You’re getting married! And you and your partner are busy working away on your guest list, which may lead you to the question, do we invite children? Perhaps you’re looking to host a child-free event or maybe you’ve decided to invite all the little ones in your family to your wedding. Whatever your decision, everAFTER is here to help with this guide to childcare at weddings.

It’s important to consider what your child or your guests’ children's involvement will be on your wedding day. In particular it can be incredibly meaningful for your niece, nephew, son or daughter to be part of the wedding ceremony. Perhaps they will be walking down the aisle with you or your bridal party, maybe they will carry the rings all by themselves or depending on their age and how late your wedding may finish, they may be involved in the whole day.

How ever you decide to include the little ones, there are some logistical questions you may need to solve.

Will your reception venue cater for children? Will you require high chairs? Will you employ a wedding-sitter to help at the reception keep younger children engaged and entertained? Will you hire a babysitter offsite for your guests’ children? Will it be overnight care?

If you have a wedding website, consider adding suggestions for your friends and family to help find local babysitters. This is especially helpful for weddings further from home. You might also include business cards for reliable babysitting services as part of your wedding invitation suite.

Whether you decide to invite children or not is a personal decision. There is no right or wrong answer. Don’t feel pressured either way!

Suggested ideas for children at weddings:

1. Set up an activity room or zone

This is a great idea so that children to have their own special space at your wedding. Companies such as Victoria’s Event Nannies can create a safe, child-friendly zone with activities to entertain the little ones which also ties into the aesthetic of your wedding day styling. Age appropriate craft and games led by event nannies mean that parents can pop in at any time without worrying about their children being left alone.

This is also an ideal option for breastfeeding mums or parents who are less comfortable leaving their children with a babysitter offsite.

2. Hire a wedding helper

Wedding helpers can attend your wedding to provide an extra pair of hands. From assisting with meals to creating activities to keep children entertained during the reception, this can be a great, worry-free way for friends to dance, mingle and enjoy the occasion.

3. Kid’s Table

With a specifically designated kids table, children won’t feel left out of the festivities. Colouring, drawing, games and crossword puzzles will keep older children entertained for hours. Etsy offers a huge array of beautifully crafted activity placemats, booklets and wedding favour gift boxes. Or get creative and DIY! Make the design specific to your wedding theme and create ‘bouquet colouring’, wedding I-spy or spot the difference.

4. Wedding sitters

Should you decide to have an adults-only wedding, it is often the case that your regular babysitters grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle or siblings, are all invited to the ceremony and reception. As such you may need to outsource your babysitter. Consider your child or children meeting with their new sitter prior to the wedding day. This way it’s a familiar face and you will have no added stress to your event knowing your little one is being cared for by someone they know and trust.

Event Nannies
Servicing Melbourne, Yarra Valley, Dandenong Ranges & Mornington Peninsula

Event Nannies tailor bespoke wedding packages to suit your needs. Including pre-wedding visits, full support on the wedding day and the option for overnight care on the wedding night.
eventnannies.com.au

Kidz Klub
Servicing Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Sydney & Brisbane

Options include outdoor kid’s areas for garden ceremonies or a KidzKlub Crèche, away from the adults. Kidz Klub will create the type of activities and children’s entertainment that will complement your day.
kidzklub.com.au

The Nanny Collective
Servicing Sydney

Hotel nanny care or event sitters provide entertainment, supervision and care of all children attending the wedding.
thenannycollective.com.au