Should I Have Kids at My Wedding?
If you’re setting up your guest list and figuring out how many people you can afford to invite to your wedding, you might be wondering if you should have kids at your wedding.
Additionally, you might be worried about kids making a scene or causing problems at your ceremony or reception, putting a damper on your day.
Children are always looking for fun and it’s not uncommon for them to get antsy and anxious when they are bored. Weddings can be boring times for them, which makes it a great opportunity for them to get into trouble.
Addressing Children on Wedding Invitations
The sad reality is that more and more brides and grooms do not like the idea that children will be coming to their weddings. This is largely due to undisciplined children who are allowed to fun around and cause issues.
Just the thought of crying children and kids running around makes many brides anxious. Or, the thought of how much additional money it will cost to feed and entertain children could be overwhelming.
Wedding etiquette books suggest that the best way to exclude children from your wedding is to mention it in the invitations.
Brides and grooms who do not want kids at their wedding can do one of two things (or both:
do not mention kids’ names in the invites, and/or
spread the word that children are not invited to the wedding
Some of your guests might have a difficult time understanding why you are not inviting children. You may need to be straight forward with them and explain that you cannot afford to invite everyone’s children. Let them know that you are having an “adult-only reception”.
Another tactic to exclude children in wedding invitations is to mention the number of seats reserved for a particular guest. Here is an example of what your wedding invitation might say.
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are reserved two seats at the reception.
That means, that Mr. and Mrs. Johnson’s five kids do not have places at the wedding reception.
Simply fill out the total number of guests you have reserved seats for. Your guest will fill in the first number. View at Amazon.
Wedding Etiquette for Guests with Children
For parents, if the wedding invitation does not mention whether children are invited to the wedding or not, then it is safe to assume that you can bring your children.
However, please keep your children behaved and respectful during the event. You wouldn’t want to cause a scene at your friend or loved one’s wedding because your kid started misbehaving or threw a tantrum.
It might be better to leave your kids at home if you anticipate that they will not behave.
