First post in years! We are looking to have a small wedding with just immediate family. The guest list would comprise 11 adults and 10 kids including our 3 DD's. The kids comprise four aged 3-7 and 6 aged 12-15.
We are looking to get married in either November or February (short notice due to my Dad's failing health). It will likely be a registry office ceremony. We were initially thinking we would hire a private room in a nice pub/restaurant for afterwards but the more I think about it, the more stressful it sounds because of the kids! The younger ones will get bored and four of the older ones have ADHD, Autism or both which means they will also struggle in various ways. I feel it would be more the adults trying to "manage" the DC rather than getting to spend some quality time together.
The other option we are considering is renting a cottage for the weekend. I have found a lovely one which would comfortably accommodate us all and we could get caterers in for a hot buffet after the wedding (or we can get an Asda delivery). There are plenty of bedrooms, sitting rooms, games room and general space. Younger kiddies can be put to bed without worry when needed and older kids will be able to please themselves with how/when they join in with the adults who will be able to spend some quality time together... BUT it's £3.2k for this luxury! That's before we've even looked at wedding fees, outfits, rings, catering and all the other stuff I've not even thought about 😫We can just about afford it, but it's not what I had envisaged budget-wise. Is it worth it for the more relaxed experience? Or if we went for the nice meal option, how could we make it potentially less stressful/"entertain" the DC?