Whether you have your own kids or not, if you’re engulfed in the wedding planning process, this is a question worth considering: should you invite kids to your wedding? It’s a tough one for sure, as the presence of kids at your wedding has both pros and cons. Read on for my thoughts on this subject.
First, you need to understand the main disadvantage of allowing kids – children by default will probably create some additional stress for you and/or your guests. They might get bored, they might get wild, or they might become disobedient. In all of these cases, someone will need to supervise and/or coddle the kiddies in question. This will likely make it tough for the parents to relax and have a great time.
On the flip side, the presence of kids does have a huge advantage – they can add some additional life to the party. As an example, they might get funky on the dance floor, which will certainly be a source of entertainment for your guests. It’s also nice to have a few pictures of kids in action in the wedding album.
So as you can see, much like the ying and yang of life, there is both a huge advantage and a huge disadvantage to allowing kids. So it’s really up to the happy couple to make the tough decision. Thus, you will need to look inside yourself and honestly decide if you like kids enough to have them in your wedding. If the answer is a ‘yes’ then you’re good to go. But if your gut reaction is a ‘no’ then the next step is to see if there is any possibility of compromise.
One way to compromise is to set an across-the-board age restriction like 10 and up. Another idea is to allow the kiddies to attend the actual wedding ceremony and possibly the cocktail hour, but to mandate that they go on their merry way prior to the start of the reception. No matter what you decide, make sure that your preferences are clearly laid out in the wedding invitations.
The bottom line is that your willingness to allow kids to attend your wedding is a highly personal decision that should not be taken lightly. Obviously if you simply can’t stand kids, then your decision is easy. But if you are more neutral in regards to your taste for kids, your decision will be a little tougher. Just go with your gut feeling, apply compromises if needed, and communicate the decision.
And last but not least, try not to worry about hurt feelings – after all, it is your wedding!
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