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Original poster

Wedding with lots of children - how do we do it?

25 replies

Lastyearsmodel · 02/10/2011 22:15

So, DP has (re)proposed and we should really get on with it. I know how I would have liked to get married 15 years ago when we had no DCs but now we have 3 under 6 and most of our friends have at least 2 (ages ranging from babies to late teens).

SO how do we do this? Evening receptions will be too late for little ones. Do we just have a day time wedding? Will it feel a bit flat going home in the early evening instead of partying into the night?

I just can't think how it could work. We want a fairly informal day and lots of friends will be travelling and so will need to stay over.

Has anyone been to or had a lovely wedding full of kids that you could tell me about? TIA

OP posts:

melodyangel · 03/10/2011 10:50

Congratulations!

We had a lovely daytime wedding with lots of kids ranging from little ones to teens. About a third of the guests were under 18.

We hired the local nursery school's garden and put up a Marquee. Then had a huge setted picnic and the kids could just run around all day. We hardly saw them. The teenagers were used to serve the campagne and to help out and I had a big box of toys for the little ones. We were really lucky through as it was a lovely sunny day. I had colouring bits, paper for paper aeroplanes and bits like that for if it was rainy.

We didn't want a huge party just a lovely relaxed day together. Every one who wanted to came back to ours after. We were hoping to go to the park or beach in the evening for a big game of frisbee but we were all knackered so we all sat and watched Dr Who!

It was a lor=t of work but I found so many place just weren't that child friendly, lots of rules, no space for the kids to run around food and drink not easily available as and when stuff like that and I hate having to go to events and spend the whole day micro managing the kids.

Good luck with your day!

welliesandpyjamas · 03/10/2011 10:52

Wouldn't it be fab if you could hire out a children's play centre! Fun for all!

snailoon · 03/10/2011 10:53

Melody
Your wedding sounds absolutely fantastic.

munstersmum · 03/10/2011 10:55

Get married mid afternoon, provide food around 6pm, have disco but make sure venue will let you have bouncy castle either in adjoining 'ballroom' or in garden. Tell everyone will finish at 10pm.

chocolatchaud · 03/10/2011 10:57

Don't know how much your budget is, but I think there are those mobile creche buses that go to events like weddings. They could be extortionate though!

Hire an entertainer during the day to keep them occupied?

I find children keep going in these situations, and the really little ones can fall asleep in prams.
Congratulations!

melodyangel · 03/10/2011 10:57

Thank you it was so much fun but, as every one says, it went far too quickly!

dinkystinky · 03/10/2011 10:58

my sister had a fab wedding with lots of kids on her DH's parent's farm - started mid afternoon (3pm) - there were games and a bouncy castle for kids who were encouraged to dress up, nibbles and kids food as a buffet so they could help themselves when hungry then music. Adults partied till kids were tired then went home - non-kid restricted adults carried on partying till 5 the next morning!

SurprisEs · 03/10/2011 11:05

Congratulations!!!

This all the depends on venue and budget but a safe play area is a must. The adults can enjoy themselves without fussing over the kids. I wouldnt finish after 10, the kids will be going wild by that time.

We looked into having someone entertaining the kids for a while too. Didn't go for it in te end because it wasn't within budget but a 2 hours slot with a 'magician clown type of person would have been good for the kids. And you can choose wether you want this to be at a specific time slot (speeches for example, kids hate those).

And why not a goody bag for the kids instead of favours? Crayons and little stuff to keep them at the table during the meal would be the sort of thig I'd put inside it.

Have a great day!

Thebonkers · 03/10/2011 11:05

I used a mobile creche company and used a room in the venue for them. The kids had a fabby day so did all the parents as their children were being looked after but were at the venue and actually did quite a bit of popping in and out during the dancing ( we had a celidh)

Thebonkers · 03/10/2011 11:07

Mobile creche made a little sleeping corner for little ones and had age appropriate activities - also fed the kids and supervised that.

