What to do at wedding?

[disneydisneyy]

So me and my fiance have a small wedding booked. The legal ceremony at 5pm then a party

we have a 2.5 yo and 6mo (baby will be 9mo at wedding and toddler nearly 3)

so we have had it booked before we found out about DS2 haha! I’m not too worried about our youngest as some basic baby toys the music and ear defenders will be okay for him and there’s a quiet spot he can be in his peak with ear defenders when he needs to sleep

we said we’d have DS have a later nap/ bit longer so he could stay up! However I’m worried he’ll be bored at the party ? There will be food but he doesn’t care greatly for music (apart from kids music like wheels on the bus£ but he doesn’t majorly dance he sings a little and does a little jig now and then

so I’m worried he’ll get bored and upset. He can be a bit upset in new places anyway usually peoples houses he’s okay with outdoors and public places but people he doesn’t really know can unsettle him (we have some family he’s not really seen who will attend)

i mean things change monthly at the minute it feels ! In a good way so he could be past his nervous phase then

but how can I help him? What can I do for him at the party? What have you done with your kids etc

we booked it and I don’t know why I mean he was young at the time and he’s our first so I wouldn’t have known I just thought the party would be enough type of thing but now I’m thinking will he be bored

He's more likely to be overwhelmed than bored, I suspect. Are there grandparents or other close family members he feels comfortable with?

Are you staying over at the same venue? Or do you just have the venue for the evening?

Have you looked into activity packs? My sister had some at her wedding for the little ones, they could either be personalised or even the crayola colouring packs you can get from B&M themed with characters (Disney, bluey, etc). Might be worth a wee look, even to occupy him for an hour or two!

So it’s a bar/restaurant but there are hotels on the road which well have a room at

i said I’d leave early if needs be but everyone finds rhat shocking and says I’m the bride. But I am getting married after having kids so my priorities different ! If I need to take him I will

he is close with my side! Sometimes when he’s very overhwmeld tho he only wants me and no one else

and perfect thank you’ll ill definitely get it sorted for him as that should help with some time for him! There’ll be food too and he’ll probably enjoy some music and being on the dance floor a little

Get a babysitter to look after him for the whole event, take him back to the room when he’s had enough and put him to bed.

A small child doesn’t need to be there the whole time and I agree that it would be a bit off for a bride to leave her own wedding party!

I mean I get this about the bride but we don’t have anyone who can do it the grandparents won’t so I won’t want to have him upset just to keep him there

As @Mandarinaduck says: get a sitter who can take him away when he gets bored/tired whatever.
Not the same but at my father's funeral my kids (3&4) attended the funeral but I had someone take them home for the reception at a hotel. They would have been bored, I was busy and it was a relief to know I didn't have to worry about them the whole time.

My son is getting married next month. He and his fiancée have a two year old so similar issues. There will be toys for her and the plan is to see how she goes, but if she needs to crash or go back to the room, the family will take turns ito sit with her in 30 minute shifts so nobody has to miss the whole party!

We got married when my son was one. He left after dinner , my husband took him home and put him to bed and we had hired a babysitter so that my husband could come back to the party.

We had two year old ds at our wedding. We hired a babysitter during the service/meal. In the evening family helped but he was exhausted and wanted to go bed by 8pm! So my sister, ils and my parents all did thirty min slots in hotel room while he slept.

Only a few things

1. he really only wants me sometime. So if I did the plan of popping him to bed then a babysitter waiting. He’d lose his mind if he woke and saw it wasn’t me there lol and when he wakes it’s only me who can settle him
2. I’d like first hand recommendation if I were to use one but I don’t know anyone who has
3. he wouldn’t leave the party with one

im starting to reconsider the party overall tbh I’m really worried

Does he got to nursery? If yes it's worth asking if any of the nursery staff would come and look after him, paid obviously

A couple of weddings I've been to lately have had very small rented soft play type setups. Specifically for toddlers. Very small ball pool and other items that fitted into a corner of the room.

Have you thought of changing the format of the day so you have a midday ceremony and then a long lunch? Having been to a wedding where the bride had a 2 year old I can confirm that small children do not want to be away from their mothers, even if there is a great babysitter near by! Small children do not respect beautiful white dresses either...!

If it's too late to change the time of the ceremony (and it could be depending on availability of the registrar etc), could you have a lunchtime/ afternoon party, ceremony at 5 with photos and cake, then finish at 7?
My 20 month old only wants me at bedtime at the moment so I sympathise, it's not really as easy as getting a babysitter. It's all a phase, but we never know how long these phases will last!

He will enjoy the company of other kids and follow them.
Pack food for him that do not contain high sugar- have food he eats and recognises.
Have some grandparents over to visit regularly so that them reading him a story, colouring in or drawing with him won't be odd. There will be times when you need to be The Bride.

Have a back pack with everything from food to nappies, books, toys so that a couple of grandparents can try to entertain him for a while. Pack a blanket incase he goes to sleep. As a last resort you could pack a screen with some Bluey episodes.

Thanks everyone. I will maybe ask nursery this sounds good? As he is comfortable with the staff there

i feel silly for booking it now I just didn’t know he’d be overwhelmed and nervous if thag makes sense I booked it time ago. And again in 2.5 months or so he could change and grow out of this phase and I’ve worried for nothing

just want to plan in case he is still overwhelmed easy

It's quite common for nursery staff to do babysitting in the evenings /weekends and they're often grateful for the cash. I'd definitely ask - you could go down to the hotel, meet them there and put him to bed together then he's had you for comfort and knows who will be there if he wakes up.