Cut-Off Time for Kids to EXIT the Reception?

I think if you provide a sitter then it is fine to ask the kids to leave by 9. If you aren't providing a sitter (for free) I think you would get a lot of parents leaving too. And if you have already told people kids are allowed you can't really go back on it unless your paying for it.

I think it really depends on your preference. Not that many kids are going to mine and they are all well behaved so I am letting them stay.

If you have the on site sitter and dont want them to stay there then you dont have to =]

I should add that I had people tell me in advance that they would not attend a wedding where the invites specified "No Kids" because it would be offensive and rude...

I don't have children but I think especially the younger children whose behavior you'd be most worried about will be tired and ready for bed by 9 anyway. If you have an onsite sitter then it shouldn't be an issue to have the kids go with the sitter after dinner and dessert. Maybe let the parents of small children know ahead of time that you have a sitter for the kids after dinner.

I think unless you have kids or nieces/nephews then there should be no children at the wedding. As for my fiancee and I, we cut all kids from the reception. I think it is the only way to keep the adults in line ;P bad enough some of the adults act like children! =)

But since you already included children--by 9 is fine with a sitter present.

Well, we haven't sent out our invites yet... but there has been enough talk (and I have heard my cousins telling their kids how they are coming to our wedding) that it's awkward now if I send out invites that say no kids.

Well tell them things changed... lol

I don't have kids myself but the people who are invited who have them are people who I definitely want to celebrate my marriage with and the kids are a packaged deal lol, especially for those who have infants and aren't comfortable leaving the baby with a sitter over night just yet (my wedding will be a mini destination one so everyone will be staying in a hotel). So I opted for an on site sitter to be in one of the smaller rooms of the venue where the parents are free to drop off their little ones after dinner and enjoy themselves

I guess I got lucky at our wedding because I had only 4 children at mine, all of which were in the wedding party. But they danced with us until 11, and were ready to keep going. They were ages 3-9 and they learned all the group dances but when they werent with us, my MIL and SIL's were sitting at a table with them while they took a break.

Heres a few pics..

First is my niece doing the cha cha slide.

Next is my other 2 nieces Dancing at like 1030

Last is one of them (learning how to dougie) still going at 11 lol

However, If I had a bunch of little kids running around it might make me crazy so as a parent, I would provide a sitter for my guests.

That's a tough one. I believe Shannon B. is right. Those younger kids will be tired by around 9 anyway. BUT, I would be cautious about asking that all kids leave by 9. It sounds like your family and friends are expecting their children to come and enjoy the wedding (and you've already agreed to that?). I think if you 'kick' (cause I couldn't think of the right word) kids out at a certain time those people may take offense.

Make it well known that you've got a FREE sitter on site, and encourage people to take advantage of it. I don't know if you can actually require that they do this though.

Well, they asked if kids would be allowed at the wedding. I said yeah, but didn't specify what part because it was a year in advance... The kids I am most concerned about are around 6-8 years old and hyper. I thought maybe this would be a nice compromise.

What do you think about this wording...

"While we love you and your kids, we do respectfully request that children under the age of 10 retire for the evening by 9pm. We assure you that there will be plenty of fun and games to be had with the on-site sitter we have secured! And this way, parents can let their hair down with the rest of the adults without worry! Thank you for your understanding."

I think that sounds good- but I would specify that they don't have to pay for the sitter. maybe say "we are providing" instead of "we have secured". secured could mean either that you are paying for it, or that you have just arranged it and are expecting them to pay.

Good point.

@Now-I-Am-Mrs. Clark I love the lightning at your reception I hope to have that same lightning. And the pictures you put up are so clear are those professional or snap shots.

As long as you provide a sitter for them, I don't see the problem with it. We do not have kids but my brother has 5 and hers has 2. There will also be other kids there. I couldn't imagine telling my nieces and nephews that they had to go to bed, especially since I do not get to see them often as we live out of state.

One of our guest we have actually allowed to bring her own sitter along so she doesn't have to leave the reception early. Her 4 yr old has sleeping problems and has to go to bed precisely at 8:30 or she's awake all night. I also think having a sitter is a nice thing for parents to relax and not be chasing after their children.

Yeah. I see these kids frequently enough because we all live close by and they won't necessarily be going to bed... just not hanging out at the reception all night!

It also would probably be a little different if these were my nieces and nephews, because I would feel a little more comfortable telling them "NO!" when they were being bad! haha But this would be kids of cousins and stuff.

I also don't think that should be an issue either.

I never could understand the upside to bringing either of my daughters to a wedding, invited or not. I consider weddings a night out. I have been to weddings where the kids run around unattended. It def ruins the spirit of the reception. Imho, if there is booze, there is no reason for kids to be hanging out. As an adult, I don't want to use my mommy words all night. No, I don't cuss like a sailor, but when kids are around, I tend to keep my mommy/noni hat on.

AMEN! Thank you!

I think what Carole said is totally reasonable and that's how my friends feel, none of them wanted to bring their kids to our party. However -

If your crowd thinks it's rude that their sticky little cherubs wouldn't be invited in the first place, they're probably going to think it's rude if you tell them what time to get out. I'm on the fence as to whether I agree with them or not, I kind of feel like if you invite a person they should be invited to the whole thing, but I can see where you're coming from.

Also some parents don't leave their kids with just any old babysitter, and some kids won't leave their parents when the party's getting started. I know our nieces would pitch a fit and all hell would break loose if we did this. It probably just really depends on the kids and the parents involved.

Good luck ~