|
Tips
for Tots
Children bring innocence, charm and
laughter to a wedding. However, if you expect them
to follow a script exactly, you may be
disappointed. If you are open to what they can come
up with spontaneously you will have a great time.
Here are some tips to improve your chances of
success when inviting children to be in your wedding
party.
Pick kids with the right personality. Don’t expect
a really shy child to suddenly shine if forced to
walk down an aisle surrounded by total strangers.
Be flexible and let mom walk with them if they get
skittish at the last minute. Maybe have someone in
the wedding party bribe an easily distracted child
with candy to coax down the aisle.
The best age to choose for participation in your
wedding is children between 4-8 years old. They’re
still cute, and can follow direction. It helps to
show videos of other weddings so they know them what
to expect. If they’re throwing rose petals, let
them practice ahead of time and at the rehearsal
with leaves or something similar to build their
confidence.
If your ring bearer is very young, stitch or tie
fake wedding bands on top of the ring pillow and
have the bestman keep the real ones. This will
reduce risk of them falling off or being ‘picked at’
by little fingers. Ask parents to dress children
just before the ceremony to avoid grape juice stains
and wrinkles. Make sure they pee within 15 minutes
of going down the aisle so you don’t have any
surprises in the excitement of their performance.
When you have invited children as guests, it’s nice
to make accommodations for them. Create a
children’s table at the reception with activities
and maybe individual loot bags. Provide a kid menu
like chicken fingers and things you know they’ll
like. Have someone assigned to supervise so parents
can enjoy the celebration too. You can cover the
table with paper and provide crayons for creating
masterpieces. Don’t put a fancy centrepiece on this
table, especially if candles are involved.
Be sure to have someone with a video camera to catch
those spontaneous child antics. You just might get
something funny enough to win $10,000 on America’s
Funniest Home Videos. Either way, it’s those
moments that make for great memories of your
important day.
|
