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T
Just Said Yes March 2009

Kid's Table in a Separate Room

tjp123, on March 11, 2009 at 8:35 AM Posted in Etiquette and Advice 1 11

Our venue has two completely separate dining rooms separated by walls and a short hallway. The "main" DR holds 120 people and is now fully seated. We also have at least 15 kids attending aged 6-12, so we want to set up two connected kids' tables in the other DR.

The kids' tables will be fully stocked with games, craft paper, etc, and will also be attended by two babysitters. Kids aged 6-12 will be assigned to the kid's table. Younger and older kids can sit with their parents. At least half of the kids know each other. After the meal the kids will have the option to go to another room to play with toys and watch videos. The babysitters will be watching over them all evening.

We're worried that guests might complain if their kids have to sit in a separate room for the formal reception and dinner. If we don't seat the kids in the separate DR, then we'll have to seat a table of adult friends/family by themselves in there!

Are we wrong to "banish" the kids to the separate room?

11 Comments

Latest activity by lisa, on October 20, 2011 at 11:39 AM
  • Labor Day 2010 Bride
    Devoted September 2010
    Labor Day 2010 Bride ·
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    I don't think this is wrong at all, I think it is a great idea. If I was having kids at my reception, I would probably do something like this.

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  • Nene517
    Dedicated October 2009
    Nene517 ·
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    Absolutely NOT I think this is a great alternative to the "No Kids" reception, if the parents feel that strongly then let them sit with the clidren in the end it'll be their loss... Do expect some adults to behave like children just on't let them get to you and enjoy your night

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  • Emilia
    Devoted July 2011
    Emilia ·
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    I think that what your doing is great. All kids want to do is have fun anyway and as long as the kids get fed then i dont see why any perents would complain. And its not like the kids are far or without supervision. And kids at those ages are old enough for parents too not worry to much about anyway. I personally didn't want kids at my wedding period but we thought that by saying no kids allowed would sound rude so i think that the idea would work in our situation. And you actually have a reason for it and adults should understand. Besides im pretty sure that if one of the kids need something they are allowed too go with their parents. Don't sweat it.

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  • Rei
    Dedicated August 2009
    Rei ·
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    Your guests will probably be thankful they don't have to chase their kids around all evening. Good for you for offering this.

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  • Wishfull_Heart
    Devoted April 2011
    Wishfull_Heart ·
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    I agree I love this idea! The guests will thank you for days to come and everyone will remember how great a planner you were and how prepared you were! Ok maybe a bit of an exaggeration but they will love it!

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  • Karen Guyt
    Karen Guyt ·
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    It sounds like a great solution... with the proper supervision. As a parant, I'd be vey grateful for the chance to enjoy the reception & for my kids to enjoy the wedding (in their own way!) I met with a bride who was using a Wii at her reception - not sure how that all panned out, but she suspected the groomsmen were going to take it over!

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  • taekwondomom
    Dedicated July 2009
    taekwondomom ·
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    I think it's a great idea, except that some of the older kids might not appreciate it. Most kids under 10 will be thrilled, but many 11-12 year olds would resent being sent off with the little kids. It depends a lot on the kids, whether they are girls/boys, whether they have similar aged friends in the group, etc. Be sure to think about ways to entertain the older kids, who won't necessarily be happy to color or play Candyland. :-) Or, if there is really only 1-2 older kids, especially if they are girls, consider telling them that you need their "help" keeping the younger kids happy.

    I'll have about a dozen kids ranging from 1.5 to 12 years old, as well as about half a dozen teens, at my wedding. Our wedding is in a "lodge" in a park in the afternoon in July, so they can easily go outside to play after eating. I plan to hire at least one sitter to help supervise. There are a few active 10-12 year old boys who will be much happier outside than sitting around with adults.

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  • Jouselle
    Super October 2011
    Jouselle ·
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    I've gotta do something like that. I really don't like kids (yeah, I said it!) and my sweetie's family has a lot of them. >.<

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  • Tammy McGowan
    Tammy McGowan ·
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    Quite a few of my brides do this and the parents really appreciate this.It allows them to bring their children, yet enjoy themselves and check in on them as needed. Kids tend to get bored very quickly with the normal wedding schedule and giving them something to do is quite smart. Keep in mind that no matter how much planning you do and how much you try to please everyone, that someone will be less than pleased, but know that you can't please everyone. If you can do so for the vast majority, you've made a great accomplishment!

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  • Elizabeth
    Beginner May 2010
    Elizabeth ·
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    I love your idea! As a matter of fact, I wanted to do something like this for my wedding which is going to be on Mother's Day. I thought it would give the mom's a break and allow them to have some alone time with their spouses, since all 12-15 kids at my reception are ages 4-10. Before I spent the money to set everything up, I ran it by some people and I was surprised to find no-one liked the idea of handing their child off to a total stranger. In lieu of this, I am going to get fun kiddie cups and the children's place setting will be a puzzle place-mat. My best suggestion is to run this by a few people and ask them if they might use this service. If their answer is no, then its not worth spending the money to set everything up.

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  • lisa
    Dedicated March 2012
    lisa ·
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    My reception site coordinator said that she had one bride rent another building across the park from the reception. She had a babysitter to watch over the kids, they ordered pizza and watched videos while the parents partied the night away! I am looking to print out color sheets and have a table for the kids. Your ideas are great!

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