Child Free Wedding – Yes or No?
Weddings are one of the most memorable and cherished moments in a couple’s life. The excitement of planning a wedding can be all-consuming.
Once you get the ball rolling, it’s important to remember that it isn’t all fun and games; planning a successful wedding is serious work.
Brace yourself for some cutthroat decisions when coming to terms with budgeting and decision-making.
One of the most controversial decisions you will have to make is whether or not your wedding will be a child- free wedding.
Some Factors to Consider Instead of a Child Free Wedding
Before you send out invitations, you and your fiancé will need to decide if including minors, young children, and infants is something you want to do.
Many factors come into play with this choice.
Will there be a separate menu for them? Will you provide child care?
How will you keep them entertained? Will you be serving alcohol, and how can you ensure no minor is served a drink?
Picky eaters
Children can be some of the most demanding critics when it comes to one crucial detail.
What a child decides to put into their mouth can be a very tricky situation. Smell, color, display, or taste can dissuade a child from eating certain foods. Some children struggle with their food touching while others won’t eat based on the appearance or smell coming from the plate in front of them.
If you decide to include children in your wedding, will you offer a kid’s menu?
Budget wise it may cost you extra to have other more kid-friendly options.
A decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly as hungry children can lead to grumpy children.
Trust me on this one, as a mom of a three-year-old and ten-year-old; you do not want cranky and hungry children at your wedding!
Care provided
Weddings can be a little dry for children as their attention span is not cut out for the intricate details that a wedding includes.
For adults listening to wedding speeches and watching the bride and groom play fun games together is entertaining, but children may get a little antsy.
One solution to consider is hiring a child care service to entertain children with fun activities while the wedding is happening.
A great idea but will most often require an additional space that needs to be purchased.
If it’s not in your budget to hire a team for child care professionals or an extra room where kids can play, you may want to consider crayons and drawing sheets just like in restaurants to keep kids occupied.
After all, if you’re planning on including children, keep in mind that they are your guest too and should have a good time!
Bottoms up
Weddings can get a little crazy, especially when alcohol is involved.
It can be tough to distinguish a teenager from an adult in today’s world by looks alone.
If you plan on serving alcohol or having an open bar, you want to be very cautious about it. I’ve seen weddings where adults have to provide proof of age by showing a license to receive a wristband. To some, this idea may seem tacky.
Do you want to make your wedding guest feel like they are clubbing downtown?
To avoid the hassle and ease the scene, it might be good to limit your reception to adults only.
Conclusion
Deciding to include or exclude children from your wedding may get some negative attention from friends and family.
Ultimately you have to think of the big picture and what experience you want to give your guests. Keep your budget always in the front of your mind and remind yourself that you can only work with what you have.
Your wedding will be one of the most significant events of your life so plan accordingly and remember the most important thing is to have fun!
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Every moment counts,
Cynthia