Whilst we were childless at the time all our family who brought the kids were really happy with it and were delighted they were able to enjoy the wedding and party as well.

gotobedsleepyhead · 03/10/2011 14:00

Hope you don't mind me asking how much (ball park) was the mobile crèche? We may be in a similar situation so I am also trying to think of things to entertain small children.

Congratulations OP!!

What about a craft table? And ask teenagers to supervise?

Original poster

Lastyearsmodel · 03/10/2011 14:39

Thanks all - they are good ideas. Munster your timings sound good. It's all helping to get it straight in my head.

I think, actually, I'm quite scared by the whole idea. Need to go and look at some venues too.

OP posts:

RoseC · 04/10/2011 18:52

The most child-friendly wedding I ever worked at had, admittedly, thrown a lot of money at the situation but there were several things that could be done relatively cheaply.

Children had a much more simple menu and were sat at a separate table (they'd hired three childminders for the whole day - that's the expensive bit!) with cheap colourful plastic plates and cups (no breakages). Finger food meant no cutlery - adults menu was hog roast with all the trimmings, they had a roll filled with pig & a little lunch box on the table (already there when they came back from church in case they were hungry) with fruit, crisps etc. They all had a little activity bag - could be done cheaply with print-outs/a few pencils inside/small toys from Hawkin's Bazaar. Most weddings we worked at had some kind of activity bag for the children - v useful during the photos/hanging around at the beginning and the speeches.

The solution for the evening (and the speeches) was the couple hiring an on-site holiday cottage and letting the childminders take them over there. A cheaper solution would be an adjacent room in the hotel/village hall and have a whip-round for bean bags etc. from home. You could also look into hiring a childminding service just for the evening or seeing if parents want to do shifts - perhaps pop a note in the invitations with your proposed plan and see if you get any volunteers (bribe them with a drink from the bar for afterwards?).

They had also bought cheap garden toys to keep them amused during the drinks reception and - cutest bit - to keep them entertained during the end of dinner & speeches the childminders had taught them a dance in the cottage, which they performed for everyone before the first dance.

redexpat · 04/10/2011 23:21

Depending on the venue - if you have the reception at a hotel they usually have conference facilities. Could you maybe screen a movie in the evening?

We had all kids at one table and activity packs from www.allaboutpartybags.co.uk/

TheHandThatRocksTheCradle · 04/10/2011 23:39

My friends had lovely child friendly wedding, there were 2 marquees, one was full of child friendly things - all their garden toys, an art/craft table and a big box of dressing up gear. Can all be done very cheaply with stuff from car boot sales if you don't have a huge budget. They also hired a bouncy castle.

Most people camped there and the kids ran around til they passed out, loads of co-operation between the adults meant most people got to spend a reasonable time partying and someone was there to hear if any of the kids woke up. Because the festivities started at lunchtime most of the parents were ready to flake out around the same time as the children anyway!

They were lucky that the field belonged to a relative so they didn't have to pay for that, and they discovered it was cheaper to buy than hire marquees, I think they might even have made a profit when they sold them on.

daenerysstormborn · 04/10/2011 23:58

when my brother got married last year there were lots of kids there. my mum did party bags for them all which were put at their place settings for the meal with colouring books, stickers, some toys in each. while the speeches were going on there was literally a row of kids on the floor all drawing and colouring in, not to everyone's tastes to have that i know but it kept them all quiet. then the evening do started off with the dj doing over an hour of kids games with them all. all the kids just stayed up till they dropped.

LizaTarbucksNonSmokingAuntie · 17/10/2011 12:38

we did a kids tent, lots of space for them to run about and play. We did party bags with sandwiches juice fruit in, we had a balloon race and we had childminders there from 6 til about 10 (we figured that people could watch them up to the meal) and then they all went off for games and activities.

Our wedding started at 3.30 and finished about 10.30

It was brill but all our friends brought their kids and said waht a wonderfully relaxing time they'd all had.

