Wording help

So we didn't invite any children aside from those in our wedding party so on our website we said while we love everyone's children we have decided to have an adults only event. We didn't mention that the wedding party was an exception since it's very common for them to be an exception to the rule.

There's not a tactful way to phrase that without offending anyone. Kids are all or nothing. You could have a cut off of 18 but that means no infants or flowergirls without upsetting guests who have to find childcare. Not everyone sees weddings as adult only events. It's not fair to have a cut off of 13 or 15 when well behaved 5 yr old is at home and hellion 16 yr old is allowed to attend.

You could write something such as, "Due to COVID restrictions and venue capacity limitations, we are unable to accommodate children under the age of __." I agree with Veronica that I wouldn't state the exception for wedding party children. I have to imagine that most guests would understand that wedding party children are exceptions.

We’ve let everyone know that we’re having a no children wedding, even before we sent out the invitations. The only children there will be the flower girl & ring bearer. We put on the RSVPs “Adult Ceremony & Reception.”

What is your age cut-off?


I think you are better off just only writing the names of the people who are invited on the invite and then doing the "we have X seats reserved in your name" on the RSVP card or option. Also, you can put an FAQ on your website that says "Can I bring additional guests? Unfortunately, due to guest list restrictions we are only able to accommodate the guests whose names were on the invitation. Please refer to your RSVP card for the number of seats we have reserved for you"
I know people get offended about being selective about kids, but I truly do not care. Especially about infants--I strongly believe that women should be able to bring infants under 6mo pretty much everywhere they want.

You don't have to mention that the kids in your wedding party are an exception. Most people understand that at adults-only weddings, the kids who are actually part of the wedding party are the exception

View Quoted Comment I actually think it’s super rude to assume you can bring an infant under 6 months anywhere.


But to help the OP, I would simply put on invitations adult only.

I would say something along the lines of "Due to limited space, we are asking that our ceremony and reception be adult only. Thank you for arranging childcare ahead of time."

You don't even have to mention that children in your wedding party will be there! That just opens up doors for someone to be offended, and Lord knows someone will be!

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Thank you so much! That is a great idea

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Thank you!

View Quoted Comment Uh I didn't say assume. I would never force my baby into an event or space. I just personally believe we as a culture should be more supportive of maternity leave and of mothers staying close to their infants. Its an important part of development for babies.