Children at Your Wedding Reception? How to Make it Fun and Memorable

There is nothing better than watching your wedding video months later and seeing children dancing and laughing it up at your reception. However, the reason many couples choose to not invite children to the wedding is because often those children are not supervised well by partying parents. So, how can you plan your wedding reception so that the kids and parents can both have a lot of fun?

Hire a Babysitter

Hire one or two teenagers to watch the children at the wedding. Make it their job to keep the kids from getting into too much trouble. This way the parents can dance and eat without worrying too much. It also allows you to keep the children away from decor or entertainment that could be dangerous or inappropriate.

Have a Children's Only Area

Keep an area designated for the kids. Often there are hotels or reception halls that can partition off specific areas for the children that are at your reception. If you start planning your wedding early enough, you may find that there is enough space.

Make a Kid-Only Fun Table

While you may find that parents want their children to sit with them at dinner, you will still need a fun spot for the kids after all the food is eaten. Have a table set up with kid friendly games and toys so that the children can remain entertained throughout the evening. While some kids like to dance and run around, others will prefer a simple game or a coloring book with crayons. Be warned, though, that some of those young-at-heart guests may wonder why they don't get the fun toys at their tables.

Vary Your Entertainment

If you are planning a wedding that includes children, understand that they get bored fairly easily. This means you may want to vary the types of entertainment you have at the wedding. Doing your toasts, videos, and speeches together may mean guests have to sit still for up to a half hour. Children often have a hard time with these long, quiet periods. Try to vary your toasts with dancing and other entertainment.

The more effort you put into planning your wedding with children, the better the experience will be for everyone involved. Then, you will truly be able to enjoy the fun and laughter on those wedding videos when you return from your honeymoon.