I think space is key (probably easier in the summer of course)

How about a film showing?

Oh and littlemad our DS drew pictures of his family which went in the back of the orders of service (like those tea towels you buy from school with the pics of the class on) - maybe you could do something in the back with a colouring page or something for during the ceremony?

VenetiaLanyon · 18/10/2011 16:38

Congrats! We're in the same boat, and planning to limit a potential 100 kids to just about 20-30 (family, godchildren plus siblings, and babes in arms)

Plan is for children to be with parents at service and reception, during which they'll be an entertainer.

Kids will then eat separately in creche run by wedding creche company, and will be entertained in the creche afterwards with games, art and craft, dvds, vid games etc. Will have separate room with sleeping bags too.

Plan is therefore to have an adult-only evening from 6ish. Clearly the little blighters will probably escape, but that's the plan [hgrin]

MamaMaiasaura · 18/10/2011 16:45

Got married just over 6 weeks ago and we hired BBQ at lovely country park. Had hogroast with all catering sorted including sausages and burgers etc for kids. Decorated with ribbons and balloons and covered picnic tables . Had lots of bottles of bubbles and games like rounders etc. There was a play park there, the beach, woods and large green. Everyone had lots of fun and friends said it was best reception they'd been too especially as so lovely with all the kids. We also had separate day for party as we got married day before with close/immediate family followed by a lovely meal.

eaglewings · 18/10/2011 16:53

Ours was similar to the weddings mentioned. Dd was 11 and fitted with normal plans but with so many guests with young kids we had

3 pm wedding with creche for under 5's at back of church

Reception for everyone with just nibbles cake and fizz with party for under 12's in another room (staff from nursery nurse training college and students ran both)

Separate eve reception for adults and dd for less than a third of the original number of guests. One couple had their bf baby, others we found baby sitters for

Moomoomie · 18/10/2011 17:01

Many years ago when a colleague got married I organised a party for all the children while the wedding breakfast was going on, so the children were invited to the wedding but did not have to sit with their parents during the boring part.
We were in a different room that had a garden area.
All the parents loved it and the children enjoyed themselves too.

BramblyHedge · 30/10/2011 19:40

I am in the same situation, 14 years and 3 kids under 6! We are doing afternoon tea for everyone and then supper out with parents, siblings and our kids. Will take dvd and have a private dining room so they can get cosy if need be.

My brother got married this year and had 20 kids there. I did party bags for him with mini lego kits, ikea cuddlies, colouring, braclet kits etc. they went down really well. Also took tubs of duplo and brio. My boys, 3 and 5 were still partying at 11 and had to be dragged off the dancefloor!

Rooble · 30/10/2011 19:50

We hired a youth hostel and had a wedding over a weekend. Hired three nannies for the reception - nannies provided some play stuff during the day fir v small chikdren, families put the children to bed when they wanted to and the nannies patrolled the rooms/listened into baby monitors.
It was v v relaxed and everyone seemed happy. Obviously we had exclusive use of the hostel, so no random weird people wandering the place.....
Our big focus for the wedding was that it should be as happy and relaxed as possible.
(sorry fir typos, am on phone)

Rooble · 30/10/2011 19:57

Actually forgot to mention - the hostel has a wedding licence, so the e tire event took place in there. Lots of outdoor space, we organised activities for part of the non-wedding time, or left people free to explore the area. It was brill (though I say so myself)

crazykat · 30/10/2011 20:59

We went to my uncle's wedding in the summer and our kids (3,2 6months) loved it. The wedding was at 1, followed by a recption in a hotel. Kids sat with parents but had a kid-friendly meal. The dj for the evening reception did some entertainment for the kids for the first hour or so and then it was just a traditional disco. The reception lasted all night but we stayed just until the kids were too tired (about 10pm) and went back to our hotel, as did others with kids. We all had a great time and the kids are still talking about it.

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