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Tips on having kids in your wedding
Practice Makes Perfect (Or at least pretty darn close)
Giving the mini bride and grooms expectations for the day of the wedding will be a huge helper. Talk to them (or ask their parents to) about what will be expected of them. Let them know there will be people watching them, and that they will be in their fancy wedding outfit. If they are surprised with this news on the day of, chances are they will get a little uncomfortable and not want to participate. Or, worst of all, be pushed down the aisle and really get upset. Yikes!
When selecting the attire for the little ones in your party, it is important that they are comfortable. If your ring bearer is going to have a problem keeping his tie on, don’t put one on him. Keep it simple! When it comes to the flower girl, if she is old enough, let her have a say in what she will be wearing. Some like bows and ruffles, others like hair accessories and jewelry. This way their personalities shine through AND they are comfortable. If they are comfortable, the more likely they are to be less distracted and fussy.
If you are having multiple children in your wedding and they don’t know each other, introduce them at least a few months before the wedding if possible. This way they get to know each other and become friends so once the big day rolls around, they are already comfortable being around one another! They are more likely to have smiles on their faces and be the cute & sweet additions to your bridal party that you were hoping they would be.
Often times, even after a rehearsal, kids can have a case of stage fright when it comes to walking down the aisle on the day of the wedding. Who could blame them though? Really! To avoid this, try sending them in pairs. Their confidence levels will be much higher and they’ll be more excited to make their grand entrance together (if you introduced them ahead of time as we covered previously). If you only have one little one, there is always the option to send them down with one of your bridesmaids or groomsman instead of all alone.
Some may decide to forego having little ones in your wedding all together. If this is you, there are always alternatives for flower girls & ring bearers! Maybe you don’t have any family or friends with children to ask or you just don’t want to include kids, you could always ask a couple of your friends to be good sports and embrace the role that is traditionally meant for children and make it their own! Another alternative could be a loyal (and preferably well trained) furry friend. Watching a Fido walk down the aisle all dressed up makes everyone smile!
Bring out their inner child and ask the grandmothers in your family to be your flower girls. Chances are they will be thrilled you asked them and love that you wanted them to be part of the bridal party. Groom’s grandmother(s) + Bride’s grandmother(s) = Beautiful Flower Grandmas. Don’t forget the grandfathers either! They might be just the type to have as your alternate ring bearers. What could be sweeter than having them all walk down the aisle together at your wedding? I mean, really?!
