Street Peeper Zimbabwe Street Peeper Bridal Issue 2017 | Page 18

Dealing with kids
At a wedding!
The discussion of whether to invite
children to a wedding always becomes
a passionate one. In one corner, you
have people (oftentimes with children
of their own) who think kids add a
certain magic to the atmosphere --
those precious moments otherwise
only available at a card store. In the
other corner, you have those who feel
as though that "magic" is more the
black variety -- the screaming, the
messing, the ruining. But including kids
in your festivities doesn't have to be a
horror movie in the making. Follow
these guidelines to ensure that your
wedding is fun for all ages. about their kids making the list. They
assume their kids are or aren't, but
either way they often don't ask. So you
need to make it abundantly clear who
is included. If you are inviting kids,
adding the words "and family" to the
invitation envelope indicates as much.
If you aren't including children but
someone RSVPs for theirs, you may be
put in the uncomfortable position of
calling them to let them know you're
sorry but you couldn't invite every-
one's children. To avoid hurt feelings if
you're having some kids (such as the
flower girl and ring bearer) make sure
you explain your inviting parameters.
Decide Who's Included
Don't feel as though having kids at
your wedding opens it up to everyone
under 13. Although it may seem tough
to exclude, it's perfectly fine only to
invite children who are part of your or
your fiance's family -- or those of close
family friends. Just because you want
your niece at your wedding doesn't
mean you must have everyone else's
niece. If you let yourself get caught up
in the drama of "Why wasn't my child
invited?!" you're going to find yourself
in a big (and expensive) mess, with
every child of every random guest
coming out of the woodwork looking
for an invitation. Managing the Kids
If possible, seat all the parents and
their children together at one table or
at tables close to each other. The quick-
est way to ruin a single guest's time is
to stick them at a table with lots of
kids. While it might seem like a good
idea to put all the children at a table
alone, an unsupervised group of kids is
the fastest way to go from elegant re-
ception to kindergarten madness
Stand strong, and tell people you're
sorry you can't include everyone -- that
you're trying to limit the guest list.
Knot Note: Don't extend "ceremony
only" invitations to children. While you
may feel like you're doing the child (or
his parents) a favor by including him in
something, nothing's worse to a child
than seeing other children head off to a
party while he has to head home.
Make It Clear Who's Invited
Parents tend to make assumptions
Offer a Kid's Meal
Be thoughtful when choosing the food
you want to serve to the little ones.
This isn't the time to be a culinary snob
-- most kids will eat only fun foods like
little pizzas, chicken fingers, or mini
hot dogs, so spare yourself the heart-
ache and extra dollars and forgo the
foie gras. For dessert, a make-your-
own-sundae bar is always a hit. And
since little people have small appetites,
you should ask your catering manager
for a lower per-person price. Also be
sure to ask if the kids can get their food
early and quickly -- especially at an
evening reception -- since kids eat on a
schedule.