How to Make Your Children a Part of Your Wedding

Whether you have children of your own or there are a lot of children in your extended family, there’s plenty of ways to get them involved. Keeping them entertained is important, but so is making the day special for them. Having children play a special role in your wedding will add that extra cute factor to your already radiant day.







Dressing the Flower Girls and Ring Bearers

With much smaller children, don’t get the dresses made until around 2/3 months beforehand. Children younger than five will grow quickly, so having a dress designed too early means it may not fit them on the big day.
Make sure what you are dressing them in is comfortable. Older bridesmaids may be able to manage a tight dress for one day, but children tend to fidget and complain easier. Try dresses for the Flower Girls that have a skirt made of light material, so it doesn’t restrict movement. For the Ring Bearers, we suggest trousers that pull up easily and a loose shirt. You can tuck the shirt in and accessorise with a bow tie and braces to match the colour scheme.

During the ceremony

A long ceremony can leave children restless. We’re not suggesting you cut your ceremony short for them, but make sure that there is something to keep them occupied. Allow them to walk down the aisle on their own and be the centre of attention before the bride makes her big entrance. They’ll not only feel special, but make your wedding feel much more personal.
After the official marrying has been done, you can take part in a family unity ceremony. These are done in many forms, such as the pouring of sand into a bottle. It not only makes a great decoration with memories of the wedding, but symbolises the unity of your family in the marriage. Tokens, necklaces, or even rings can also be presented to your children to include them in the blending of families.

During the speeches

Whilst your guests are drinking champagne and laughing at all the in-jokes, the kids can sometimes get a little rowdy. This may be because they feel tired or hungry. To solve this, with all the kids on their own table, present them with a giant chocolate chip cookie and milk instead of champagne. They can satisfy their hunger without spoiling their dinner and it makes them feel included with their champagne flutes of milk.

During the reception

Wedding bands and DJ’s are family friendly, so no worries about asking them to withhold on the best songs until all the children go home. The classic songs with set dance moves are usually the best for getting children involved as well as the adults. ‘Macarena’, ‘Time Warp’ and even the ‘Cha Cha Slide’ are great for getting the party started. Play some of these earlier on in the reception, so when the children get tired, they don’t feel like they’re missing out.
If you have a lot of children, consider hiring an entertainer or have a separate room set up for small activities, such as colouring, arts and crafts, or storytelling.
Inviting children to your wedding should bring joy and youth to your wedding and make it much more special. You don’t need to go all out to make sure that they are entertained, but it helps to take precautions so that they don’t get bored.

Try the bride heaven website, to get some great ideas for a great wedding. Weddings tend to take all day and can feel long for a child, but hopefully the atmosphere and party will keep them as bright and happy as the bride and groom.


Beth O'Brien is a student from Bournemouth University. She is passionate about fashion and style, and believes that everyone should be well prepared!