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LuckiestGirl
Expert February 2015

Flowergirl dilemma.

LuckiestGirl, on February 19, 2014 at 2:47 PM Posted in Etiquette and Advice 0 13

Please excuse me if I come across as ignorant, but that's the thing - I am pretty ignorant about a lot wedding related topics.

So here's the deal. I have 3 girls (2 on my side of the fam, 1 on FH's) that I am considering to be the flowergirls. The flowergirl and ring bearer are the only children we are inviting to our wedding. However, I do not know what etiquette rules are on this, but considering the girls all have siblings, how would we approach the subject with their parents? I imagine it could come across as rude to the parents to ask for one of their children to be in the wedding, and their other child not to be invited. We do not want them to get the impression that we have favoritism for one child vs another. Do we automatically have to invite all their siblings, too? My concern with that is that it would not be fair to the other guests whose children weren't invited. We love all of our friends' and family's children, but we simply cannot afford to accomodate all of them.

13 Comments

Latest activity by Cameron & Winston, on February 21, 2014 at 3:45 PM
  • MissMadeline
    Master June 2014
    MissMadeline ·
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    I struggled with this too. Instead of dealing with it, I just incorporated the siblings too. I'm curious to know the answer to this!

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  • LG
    Master October 2014
    LG ·
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    This is why we arent having one. Our ring bearer would be one of three.

    You are correct that you can not invite one child to be in your wedding and not even invite the others. I imagine the parents wouldnt be happy about that either. So your options are, have your flower girls and ring bearer and invite their siblings, or dont have them and keep it strictly no children.

    As far as other guests go, could you find some small miniscule task that the other siblings could do, (hand out programs, just walk down with their sisters)? That way you can say only children allowed are bridal party.

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  • Hayley
    Super July 2014
    Hayley ·
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    Invite the siblings. If people ask you just say the family is part of the wedding party.

    Most people have thanked me for not inviting their children, they want a night out to party! We are inviting family kids only (nieces, nephews, cousins).

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  • erin
    VIP April 2014
    erin ·
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    I agree with Hayley. Invite them and then if anyone asks/questions it, just explain that the one girl was the flowergirl and the family is part of the wedding party. I think most reasonable people would get that.

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  • FutureMrsL
    Master July 2014
    FutureMrsL ·
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    Yup, I agree with the other girls. I think you have to invite the children's siblings, and maybe you can make them a part of your wedding as well. We are only having a flower girl and her sister as the only kids invited to our wedding. No one has taken offense that their kids weren't invited.

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  • Cindy Campione
    Cindy Campione ·
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    Respectfully, after singing in over 300 weddings and seeing every situation you can imagine - I don't think you have to invite the siblings, and you truly do NOT have to make anyone a part of your wedding unless you wish to. Remember, this is your day. The parents of the child or children you ask to be in your wedding party will probably be grateful that they only have to deal with having one child in the wedding. They will let you know if it is a problem to only include one, and then you can decide to include the others or make another choice. Approach this logically and with kindness. Perhaps you can send a small gift to the siblings who are not in the wedding so that they have something special from you to play with on the day. Best wishes to you!

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  • Mrs de Bruyn
    Devoted May 2014
    Mrs de Bruyn ·
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    I Agree with Hayley too - i don't think you can have one sibling and not the others - if they are a aprt of the wedding the guests should understand.

    Its a night out for the parents!

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  • mlw
    Master December 2016
    mlw ·
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    You got 3 choices-

    1. No kids AT ALL, meaning no FG or RB.

    2. Allow ALL kids

    3. Invite the siblings of the attendants.

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  • kelsey
    Super July 2014
    kelsey ·
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    Well... I don't really think you can invite one sibling and not the other... If you want no kids at the wedding then that is fine but if you have a ring bearer and flower girl then you really do need to invite their entire family. My ring bearer and flower girl are siblings and I made their older sister a Jr Bridesmaid.

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  • cupcake_bride
    Expert November 2014
    cupcake_bride ·
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    I think you should invite the siblings and just make it clear to other guests it's only because their siblings are IN the wedding. If they even ask. We're only having our two FGs and no other children for multiple reasons.

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  • Lora
    Super April 2014
    Lora ·
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    My best suggestion, which I am sure other people will disagree with is to have a child friendly ceremony but an adult only reception. We have a ring bearer and a flower girl and we gently asked their parents that someone pick them up from the ceremony.

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  • GrayCatVintage
    Master October 2015
    GrayCatVintage ·
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    We got out of this because only my FSIL has a baby daughter. Other than her, we are *quietly* letting everyone know that we will not be responsible for children. This being said - for whatever reason, when parents attend weddings and bring their kids - they let them RUN WILD and it is a hazard. Our venue it outdoors located on many acres of woods and water - if we allowed kids I just know someone would get lost or drown because parents do not watch their kids. Last wedding we were at, a child stuck his hands in the chocolate fountain and wiped it all over other people and everything in sight. At another wedding the parents allowed the kids to take over the dance floor and two children got kicked in the heads during couples only dances. At another, a bunch of tipsy moms decided to lock their kids in the women's bathroom to serve as a baby sitting area - no adults were there just like 10 kids locked in the potty. Having kids at a wedding is just bad news in my opinion.

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  • Cameron & Winston
    Dedicated August 2014
    Cameron & Winston ·
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    You do have to invite the siblings, you don't have to put them in your wedding and you don't have to invite any other children. Easy as that.

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