Great question and hopefully she does a video on it- in the meantime her highlights of 2019 video talks about what made each event stand out / memorable so that could be good for giving you ideas 😊 also her video on the guest experience is helpful- less about your wedding standing out but still great to know what guests actually care about and what will make it enjoyable for them
When I was 6, I was a flower girl for my cousin's wedding. Children were welcome to come to the wedding, but they asked all the parents to leave their kids in a designated area. All parents were notified in advance. They had baby sitters, a clown, face painting, Disney movies going all night and a kid-friendly menu of mac and cheese and hotdogs. I personally had a blast. I made sure to have a coloring area at my wedding, but we just didn't have many kids in the family at the time, so it didn't get much use.
At my wedding a friend passed out little cups of Cheerios before the ceremony. My sisters in law said it was so helpful with keeping her toddler quiet during the ceremony!
I have never clicked a notification so fast 🤣🤣🤣 Planning a temporary tattoo station and bubble wands, super affordable and I might even get in on it with the kids lol
I volunteered (was volun-told by my mom😜😂) to run a cookie decorating station at a friend’s wedding once. I made a bunch of sugar cookies from a mix, I think we did hearts and circles... we rounded up some containers of store bought frosting in a few different pastel colors, and a bunch of sprinkles and candy. The kids had a blast, and for the most part they were able to do the whole thing themselves. I think the decorating time also helped space out the sugar eating time, so they weren’t just shoveling in cookies. It ended up being a really fun idea!
At the wedding of my dad and stepmom when i was six, they had a magician who was a good family friend provide entertainment. He did balloon animals (along with balloon swords that all of us kids loved) and magic tricks that everyone enjoyed. Still one of my best memories! There wasn't a bored kid the entire reception. And because the tricks were so quick and the balloons we could carry with us, we could move between him and the dance floor easy.
I’m planning on having a teepee and some duplo. Got the idea when I saw a hire tent of toys and a teepee for $150, and in my wedding planning mind I went “oh good price” (it’s less than $1000 😂) luckily my friend pointed out I could buy my own teepee for $25!
I loved what you said about having a nursing room about it being kid sustainment 😂😂 love it Jamie! Also, your daughters are so sweet and really well spoken!
🤗Been asking for this Thanks Jamie! The venue we chose has a playground right outside the cocktail hour area! Im excited that your girls mentioned that as something they would enjoy. We are doing a Carnival theme, so we plan on having games, snacks, and also a bounce house. I had a friend volunteer to man the bounce house, and a couple other friends that are down to help with some of the interactive games...i am very grateful to be blessed with such willing friends. My partner and I arent really dancers, so while there will be a dance floor, we know we wanted some other activities for ourselves.
Aww I didn’t know you have twins! How cool! Love these tips! Another idea might be to have a bubble machine set up if outside, I know my sisters have a BLAST with one of those. They also make for great pictures!
My sister had about 20 kids at her wedding years ago. A few weeks before the wedding, she went to second-hand stores and thrift shops and purchased teddy bears for the kids (at $2-3 per bear). It was genius. There was no fighting because each bear was unique, they made no noise, and the kids were thoroughly occupied with their new "toys" during the ceremony and reception. Even the older kids wanted a bear.
We have a company called wedding nannies in Scotland and my cousin used them for her wedding reception (she had her own kids and a lot of my other cousins have kids) and they were great, they had stuff for the kids to play with that they brought with them and the younger adults were also able to play with the kids as well they took balls and me and my other cousins were able to find a space to play with the little ones that was away from the drinks!
I’d love to see a video about ways that kids can be included in the ceremony. Something like lighting candles as a family together. 😅 I am not creative at all, it were two families joining, and that is special, too.
We have a warning on our invitations saying that after 8pm is adult time (music more adult themed and starting to pack things up so most food and stuff is gone)
SUCH A CUTE VID!! Hobby Lobby has a pack of wedding themed coloring pages for like, $5? And if you go when the wedding stuff is 40% they are stupid cheap. We got those for the handful of kids we had at our wedding and they loved them! It was really handy while they were waiting for dinner to come out.
We are only having kids that are in the wedding which is our niece and nephews. Our siblings (their parents) will be at the head table with us since they are in the wedding too so we are having a kids table with a babysitter. The babysitter has watched 5/7 of the kids all summer. Most of her job will be to watch the kids while everyone gets ready and does pictures then to just help keep track of the kids at the reception. We also have activities and legos in our wedding colors at the table to keep the kids entertained until open dancing.
