by Danielle Andrews, President and Co-Founder of The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada Inc.
Children can get bored easily (which could turn in to noisy and disruptive) at weddings, so if your couples are planning to have children at their wedding, you will need to help your clients find ways to keep their pint-sized guests happy and entertained.
Here are a few fun options and ideas:
Include Them in the Wedding Activities
Children really enjoy helping out and being a part of the day’s activities, so give them an important job to do like handing out bubbles or the wedding programs. Another cute idea is to give each child a disposable camera and get them to snap photos of the guests. If they feel like they are helping out, they won’t get a chance to be bored.
Let Them Spend Some Time Outdoors
If the weather is going to be warm on the wedding day, arrange to have a few outdoor games like Giant Jenga, Corn Hole, or activities like skipping or hula-hoops. If the children are a little older, your couple could have a craft table and the children could create the props for the photo booth, or a wedding memento for their parents.
Create an Epic Kid’s Table at the Reception
Setting up one or two kids tables with various activities is one of the best ways to keep smaller guests busy for hours, especially during the speeches. In the past I have had Pirates and Princess-themed tables, Tween and Teen tables, or put all of the kids together. A planning tip is to put their parents at the surrounding tables So that they can keep an eye on their children while still enjoying the company of other adults. Add games, puzzles, activity and colouring books to the tables so the children can find something that appeals to them. A fun activity is to add the foam peel and stick door hangers, hats and swords, so the kids can make their personal keepsake. For older kids I place decks of cards on the table.
Set up a Kids Cave
Some children love dancing at the reception, others would rather do anything else. Set up a cool kids room or kids cave in a separate room that contains beanbags, tables, movies, game consoles, reading nooks, and activities they can enjoy. Encourage your couple to hire a children’s entertainer or at least a babysitter to act as a camp counselor to supervise all of the fun.
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