There are so many things to think about when it comes to planning your wedding. For most brides the hunt for the perfect dress is the most important consideration, and one of the best places to start, without even leaving the house, is the Berketex Bride website, where you will find plenty of styles and designs to tempt you.
Once the dress has been picked, the colour scheme chosen and the photographer, venue and honeymoon booked, the other major consideration is to decide how to entertain any youngsters attending the ceremony. The good news is there are lots of ideas out there to help you.
Give them a break
A wedding can be a long day for grown-up guests, let alone any little ones that might be invited. They have probably been up early to dress and generally smarten up, then there is the ceremony to get through, followed by a big meal, and then the festivities continue on into the evening and beyond. All this is exhausting, and we know children aren’t at their best when they’re tired. Why not consider setting up a nap zone with bean bags and hammocks for the little ones (and maybe a mum and dad or two) to grab forty winks? Low effort and low cost, this can be a good way to make sure children recharge and refresh so you avoid any tantrums.
Entertainment is key
Amazing food and drink will keep adults entertained for hours, this isn’t the case when it comes to most children! Once they’ve refuelled, they’ll be ready for the next adventure to begin. Plan special entertainment to keep them entertained; think face-painting, a bouncy castle, giant board games, story-telling, a film screening, or a magic show. If you’re on a budget, you could even rope other guests in to do some of the leg work.
Activity bars
For adult guests you might lay on something like a DIY cocktail bar to keep them entertained and get them in the celebratory spirit. For youngsters you could go for a DIY ice-cream sundae bar with various flavours of ice-cream; a range of sauces; lots of toppings like fruits, sweets and crushed up cookies; and of course sprinkles galore. In a similar vein, you could also offer a DIY activity bar with different fun tasks to pick and choose from like colouring in, colour sorting confetti, play dough, and even a few iPads pre-loaded with child suitable games. The Guardian recently reviewed the best, safest child friendly apps.
Set a challenge
You know when you visit a stately home or attraction and there is a special guide book or task just for the kids? Well, why not do something similar for your wedding? A little activity pamphlet could give them a focus at each stage of the wedding. During the ceremony they could be challenged to draw what they see, or gather crayon rubbings of three interesting surfaces. During the meal they might have to find thirty gold stars that are hidden around the room.
Outsource it
If you’d really rather not have children present on your big day, but there is just no way to avoid it you might want to think about making it someone else’s problem to look after them! There are companies, like the Childcare Partnership, that specialise in looking after, keeping safe, and entertaining children so that the grownups can let go and have a great time without a worry.
Ella Mason, an experienced freelance writer, wrote this article. Ella specialises in providing useful and engaging advice to small businesses. Follow her on Twitter @ellatmason
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