7 Ways to Make Sure Kids Have the BEST Time at Your Wedding

Discover a few of our favorite ways to make sure little ones feel welcome at your wedding.

July 24, 2017

flower girls and ring bearers

If you’ve decided to include kids in your wedding celebration, congrats! You’re about to share some really special moments with your littlest friends (especially on the dance floor!). As much fun as it is to have kids at your wedding, though, inviting little guests poses a specific challenge: how to make them feel comfortable and included in the festivities.

Ahead, discover a few of our favorite ways to make sure kids feel welcome at your wedding.

Offer them special roles in your wedding.

You’ve seen children under five years old act as flower girls and ring bearers, so that’s always an option, but you could also invite older kids to be junior bridesmaids and groomsmen, or even assistant ushers at your wedding. Some couples even ask little guests to carry signs, pinwheels, or other fun decorations down the aisle to add a little lightness and whimsy to the wedding ceremony.

Have a “kids parade” during your ceremony.

Better yet, send all the kids down the aisle together — that way, older kids can help little ones who might be feeling shy or overwhelmed — and give them all bright ribbons or party favors to carry down the aisle to kick off the big event.

Give them a comfy place to hang out.

Let’s face it: After a while, weddings are boring and/or tiring for kids. If your venue allows, consider reserving a room — with games, coloring books, floor cushions, couches, and maybe even an Xbox or movie — where the kids at your wedding can go to feel comfortable and relaxed while their parents embarrass themselves on the dance floor. There babysitting services that will watch the children for the night at your wedding—and even create a mini "party" for them to enjoy—or you can hire a responsible teenager or young adult to mind the little ones.

Photo: Pure Sugar Studios

Have a special dance with only the kids at your reception.

After your first dance, consider having a kids-only dance where you, your new spouse, and your little guests boogie down on the dance floor together before inviting the rest of your guests to join you. Put on a kids' favorite song (usually a Top 40 pop song will do!), and they’ll really help you get the party started.

If they’re your kids, ask them to walk you down the aisle.

If you have children from a previous relationship, they might be feeling a bit nervous about your marriage. Make them feel welcome — not only at your wedding, but also in your new family — by having them walk you down the aisle (this goes for brides, grooms, and anyone else saying “I do”). Even if they’re super excited about your marriage and not nervous at all, this is still a nice gesture.

If you and your spouse-to-be have kids together, consider walking down the aisle as a family (this is great if you’ve already done a “first look” and know what your partner is wearing!).

Or have a unity ceremony where you bring together your blended family.

If your kids aren’t old enough to walk you down the aisle, or just would prefer not to do that, ask them if they’d like to have a unity ceremony where you bring your families together symbolically — by lighting a shared candle, or pouring sand into a vessel, for example — and officially start your journey together as a unit.

Make the kids’ table fun.

Depending on the age of the kids at your wedding, cover the table with kraft paper and leave a container of markers in the center. Let them go wild — you might end up with some cool art! You could also put a disposable camera at the table if the kids are a bit older, and ask them to shoot the wedding the way they see it. Or, put bubbles at each child’s place setting and ask them to blow them around you during your first dance. The photos will be magical!