Family children only at wedding?

[NerdyBird]

We are having a very small wedding as that's all we can afford. I would like to invite some friends but that would possibly mean having 6 extra children which our potential venue couldn't accommodate. We won't have a totally childfree wedding as we have 3 ourselves and my niece. Would it be wrong to do children of family only?

Totally up to you. But remember that people who have children may not be able to, or want to come if they can't bring their children. Alternatively they may be happy to have some time without their children.

Im doing close family children only too, I am totally ok with the fact that friends may not be able to come because they cant get sitters (although they have over a year to find one)

It worked out that I would have more kids than adults at my wedding if I did invite all children x

We only had family children. To be honest I didn't want any kids at our wedding but I had to (reluctantly) compromise

We ended up with 7 children and that was more than enough....

We had no children at all. Lots of our friends have children, they all still came. No one was unhappy.

Just do what works for you!

Yes, I understand if friends couldn't come because of it, I just wouldn't want them to be annoyed if they came without and then discovered there were kids there. One of my friends has 4 kids, so with her husband that's 6 and we are only able to have 50 in total including us. I can see how weddings end up out of control!

I've said this a million times on Mumsnet but, if you have a formal seating plan, please don't sit the people you have said 'no children' to on a table with children. We were invited to a wedding which was family children only (which is fine) - arranged childcare for our DS and were then put on a table with the bride's nieces and nephews - I was not best pleased. .

Good point, but I'd be seating children with their parents I think. Most are young enough to want or need a parent sat by them. My daughter will certainly want to sit next to daddy! It's not going to be terribly formal as neither of us want that.

Absolutely fine to say "sorry, but due to venue size, it's family children only".

We've been invited to child free weddings. Sometimes we can go and sometimes we can't, but we bear no ill will either way.

Yes it is totally fine, no question about it.

It's fine. Been to weddings like that

As long as you absolutely spell it out. We casually said no kids except ours and the night before my friends dd had a pic of her dress for the wedding on instagram. . Didn't have the heart to tell her and ended up with all of her kids there!!
And on every photo peeping out like bloody Wheres Wally!!

We had to limit children at our wedding. We had our nieces/nephews but said we couldn't have children of cousins etc as it would have doubled the guest list! Many of the children are adult or late teens as well, so it would have been too much! Our guests accepted it and they came without dc or apologised that they couldn't come because of childcare etc. They respected it was our decision and we respected their choice to come or not. You have to have a clear rule and don't make exceptions or all hell will break loose!

You don't casually tell people no kids you specify on invitation. Weird approach

Of course you can have 'family children only'.

You would have to be weird if you were a guest complaining about the brides own kids being present.

I need my eyes tested - I thought this was a "female children only at wedding " thread

As you were.

Yes, it's totally normal to have a wedding where family only children are the only children there.

Your wedding, do it how you want. You'll end up offending someone, in some way, with some decision you make. My advice to anyone wedding planning - elope!