The question that almost every bride faces when drawing up a guest list is whether to plan a wedding with children? And if you plan, what should be taken into account?

Should you also invite the guests' children to the wedding?

Often the invited guests have children , but should they be invited too? Will they not interfere with the celebration and relaxation of their parents and, above all, the new couple?

Usually a couple faces two problems when trying to answer this question for themselves:

1. The young couple does not want children at their wedding, but is afraid to offend the children's parents by asking them to come without children.
2. The young couple does not know what to take care of and how to entertain the children at the wedding so that their parents also have the opportunity to relax.

To invite or not to invite children is your personal decision, so let's consider the nuances of both options - what to do if you decide not to invite children, and how to take care of the children's entertainment and parents' comfort if you decide to hold a wedding with children.

If you don't want to invite children to the wedding

If you don't want children at your wedding, don't be shy about telling your guests. It's your wedding, so it's important to fulfill your wishes first. Parents of children might also like this idea very much, because often parents rarely get to relax alone without their children. And, yes, the parents of children will hardly be able to relax and enjoy your wedding, because children require a lot of attention. The child does not understand that it is a very touching moment when the bride and groom say yes, but he accidentally broke the doll's head and wanted to cry right now.

You can write the information that the wedding is planned without children in the details of the wedding invitation.

Ideas for how to write it in an invitation:

• "So that everyone can enjoy the evening carefree, let's take care of a nanny who will stay at home with the little ones."
• "In order to welcome the morning with dancing and without worries, we invite you to take care of a nanny who will look after the children at home."
• "The wedding celebration will take place near the water, so for safety reasons, please take care of the opportunity to come to the wedding without children."

Ja šādi nevēlaties rakstīt ielūgumā, tad varat ielūguma uzrunā ierakstīt tikai pieaugušo vārdus, un, kad šie viesi sniegs atbildi par savu ierašanos kāzās, tad arī varēsiet precizēt par ballīti bez bērniem, ja viesiem vēl būs neskaidrības par šo jautājumu.

If you are having a wedding with children

If you want to invite small guests to your wedding as well, it is important to think about some details so that the wedding will be pleasant for both you and the children.

• Order the separate menu for children. Most often, young children (up to ~10 years) do not like adult food. They are much better off eating pasta, French fries, nuggets or hot dogs. Make sure children have drinks available throughout the evening, as they may be too shy to go to the bar to ask for juice on their own.
• Think about what the children will be doing during the evening, for example, in a corner of the party hall you can set up a children's corner with games, toys, coloring books, etc.
• If there are many children, it is wise to invite an animator so that the children will also remember this wedding. It can be a master class or simply animators in costumes of well-known cartoon characters.

• If you want the guests who are parents of children to really relax and not rush to look after the children, invite a babysitter to look after the children or propose this idea to the parents of the children.
• If there will be babies at the wedding, specify the availability of highchairs in the restaurant. Schedule each child (who can already sit on their own) to have their own seat at the table, so that parents do not have to hold children on their laps all evening. Depending on the age, it can be a high chair or a regular chair. If the children are closer to the teenage years and there are a lot of them, then these children can be seated at one common children's table, it will be more fun for them.
• If an overnight stay is planned for the wedding, please inform the venue about the availability of cots.

Children at the wedding - free choice of each couple

Most often, whether there will be children at the wedding is determined by the couple's own family situation. If the couple already has children, it is likely that the children of other guests will also be welcome at the wedding. On the other hand, if the couple does not yet have children, and the majority of the guests do not have them, the other guests will also be asked to provide a nanny for their children and come to the wedding without children.

Also, this decision is largely determined by the wedding concept and the place of celebration. There are places of celebration that are less suitable for children, such as the already mentioned example of a wedding by the water. Also, celebrations with dancing until dawn will not be suitable for children, their parents will not be able to enjoy the event, because at some point they will have to go to put the children to bed. On the other hand, if a family wedding is planned in the afternoon in a free style, then you can safely invite children. Whatever your chosen wedding concept and scenario is - with or without the participation of children - inform the guests about it so that there are no misunderstandings and everyone feels comfortable on the wedding day.

Author of the article: Oksana Shpakova / wedding agency Kazu Feja

Photographers: Inta Photography , Maïlys Fortune Photography, Jessica Lynn Films