Five Ways to Include Children at the Wedding

There are many ways children can be included in the wedding. They can be ring bearers, flower girls or they can be assigned a task such as serving cake or standing at the guest sign in book. This article will offer some tips to help your wedding run smoothly and to help make the experience a positive one for the child as well as the adults.

Give Age Appropriate Roles

When including a child in your wedding understand that he may not be capable of performing a particular role because of his age. Even if he understands the instructions he can't be depended on to complete his assignment if he is very young. Try to choose a ring bearer and flower girl who are over the age of four and while the adult participants may only need to run through their part once, allow extra time for the child to practice their part several times. A shy child may need to have a parent assist him in his tasks to that they don't get "stage fright" in the middle of the wedding. Keep a light hearted attitude about the child's responsibilities. It is very possible that he or she will totally forget what was practiced. If the child makes mistakes don't let it cause stress and irritation. The guests will enjoy the bloopers and you can too. This is part of the charm of including children in your wedding.

Make it Fun for the Child

If you choose to invite a child to be in your wedding celebration try to make the experience a positive one for the child. By asking the child several weeks before the wedding he or she will have time for the excitement to build. They will talk about it with their parents and tell all their friends about it. Let them go shopping and pick out their outfit so that they will be comfortable in what they are wearing. All this gives the child the sense that his opinion is valuable and heard.

Photographs

Another tip to consider when including children in your wedding would be to have the photographer take any pictures that will include the children early in the photography session.  While it is true that many children enjoy having their picture taking, they may grow impatient and irritable if they have to wait a long time to have their photos taken.  Additionally, children are not used to standing still for a long time and will soon be running around messing up their carefully put together wedding look.

If the parents of the child are not in the wedding party you may want to ask one of the bridesmaids to assume responsibility for the child before the wedding as well as during the wedding and the photography session. That will free the parents to enjoy the wedding and the cocktail hour.  You might want to supply the bridesmaid with a small bag containing snacks and toys that will be helpful in keeping the child happy during times that may seem boring to them. 

If you have several children in your family and want to include all of them one useful tip is to give each child a particular job.  You may not be able to include all of your young friends or relatives as ring bearers or flower girls but you can give them each a task such as handing out wedding programs or bags of birdseed or placing the favors on the table at the reception.  The children will feel special and you get to include them without adding length to the ceremony.
 
When including children in a wedding, the most important factor to remember is that they may not do everything perfectly. You shouldn't’t get upset with them. Instead enjoy the fun that they bring to the wedding with their playful spirit and charm. Including children in your wedding can be fun but there are some proactive steps that can be taken to help everyone enjoy a positive experience.  Following the tips in this article will help the children feel excited to participate in your wedding and that they are well prepared to do so.