I was actually a babysitter at a wedding of my coworkers daughter in college. The reception was at a hotel so they had a meeting room for us to use and brought in a tv that we were able to play movies on. They had bought a lot of kid friendly snacks and juice boxes and ordered pizza for dinner. Some of the kids rotated in and out some but we always had several children in there at once. One of the parents even made sure to bring up some cake for me and my friend that was helping. It ended up working out great. The couple was getting married in their hometown but they and most of their friends lived about 2 hours away so most of the parents seemed very grateful that they had somewhere to take the kids during the reception and they didn’t even have to pay for it. Several of the parents did leave pretty generous tips so we got some extra money on top of what the brides mom paid us so that was awesome for some poor college girls. Lol
Hey Jamie, just got recently engaged and I already binge watched like 50 of your videos 😅. Thank you so much for your advice, and I think I won’t allow children under 12 to my wedding, I just need to figure out how to put it on the invitation. Again, thank you so so much.
You can put on your details card that it’s an event for 12 and older. Also most people know that when you address the envelopes that if it doesn’t say ‘and family’ or their kids names that the kids are probably not invited. For my wedding we just let family know about no kids in passing at holidays whenever we got questions about the wedding then did all the other stuff once we sent out invites. I had more people excited about not having to bring their kids to have a night out.
We’ve said this verbally to our two couples with little kids but also, in their invites will include a poem or something about getting a babysitter and leaving the kids at home. Same goes for my friend who is surgically attached to her dog 😂
I'm having an adult only affair and I'm sorry to say, don't assume the best in people. It's explicitly stated "adults only" on the invite and website, and I addressed cards to only the couple. People have STILL assumed their kiddos are allowed and I have had to verbally inform people that is not the case. I'm dreading the day, because I know I will be turning people away with kiddos in tow.
Hiiii! Still watching your videos over here even though I got married because you’re delightful and they’re helpful to my engaged friends. I could’ve sworn you already did a video on this, but maybe you could do a video on how to transition your wedding colors to a different season for those that had to move their wedding date thanks to COVID. I saw some articles on it and that must have been why I thought you did a video on it but I think you’d do a way better job explaining it.
I LOVE the idea of a photo scavenger hunt! My fiance and I actually really love doing scavenger hunts and we love watching the amazing race so I think hes gonna love the idea too. I love that it's fun for everyone, too and not just kids!
We had an extra area of our reception space that could be blocked off and we had a room of coloring books, goodie bags, and movies! When the kiddos were tired of dance and wanted to just chill, they went over and watched a movie.
Jamie, Ur daughters are well-mannered, articulate and had great ideas. My toddler niece loves fruits & veggies (& coffee - she managed to sneak a sip from my brother's cup of warm coffee. She generally has high energy, so she put the Energizer out of business after🤣🤣🤣🥰🥰🥰.
This is awesome and on time being that I made the decision to include my nieces and nephews in our big day. Luckily there is a giant park 50 ft away and a dance floor ! Thanks Jamie your girls are beautiful!
This is such a good video! At my wedding we had props for taking pictures with like mustaches and funny glasses etc all on sticks like masquerade masks adults and kids loved them and they were super cheap
I'm having a forest theme wedding with kids. We're planning to have a face painter during cocktail hour so kids can get some fairies, trees and butterflies painted on their face or arms.
@@iwasalllikeomg lol we'll have to have a sample sign with some suggested designs... My nieces would probably be the first to ask for Spider-Man so I guess I'll just make peace with it now 😄.
Hi, we have 3 children and a lot of nephews and nieces so we decided to hire an animation company for the kids who will entertain and babysit the kids! Thanks for the video I will use the coloring idea for the ceremony.
Great info! I’m a planner as well and I know the family is always relieved to know the kids well not only be safe but they’ll be entertained and have fun as well. Great video!
How cute are your children...And 10 years old...Woooow....I wanna do a kids table with all the things you mentioned...I thought I might do it in a picnic style with pillows, add a little tipi tent with some more blankets and some children books in case one crashes a little, and some lawn games, such as mikado, boccia, and the one with the rings, frisbee ;) and a coloring station ofcourse . Last but not least I got some bubble swords, looks a little star warsi, but I wanna paint them in my wedding colors so it looks a little more elegant...but with these the kids can run aroundand have fun.
This wasn't a wedding but my mom had brought a coloring book and markers to a graduation party for my nieces. There turned out to be about a dozen little girls set up just the two. My mom ripped pages out of the book handed them out split up the markers and we got the cutest pictures of all the little girls laying on the floor coloring.
One of my friends is having the kids babysat at the reception and making them bags for the ceremony. Their doing it the night before Halloween! So when the kids get there they will go to each table and get candy then leave their bags in a box by the door when they go to the babysitter room!
It's as if you read my mind, I am currently planning my wedding for later this year (so far it looks like it's still going ahead) and didn't really know what to do for the children attending, i think the photo scavenger hunt is a really good idea , thank you ❤
I don't know if you will be able to answer this, but I have been pondering what to do. If people bring their kids, we are actually looking at 60-75 kids and at least 400 adults. Yep, my fiancé invited the town. I really appreciated this video and feel way more confident moving forward
That's so cute that her daughters weighed in! I'm just concerned about a baby crying during the vows. I almost want to have someone to sit outside with the babies during the ceremony.
