Including
Kids In
Your Wedding
Including
Kids In
Your WeddingWhen FI and I began planning our wedding, we found very few ideas for including our children in our wedding. Our goal was for our children to feel this was "our" wedding, we wanted them to have a magical day as well as us. After months of collecting info and ideas, I decided to put this bio together to assist other parents who are planning a wedding. Please e-mail me at scraplink@yahoo.com if you would like to add something, so we can make this an even more useful resource! Click here to visit our wedding planning bio: scraplink
You can begin by including your children's names on your invitation. Particularly if you are paying for the wedding yourself, you may choose to include their names rather than your parents. Here's the wording we used:
Option 1:
BRIDE
with her son/daughter NAME
and
GROOM
with his son/daughter NAME
and his son/daughter NAME
invite you to witness
the union of their families
etc etc
Option 2:
BRIDE
and
GROOM
along with their children
CHILDREN'S NAMES
invite you to join in the blending
of their families through marriage
on DATE YEAR
at TIME
LOCATION
ADDRESS
CITY, STATE
Option3:
My family, your family - blending as
one
Sharing, caring - a new life's begun
BRIDE
and
GROOM
along with their children
CHILDREN'S NAMES
invite you to join in the blending
of their families through marriage
on DATE YEAR
at TIME
LOCATION
ADDRESS
CITY, STATE
Option 4:
BRIDE
and
GROOM
together with their children
are happy to announce their marriage
on DAY YEAR
CITY, STATE
Please join them for a celebration
on DAY YEAR
TIME
LOCATION
CITY, STATE
Many people choose to include their children by having them act as traditional wedding party attendants, including Flower Girl, Page Boy, Ringbearer, Jr. Bridesmaid, Bridesmaid, Usher, and Groomsman. This is great if the children are excited about the wedding, but keep in mind some children may NOT be.
We chose to include our children as "our children" and create distinct positions for them. They are listed in the program with their names as "Daughter/Son of the Bride/Groom". As such, our children are wearing outfits which matched ours and was very distinct from the other attendants. Also, the Daughters bouquets will be miniature versions of the Bride's, while the Sons bouttonieres were miniature versions of the Groom's. These flowers were very distinct from the other wedding party attendants.
Children of the Bride/Groom should precede the Bride down the aisle, after the Flower Girl, as they are the most important members of the wedding party next to the Bride and Groom.
Many people choose to exchange simple vows with their soon-to-be (step)children. Examples coming soon!
It is a wonderful idea to exchange jewelry with the children, to give the child a tangible symbol of the new commitment being made. There are several websites offering jewelry items intended for girls, but only one that I know of which applies to boys and girls.
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| Family Medallions - this company offers a variety of jewelry items featuring three intertwined circles, which represent the Bride, the Groom, and the Child. Gold & Silver Necklaces, keychains, rings, lapel pins, and charm bracelets. Visit their website here: FamilyMedallion.com | Dena Marie Bridal offers a New Beginnings Keepsake Necklace |
Some people choose additional candles for their children, and everyone lights a "family candle". Many companies offer candles personalized with all family members names.
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| Not sure where I got this image, I saved it thinking it would make an easy DIY project. | This candle and holder is from FamilyMedallion.com |
The unity sands ceremony is done instead of the unity candle ceremony. Use a separate container of sand for each person involved, preferably with a different color of sand for each. Each person pours their sand into a common container, symbolizing the coming together of the family. The container is then poured into another container, and the mixing of the sands symbolizes the mixing of their lives. The sands had different origins but are now mixed and could not possibly be separated again into separate wholes. (this seemed safer to us than open flame with children!)
Some people have chosen to use cake toppers which represent the children as well as the couple.
We are placing four votive candles around our cake topper, and those will represent the children.
Consider offering kid-friendly fare, or asking your caterer to offer a separate menu for the children involved.
This could also fit under Decorations and Favors, but consider having a "candy buffet" at your wedding for young and old alike! Visit the Candy Buffet Bio to see photos!
Consider hiring one or more people specifically to entertain the children. Ideas include:
A special children's area is the perfect place to use balloons for decorating
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| Not sure where I collected this one | Thanks to blasery for this image. |
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These could be centerpieces or goodies, not sure where I got these pics, let me know if you do
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If you're the DIY type, you can create your own customized wedding coloring book. download pages from the following websites, and use your computer to add some of your own. Ideas for pages include:
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Photo from SparklingBride Click here to download the template for this coloring book. It was created in Microsoft Word, so you must have Word to edit and use the document: |
Photo from Scraplink (that's me, creator of this bio) You can download a PDF of this coloring book if you want to see it, but you cannot edit the file. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader (free) to view the file. To be able to edit this template, you must have the software that was used to create it, which is HP's Creative Scrapbook Assistant. ($30 at their website, also available at Best Buy) If you have that software, download the template here: |
DIY Bride Article
Some honeymoon destinations are beginning to advertise FamilyMoon packages which incorporate traditional bride/groom activities and treatment as well as special accomodations and activities for children.
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