Children at the ceremony

Getting married when you already have kids is great! But how do you ensure that they have an appropriate role? And how do you deal with children who are guests?

Children make the ceremony extra personal and light-hearted, but can also cause a lot of noise and unrest. How do you make sure you have your own lovely kids or your favorite nephew/niece around, but they don't interfere with the ceremony?

Involve children in the ceremony

Nothing is more fun than involving children in the ceremony. Celebrate not only your love, but also love within the family. How lovely is that. There are plenty of ways to really get them involved in the ceremony. But children are still children and they are all different. It is therefore important to see which task also suits them. And to take into account that, with their own will, things can always go differently than planned.

So don't give them the idea that something needs to be done in a specific way, but let them feel that they really have something to say about it too. It's all exciting enough for everyone, so don't put too much pressure on it.

The tasks below are always fun to hand out:

• Join the rise as a flower girl/damsel, bridesmaid/junker or with one of the parents
• Recite a speech or poem, if the children find this too exciting, they can of course also record it in advance or have the wedding official recite it.
• A mini performance
• Children's vows
• Strike off with the hammer
• Ring bringer
• Your own ring or jewelry for the child
• Draw children's records

Children as guests

In addition to any children of your own, it is of course always special when other children are present. Especially if you, as a newlyweds, have a special relationship with it. But for children under 6 years old, it is often not an easy task to sit still for an entire ceremony. But you do want to prevent everyone from only remembering that crying child afterwards and not the beautiful speeches and vows.

That's why what's always a good idea is to put children's packages in their seats. Put various small things in it (without cracking plastic to unpack). As a result, they always have something new to discover. For example, you can put bubble bubbles in it. Bells are always a good idea during a ceremony. A booklet with colors. A mini poppit. Or some tasty candies.

You can also set up a small children's corner at the ceremony where they can chill on cushions instead of sitting still on a chair. Or a small drawing board where they can color.

In addition to arranging any entertainment or distraction, it is good to agree with the parents in advance what to do if the child becomes restless and can no longer be quiet. Often they think it is rude to run away and they try to appease children with all their might. But this actually only causes more anxiety. Therefore, discuss with the parents that in such a case, it is best for them to walk away and find another spot.

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