts, and no snacks that have color, juice, or oil. No one likes being hangry, especially kids who are having to wait. Kids will be much happier, and more cooperative if they’re not hangry during the wedding photos.
During the Reception
Yay! You’ve made it through the wedding ceremony, through photos, & now it’s time to party! The easiest idea to keep kids occupied during dinner is more ness-free (crayons) coloring. Similarly, quiet activities that keep kids still so their parents can eat, or during speeches are important. Quiet, open-ended toys are great for kids when they need to take up some time. Kids love making things out of nothing, so everything from tape, to beads, to pipe cleaners, to pompoms is right up their alley. Odds are you’ll be amazed at the quiet busyness of the kids’ table! If the venue has paper table cloths available, that is the easiest way to incorporate a coloring option as well.
Are you having a photo booth at the wedding reception? If not, you should definitely consider it! Adults and kids alike love taking silly photos with all the props. Similarly, another fun momento would be for the kids to make their own photo booth prop, think mask, or crown. You can easily find cutout templates off google images to tailor this to boys and girls alike.
Did you have kids at your wedding? Are you going to? How did you keep them occupied? We’d love to see it! Submit your kid-friendly wedding to hello@chicagoweddingblog.com. For more wedding planning advice and inspiration, check out more Chicago Wedding Blog posts below. Happy Planning!