Kid Free Nuptials
Planning a wedding can be tricky. No doubt. And many couples prefer to have "child free nuptials" to help reduce the stress and noise on the big day. Letting your friends and family know that you are planning to ban the kiddos may be even more tricky.
Depending on your age and where you are in your life, you may not even have anyone with curtain climbers on the guest list. Or all your friends and siblings may have already started their families, making it a bit trickier to set your expectations for your wedding.
Recently, my husband and I were invited to a wedding that was "kid free." Cool. NBD we want people to be happy with their big day. We will ditch the kids for the night. Except the bride and groom called us and let us know that because our kids were older, they were more than welcome. Sweet! But then comes the big day and we were inundated with resentment from other guests that were told to ditch their offspring. This made for more than a few awkward moments. So, if you are planning an event without kiddos, I would suggest sticking to all crumb crunchers being banned or setting an age. Maybe a quick note on the invite that says "children over 10 welcome!"
Maybe you haven't quite gotten to sending out the invites because you are afraid to make people upset. First, don't be. It's your wedding and they should understand that your wishes are really all that matters for the 6 hours you have guests at the venue. Set the expectation early and set it firmly. Shoot, start dropping hints as soon as you are engaged. People will push back. They will think their darling should be the exception to the rule. Make it clear that there are no exceptions. If there are exceptions, be clear- "the flowergirl is the only child attending the wedding." If your personality just can't handle telling people no, get your significant other to be the bad guy. Get your mom or your best friend to handle it. But if it is your desire to have a kid-free wedding, don't let other people stop you. Here are some great ways to announce a kid free wedding on your invites.
Maybe you really want a child-free wedding, but you don't want to upset anyone. An alternative could be an onsite daycare. Hire a couple of babysitters and set up in the groom's suite (they usually have TVs whereas the bride's suite has a ton of mirrors). Some venues may already be set up for this contigency- just ask for their suggestions or alternatives. Another option may be to have an adults only cermony and let the kids join in for some dancing and cake.
If your personality just cannot handle telling people no, set the wedding for a later time. You may not get the "golden hour" photos, but most people with ankle biters aren't going to drag them to anything at 8PM. But be warned, people with small children tend to go to asleep early, so they may have trouble staying awake.
If you decide against banning tiny humans or someone disregards your wishes, try not to stress too much about the kiddos. You will not remember what the mischief monkeys were even doing at your wedding. Unless one of the wild beasts pees on your dress or something. Then the best you can hope is that someone got it on video for blackmail purposes down the line.
*Full disclosure: I have no idea if the real Celebrations brides in the pictures above had kid free weddings. I just chose some photos without tiny humans to show you how happy people are without children around. Just kidding. We love the little monsters! Don't come for us.