Children and Weddings – a match made in Heaven?

If you’re in the process of planning your wedding, in between all the exciting things to think about such as where to hold your big day, what kind of dress to wear, your favourite wedding colours, do you want a special theme for the day, what about flowers, the food and so on, there’s one thought, though rarely openly expressed, that may well have crossed your mind:

‘Do we invite children?’

Children and weddings – two words not intuitively associated together like the proverbial horse and carriage. Is there a special recipe for successfully blending the two?

Whether to invite friend’s children is one of the most sensitive and therefore biggest questions couples ask whilst making the all important plans for their big day. Yes, ideally a wedding is a celebration for all the family, young and old, yet it is the young ones who, without careful planning, can present the biggest challenge for the day.

So, if you say ‘Yes, we want our celebration to embrace all our friends and family’, the next step is to think how to keep the children happy, including bridesmaids and pageboys. You will want to make sure they feel included in the general excitement of the day and, importantly, you will need to consider how best to keep children entertained during the wedding reception and wedding speeches. This is often the part of the day that we adults look forward to with relish, but let’s be honest, for children it can be a real bore. Listening to grown ups chat away for what seems like hours is undoubtedly the hardest and least interesting part of the day for any child!

So, what’s the solution? Well, it may sound obvious but when there is so much to arrange and think about, it really is easy to overlook the children. We list below our top tips to ensure a happy day for all ages.

1) Essentially, you will need to source some fun gifts that not only have a wedding theme but can keep the young ones entertained throughout your day. The tricky part is finding gifts that can entertain but don’t distract the adult guests, particularly during the wedding meal and speeches. You may be surprised to learn that such gifts do exist - gifts that have been tailor made for this very reason. Innovative companies offer special wedding packs for children, jammed full of quizzes and things to do with a pen and pencil that will keep a child entertained for hours. All the games and exercises have a wedding theme, thus keeping a young mind engaged whilst still being part of what’s going on. (It’s wonderful to note that there are equivalent packs available for general use whilst at the dinner table!)

2) What about a child who may be playing a bigger part in your day, such as a bridesmaid or pageboy? Well, I’m delighted to report there are now ‘Playback Camera’ gift ideas, designed with just such a young person in mind. These packs offer a camera, (reusable), with a ‘photo book’ for the bridesmaid or pageboy to fill in, such as ‘This is me with the bride & groom‘. This is a fabulous idea as the young person will be thrilled to document their involvement on your big day, and of course such a gift also serves as a wonderful reminder of the day in years to come, for both the child and yourselves!

3) Another popular idea is to have a bespoke gift made for the bridesmaid or pageboy - something individually tailored for them, perhaps using the colours or themes of your wedding. A personalised gift such as a canvas or clock will bring treasured memories of the day - however, please note you will need to think about this suggestion well in advance of your wedding day. Designers who offer a bespoke service usually work to a 28 day delivery. Remember they are making to order, so be sure to order in plenty of time particularly if your wedding is during the peak summer season or, indeed, over the Christmas period.


4) There are many other gift suggestions for a bridesmaid or pageboy that can be bought ‘off the shelf’. Photo frames, trinkets and silver tokens are all available, made especially with a bridesmaid or pageboy in mind. All are designed to evoke the sense of a treasured memory, thus subliminally reinforcing a message of the privilege it is to be so included in a wedding day.

5) Lastly, but by no means least, a young bridesmaid will treasure a piece of stunning silver bridesmaid jewellery. Delicate styles that capture the beauty of youth can be worn, not just on the big day, but over the years to come.

So, there you have it - some interesting ideas to get the thought juices going. The overall message is allow yourself plenty of time to plan; it‘s never too early to start! Do this and your big day will pass smoothly, smiles all round for all the family and treasured memories for one and all.

About the Author: Jo-Rosie is writing on behalf of Tsena. Established in the North Laine in Brighton, Tsena is a high end gift suppliers brain child initially by Jane Higgins. She saw that there was a need for an outlet selling only the best of UK design, and so established her shop to offer some really unusual and beautiful items direct to the public. Visit their site to see a range of children’s present ideas, baby present ideas and christening gifts.

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