Including Children in Your Wedding
Whether you’re blending children from previous marriages or relationships, you’re a widow/widower, or it’s your first marriage, getting married with children in tow is common these days. Before deciding to include your children in your wedding, speak to them. Be sure to ask them how comfortable they are about the idea. While the day is certainly about you and your spouse-t0-be, you’re also becoming a new official family. Here are the top 5 ways to include children in your wedding!
Ask Them to be a Flower Girl/Ring Bearer or Bridesmaid/Groomsman
This is a surefire way to make your little ones (or not so little ones) feel special, and included on your wedding day. The general age of cut off for a flower girl/ring bearer is the age of 10, for those who don’t know. Asking your child/children to be a junior bridesmaid, bridesmaid, or groomsman will allow the older children to attend wedding showers, the PG versions of the bachelor/bachelorette parties, and dress like the rest of the wedding party on the big day. There’s no rule that says children can’t be bridesmaids or groomsmen “You can even invent new titles like Best Lady, Best Dude or Best Kid!” (Source).
Include the Child/Children in Your Vows
This can be done in more than one way. You can speak about your commitments to each other, and the children, in the vows you say to each other, or you can recite vows to the child/children directly. I’m sure we’ve all seen at least one tear-jerker video on our social media feeds where the new step-father brings everyone to tears while reciting his vows to his new step-daughter. Speaking to the child directly will certainly make them feel important, and solidify the new family unit.
Include Them in the Unity Ceremony
This, of course, only applies if you’re having some type of unity ceremony. Popular unity ceremonies include sand, candle, and rope tying. During a sand ceremony, each child can pour their own color. This visually represents the blending of the family. Feel free to get creative with this, too! One family decided to pour their favorite candy into one large unity vase. The kids enjoyed choosing and eating their favorite candy, and it symbolized their new family status on the day.
Act as Escorts Down the Aisle, or Carry a Sign
If your child/children are old enough, you can ask them to be escorts. Often times they escort parents, or younger children, down the aisle. If you prefer, they can also escort the bride down the aisle. No one says a child can’t give the bride away!
In recent years, children carrying signage down the aisle has become popular. This happens most often when they are part of the bridal party (junior bridesmaid and so forth). Generally, signs read, “Here comes mommy!” or “Here comes our girl!” right before the bride is escorted down the aisle.
Include the Child/Children in DIY Crafts
There are already a million things on the wedding to-do list, why not enlist the children to help? Wedding planning often times takes away from family time, so this seems like a no-brainer. Whether it’s stuffing welcome bags for out of town guests, or placing stamps on envelopes, children can lighten the load while simultaneously feeling a part of what’s going on. “Having handmade kid decorations at your wedding will be charming and make the event a true family affair.” (Source).
I hope you found this post enjoyable! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out!
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