Hey! How did this work out for you? This is my concern as well a baby crying during the ceremony and causing distractions. We’ve said no kids but folks keep asking for exceptions 🙄
I'm bringing my 15 month old to my best friends wedding, per her request, but she's not doing anything for the kids. My daughter is barely walking yet. So I'm going to have to pack a bag to entertain her. And we do still breastfeed. I'm nervous lol
I’m going to have kids at my wedding. I’m even going to make special wedding favor goodie bags for kids of all ages and even have some extra for the kids at heart
I would love to see a video about doing DIY music for a wedding! Have you ever been to, planned, or coordinated a wedding where the couple opted to not hire a professional DJ or musician and instead do something like hooking Spotify playlists up to a sound system? How did it go? Would you recommend it for budget brides whose top priorities are elsewhere? Pros and cons? Do you have any tips for making it work if one chose to do so? I apologize if this was covered in another video! I haven’t seen it yet (if anyone knows where she covers this let me know which video!) Thanks!!
For my sisters wedding we made a whole kids table with crayons and coloring sheets and puzzles and stuff and let me tell you NO kids were even remotely interested they just hung out with each other on the dance floor 😭🙄
we would have had a big venue and outside area at said venue. i would have hired a jumping castle for the kids there... and i still think i can hire a small one and place it inside our giant garage wich will ne our new venue(due to the pandemic)... what do you guys think? I will have goodie bags set uo with handmade wedding activity books and cryons available at the kids table. i wil also serve the kids maybe some mac and cheese cups amd hotdogs as im not sure the kids will want to eat roast with salads.... i will also have ice cream and cake for desert. was thinking of getting cones for the kids as i know they would prefer that... again ... what do yall think?
Jamie! Can you please do a video about engagement parties? Still trying to convince my fiance that it's not a bad idea- especially if we know some people won't be able to make the wedding
My husband, we are have a vow renewal next year, and I are huge board game lovers, so we are using them as part of the table decor.. it our wedding so...
I disagree with the music portion - I’m alllll for kids being at a wedding but I think it’s ok for music to be played that you want regardless of version you can give parents the heads up about music.
At my wedding we had a face paint table and after cake cutting instead of smashing cake in each others face, we did a little bit of face paint on each other (my husband and I are fans of rivals sports teams, so we each put a sticker of the other teams logo on each other's faces as a joke). But both before and after we did the face painting as a couple, I saw a lot of people (including some adults) having a lot of fun. We also had wedding themed coloring pages during the cocktail hour. We had a lot of families (a few with special needs) at our wedding. And as an early childhood special educator, it was really important to me that we didn't exclude children and that both they and their parents felt loved and welcome. Later on, a lot of parents commented that their kids had fun and said it was the best wedding they've ever been to with kids. We had a buffet-style serving for food and actually had anyone with small children go through the line first. Being able to pile up your food and get your kid seated right away actually makes everything nicer for everyone. Hangry kids are no fun and it's hard to get wigglers to sit and wait for plated service. Another thing I made sure of was that there was no fragile decor in even remote reach of little ones.
With children who have special needs/diets it is worth considering not having food in kids reach (what's the parents take a little bit more of a breather)
Part of what made the face paint even more fun is that I asked one of the bridesmaids to help at the table for a short bit (she was friends with one of the larger families and really made all of those kids feel comfortable in the place that they didn't know)
My friend is having kids at her wedding in October but they will have a babysitter inside during the ceremony. That photo scavenger hunt sounds amazing!
What age do you recommend for a separate kids table? We are thinking of letting age 6+ sit together by themselves, while 5 y.o. and under sit with their parents. Would you be comfortable with that as a mother?
Jamie, I love your videos! I am getting married in 10/07/20, I’m so stressed out, cannot afford a wedding planner. We are thinking of following through with our courthouse wedding and I need help on the protocol or timeline to follow !!! What would you recommend for a courthouse wedding? Is there anything different I should be aware of?
I put it on my wedding website that we couldn’t accommodate children under 12 and I was very specific about what names were on the invitation and RSVP.
i mean yeah... set up a square boundry with wooden rods/dowels and ribbon amd have a family friend's teen or a local person just watch over the kids at the designated area...
Don't invite kids. Stick to adults only with no regrets. If parents are upset at this they don't have to attend. They are not getting married and are not dishing out food and spending $$$. It's the bride and grooms event , their day . They don't have to worry about accommodation for kids because kids don't even remember or know what the wedding is about. Again no regrets and people will get over it.
What about what acceptable for the parents of groom and bride to do? Not every family will get along. And it is about the bride and groom not the parents of.
Hi Jamie I tried to find your video of the wedding I did in Hawaiian but failed to find it. Was looking for your contact info because I am newly engaged and have NO idea what I'm doing... At all. PLEASE HELP!!
