I am attending three weddings this summer. Two of them are family weddings and one is the wedding for my best friend. Each wedding has it’s own flavor – different colors, settings, dress code, theme, place settings, flowers, size of wedding party, etc. But the one thing they all have in common is kids. Kids will be at each wedding. One wedding has no kids in the ceremony, but they are invited to the wedding and reception. Another has no kids suggested but left it up to the guest/parent. And yet another has kids in the ceremony and they are invited to the reception too.
Rather than get into all of the reasons to have kids or to not have kids in a wedding party, lets talk about the fun stuff – the reception! If you invite the children in your life to your wedding reception, it’s best (according to Emily Post) to create a space for the kids to be kids. If you try to invite them but then treat them like mini adults, neither the kids nor the invited guests/parents will have any fun!
So, here are five fun ways to keep the kids entertained at the wedding reception so that everyone can enjoy the time to celebrate the bride and groom:
1. Have kid appropriate food. And serve it early. Pecan crusted salmon with roasted vegetables sounds great to me, but I am sure that my 4-year-old would think otherwise! If you are having kids at the reception, think about serving things that they would eat like pasta, sandwiches or mini pizzas. Additionally, think about serving it earlier than the seated dinner. Keeping kids from getting “hangry” will go a long way to keep the peace!
2. Build a kid-friendly play area. A safe place for the kids to play where you know that they won’t get hurt is great. Consider making an area with kids games, activities and toys. If you are outside, you could even fence it in and make a “kids zone” sign so that they have ownership of it.
3. Give them space to run/dance/play. Kids will be kids. They need to run around and get out all of that energy. Think about allowing time for them to dance before the adults start so that they don’t get trampled. Or, if space allows take them outside to run around. If the wedding is at night, consider giving them each a jar and taking them out to catch fireflies.
4. Provide a photo booth for them. I don’t know about your kids, but my kids have had a camera in their face since the minute they were born. Love it or hate it, we live in the age of instant gratification. How fun would it be for the kids to have a place to dress up and use props to take some fun pictures?! You might also consider other forms of entertainment like board games, a small bounce house or video games depending on the ages of the kids.
5. Bring a babysitter or two who can take them later in the night to another room for a movie or quiet time. After the kids have eaten and run around a bit, it’s time for the adults to enjoy their time! Having a babysitter on site is a great option. Many hotels offer babysitters who have already been vetted and come highly recommended. You could also bring a sitter that you already know and trust to take the kids home or in another room to have some quiet time away from the party.
You can find more ideas here. I love #4!
Are you going to any weddings with the kids this summer? What other tricks have you used to keep them busy?
