So your big day is happening very soon! Among all other things you should think about when it comes to wedding planing, you might consider making that day even more meaningful with involving children in your ceremony. If you are planing big, traditional wedding, you will have a lot of kids from your close or far family to deal with. Many of them will want to be considered as adults and be thrilled to participate in this kind of event, especially if they are your closest kin. And if you or your fiancé have already had children, than involving them in the ceremony will be a great symbol of unity which the marriage should represent in the first place. The options are numerous, and depend on the age of the children, so take a look at some of the ways you can involve children in your wedding day.
Age 11-15: junior bridesmaids or grooms men
At this age, when they are still developing and are somewhere in between the child and adult phase, giving them these roles will make them feel important. Not only will they perform their duties at the wedding reception with great seriousness, but they will treat this as a step towards adulthood.
Age 7-10: attendants
At this age, they will be too old to be flower children, so it would be best to have them carry candles in the procession, or the prayer book, hand out programs or flowers to mothers and grandmothers. This is also a great chance to have them wear the same, uniform clothes which most of the children will accept with great enthusiasm.
Age 3-6: flower girls and page boys
This age is perfect for the cutest roles a child can have at a wedding ceremony: being a flower girl or a page boy, or a ring bearer. The number of flower girls can be infinite, that is you can give this task to as many girls in the family there are. However, keep in mind that some parents will not be able to afford flower girl gowns, so it would be best if you added them to the wedding budget. The number of page boys carrying the wedding dress train can vary depending on the train, of course – if you are planning to have a big train, then it would be wise to employ three boys to carry it. And since there in a finite number of rings to bear, it would be best if you gave the role of a ring bearer to the most serious child, who will then hand them over to your best man.
Improvise
Do not be afraid to improvise. Since some children can be disobedient, it is best if you had some sense of humor if, for instance, they jump and run between you and your partner during the kiss. And even though this may be one of the most important moments in your life, children will not have that in their minds, and will perhaps not be willing to cooperate or follow your instructions during the procession. Not everything has to go as planned, so you can improvise and change the plan according to the circumstances you have at your hands.
And lastly, you must remember that having a large number of children at your wedding can make things turn out unexpectedly, so besides plans for entertaining them, have your bridesmaids or other attendants always have a plan B so that you can all enjoy the ceremony whatever happens.