I love kids. I love kids in weddings. I love the unpredictable nature of kids in weddings. But I'm also a mom. And here is my mom advice.
When you first get engaged and you are picking out your wedding party, a lot of times you will have beautiful nieces and nephews that you want to be included. Sometimes they are a bit young, but even if they cry all the way down the aisle, they still are cute. And you have to include them. Completely understandable! But we need to make a plan for their day.
Photo courtesy of Dee Moore Photography
We all know a wedding day is a long day. Sometimes the wedding party is arriving at the church 5 or 6 hours before the ceremony time for getting ready and pictures and things. It is necessary for this extra time as there is so much to be done before the ceremony starts. But it is so hard on the kids and their moms. Especially if mom and dad are both in the wedding party. What about if the go-to grandparent is your parent too and is in the wedding party. There is no one that can deal with the kids. Can you imagine your mom, in her beautiful dress that is not meant to be bending down and picking up kids, trying to bend down and soothe her grandbaby... It is stressful. And it is your wedding day, you don't want anymore stress!
That is what this really is about - the stress level and how it can be helped. This is not about not having kids in the wedding (I want to make sure that you understand my point here). It is about preparation.
During a long day at one of our weddings a few years ago, the family was prepared. It was a large family with lots of nieces and nephews and everyone (even the parents) were included in the wedding party. They came prepared with 4 babysitters for the day. It was awesome!
The babysitters arrived at the church with Happy Meals for all of the kids (because remember the finger foods you and your bridesmaids might be enjoying, might not appeal to the little ones). And if the poor kids can't have a nap on such a long day, can't they at least have something to eat that they like??? These babysitters were also playmates that didn't have to worry about getting dressed with makeup on to take lots of photos!!
And don't forget a wedding ceremony can be extremely long for a little one. I love the trend of letting the littles walk down the aisle and go directly to sit down with a loved one. It is the best of both worlds.
You don't want your sister to have to juggle hold her child while wanting to celebrate with you on your wedding day. Plan ahead! Thank goodness for the babysitters!! It allowed for a stress free day for everyone.