8 Tips to plan a child-friendly wedding

There is an infinite way of celebrating your wedding, and among other decisions involved in planning a wedding, every couple needs to decide whether they are having a child-friendly wedding or not. If kids are welcome at your wedding, read on. As we all know, the main challenge in keeping kids content (as in not causing trouble) is keeping them entertained. Here are some ideas that you might find helpful.

1. Set up a kid’s area

A child-friendly wedding might mean that there will be kids who don’t yet know each other. The best way to make them interact with each other is to set up an area dedicated to kids. This could include:

• Showing kids’ films on a big screen (this screen could be used to play a cute video of the newlyweds journey together, etc later on)
• Board games
• Lawn games
• Bouncy castle
• Teepees or other hideaways
• Lego station
• Pinata
• Dress up and kids photo booth
• Play fort (pillows and cushions)
• Water buckets with floating ducks and other toys

2. Hire a wedding nanny, a childminder or a creche service

Yes, wedding nannies exist! A child-friendly wedding means that the kids at your wedding are not only entertained but also safe. If you have more than just a few children attending your wedding, it might be a good idea to call in the pros to supervise them, so you can rest assured that they will be safe while having a blast. This also ensures that the parents can be more relaxed and enjoy themselves. Another option would be to ask for help from your friends and family, who could take turns supervising the kids.

3. Give each child an activity pack 

This is an easy and affordable way to keep the kids entertained at your wedding. You can create the activity packs yourself and they could include colouring pictures (you can find free ones online and print them out) and pencils, kids puzzles, paper for drawing, stickers, playdough, bubble blowing kit, etc. 

4. Give them jobs to do

Having a role in the wedding is such an honour, even for kids! Depending on their age, of course, the children at your wedding can be flower girls or page boys, in charge of handing out the order of service or any props needed, etc. Older kids could usher people to their seats. There are plenty of ways to include kids in your wedding, and no role is too small to give them a sense of purpose.

5. Hire an entertainer

One way to make sure your child-friendly wedding goes off without a hitch is to hire some entertainment. This could be a magician, face painter, storyteller, petting zoo, balloonist, etc. 

6. Have a separate kids’ menu 

As kids can be quite picky about what they eat, make sure you have several options for them on the menu. A child-friendly wedding means child-friendly food.  You could set up a “kids only” finger food buffet with pizza, mini sandwiches, fruit, berries, arancini, mini cheeseburger sliders, you name it. This will make things way easier for the parents at lunch/dinner. Another option could be to hand the kids their very own picnic baskets that they can graze on throughout the day. Remember to include mocktails on the menu that the kids can enjoy too. 

7. Set up an arts and crafts corner

The sky's the limit when creating a corner for kids to be creative. Set up an art competition. Whoever comes up with the most amazing mixed media piece of art of the newlyweds or the most beautiful congratulations card wins a goodie bag.

8. Organise a scavenger hunt

This is my favourite! Hide something (small figurines, cards, puzzle pieces, etc.) around your reception area and give the kids a list of them to look out for throughout the day and evening. When they find one, they can take it to a dedicated scavenger hunt manager, who then gives them a little gift.

It’s absolutely okay to not allow children at your wedding. As we can see, it is an extra effort to make sure everything goes smoothly with kids on your wedding day. But if you decide to have a child-friendly wedding and welcome kids to celebrate with you, I hope that you have found these tips helpful.

Miina

xx

Images: Victoria Mitchell Photography

Venue: Bunkers Barn

Stylist: Pink Peony Wedding