Guest lists; as if sorting your invitation list wasn’t hard enough, many couples are faced with the challenge of telling their friends that their children aren’t invited to their wedding
It’s your day and you have every right to plan it according to your own likings, but not inviting children to weddings continues to plague the planning for many. So, how do you keep kids away in an agreeable way?
AGE MATTERS
When you decide not to invite children, it’s worth defining exactly what that means to you. Does it include babies who are harder to leave for a weekend? Are teenagers still on the guest list? Will children be welcome for any celebrations the next day, after the wedding itself has finished? If some kids are welcome for some parts of the day, use these 10 ways to keep children happy and entertained at your wedding.
ONE SIZE FITS ALL
The key to an amicable guest list is also to make one rule and stick to it. So, if you’re not inviting children, however you’ve defined them, don’t invite any. At all. Even if your best friend begs, don’t be tempted to say yes to some and not others, or be prepared to face some fed up parents!
CRYSTAL CLEAR
Preferring not to have any little ones present at your wedding is an entirely reasonable choice if it’s what you as a couple would prefer. You can help your guests to feel the same way by actually sharing reasons why, even if you don’t disclose all of them. You could put it down to having a smaller wedding, a venue that isn’t child friendly, or simply personal preference – whatever you’re most comfortable with.
SILVER LININGS
Guests will have to plan alternative care for their children to be able to attend, so show them the benefits of this. Let them know what a brilliant day is in store for them (just think of all the fantastic eating, drinking and dancing to be done that childcare commitments often prevent them from enjoying!). Your childfree wedding is a chance for them to relax without needing to worry about anyone but themselves. An invitation I received a few months ago did exactly this, encouraging parents to book a sitter and dust off their dancing shoes – and it worked!
ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENTS
If you’re worried it will mean lots of guests can’t attend, you could ask if your venue offers a nursery, kids club or child minding service that guests could book their children into while they celebrate with you. They could bring them along for the weekend and then just leave them during the wedding itself, giving you all the best of both worlds.
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