As you plan out your guest list, you may come to realize that you have guest with children. Deciding whether or not to invite children to your wedding can be an important decision that can hurt some of your guests’ feelings if you don’t approach the subject with care. Here are a few things to think about when you are deciding whether or not to invite children to your wedding.
Remember first that it is your day, not your guests. Do not let guests bully you into inviting their children; it is perfectly OK to have a wedding and not invite any of your friends or families guests under a certain age. It could be for financial reasons, it could be because you don’t want screaming babies interrupting the service. Regardless of the reason, it is your wedding, and it is important to stand your ground.
If you decide to exclude children from your wedding, this rule needs to apply to everyone so as not to offend other guests. People may be upset at first that you don’t want their children to attend (or that they have to get a babysitter,) but they will be much more upset if you allow other children to come and not theirs. Be firm in your decision, and don’t make exceptions. Guests will eventually come to understand your no-children policy, but they will not forgive selective inviting.
Consider the number of guests with children and their ages before making your decision. If there aren’t many young children, you may want to forego inviting children altogether because they will have no one to entertain them while they are there. It’s also much easier to cut a few young guests than a large number. While a large number of similarly-aged children could mean that they would have other children to play with, it could also mean a rowdy mess if your venue doesn’t have some place to accommodate all the kids.
If you have already begun making your guest list, you have already realized that it’s impossible to avoid offending someone, so don’t hesitate to exclude children from your wedding list. Be sure to talk to the people with children first, and you will show them that you respect them enough to be upfront and honest about your decision. The earlier you make the decision, the more understanding your guests will likely be.