Photo by Ben Waardenburg on Unsplash
Looking for alternative wedding ceremony ideas that include your kids in your wedding? It doesn’t matter if you’ve chosen to marry your partner after having kids or if the two of you are blending your families. There are countless things you can do to incorporate the children, all of which will let them know how essential they are in your family. Make your big day even more meaningful by letting the little ones leave their mark on the event.
7 Alternative Wedding Ceremony Ideas to Include Children
1. Get Crafty With Them
If you’re taking the DIY approach with any of your wedding décor, then you can invite the kids to help. Whether they pick out color schemes and materials, assemble gift bags, or glue and paint decorations, they’ll have fun with the activities. They’ll also be proud to point out their contributions at the ceremony or reception venue. Tailor the tasks to your children’s skill levels and talents. For example, if you have a gifted painter on your hands, then invite them to paint something special to display on the cake table or gift table.
2. Let Them Take Part in Planning
There are plenty of planning activities in which your kids can take part. When you and your spouse are comparing two venues, menu choices, or palette choices, get their opinion. Need to decide on a fun playlist for the reception? Letting your children add some of their favorite songs is one of many fun alternative wedding ceremony ideas you can do to make your wedding stand out and be memorable for the whole family.
Even something small, such as placing stamps on envelopes, can make them feel involved, which is essential whether you’re blending a family or getting hitched after having the kids.
3. Include Them in the Fun Stuff
Everyone can agree that some planning events are more fun than others. Fortunately, those duties are also vital to the wedding. Picking out the menu is one of them. Do you have any little gourmets in your group? Take them to the menu tasting. If nothing else, they can give you their thoughts on the kid-friendly options. Besides, you want to take their tastes into account too.
The cake tasting is another delicious alternative wedding ceremony idea to make your kids part of the big day. Bring them to the bakery to assist in choosing the flavors and maybe even the design. Little touches like this that they’ll see on the big day will mean the world to them, in addition to signifying the new bond you’re forging with your family.
Time for a family fashion show! Maybe the kids are simply attending the wedding ceremony as guests. Maybe they’re participating in the ceremony – we’ll talk more about that shortly. Either way, the kids need outfits for the occasion, and that means shopping for wedding dresses for little girls and suits for little boys.
They can come shopping with the rest of the wedding party. The girls can try on pretty dresses with the bride and bridal party, while the boys can get fitted for suits or tuxes with the groom and groomsmen. Alternatively, if you get everyone’s measurements, then you can easily shop for outfits online.
4. Give Them a Role in the Wedding
Photo by Enis Yavuz on Unsplash
Every kid wants to be in their parents’ wedding – even years after the fact! One of the most common alternative wedding ceremony ideas is to include them in the wedding itself, which will send them into the stratosphere with excitement and glee. Choose your daughter or bonus daughter as a bridesmaid. Let your son walk you down the aisle. Naturally, traditional flower girl and ring bearer roles are up for grabs too. No matter how you incorporate the children, they’ll be over the moon.
You can be more unconventional with the inclusion of the kids as well. Let the kids have a signature role during the wedding. That could mean performing a dance or a song, playing an instrument, or reciting a reading, such as a parable or poem. Another option is to ask them to give a speech or a toast during the reception. It doesn’t have to be big, but they’ll love being in the spotlight on such an important occasion.
5. Talk About Them in Your Vows
On the subject of big speeches, your vows are the most meaningful. They represent the perfect opportunity to talk about your love for your children, whether you’re bringing together two families or taking your commitment with your partner to another level.
There are many resources offering inspiration on alternative wedding ceremony ideas that incorporate your kids into your wedding vows, but they may not be necessary. Simply speak from your heart as you talk about the children and the family you’ve created. There’s nothing sweeter than that, and hearing you talk about them so lovingly will mean everything to the little ones.
6. Surprise Them With a Meaningful Gift
It’s traditional for the betrothed couple to exchange gifts on the day of their wedding. You can do the same with the kids. Surprise them with a special token that will ensure they remember the day with a smile. It might be a piece of jewelry, a photo in a frame, or something meaningful between the two of you. From cute figurines to ornate jewelry boxes, there are endless choices. Just think of the children’s likes and preferences as you select a gift.
7. Let Them Put Their Stamp on Something
Photo by Tom Pumford on Unsplash
If possible, let the kids make one decision for the wedding. It could be the cake flavors, some of the decorations, or one of the party favors. Let your little girl choose her own dress. Allow your little boy to pick out the suit style he likes best. Again, it’s a great idea to let the children decide on some of the kid-friendly foods for the luncheon or dinner.
One of the more ingenious alternative wedding ceremony ideas is to let them come up with a delicious mocktail for the rest of the little ones or the adults at the party looking to stay sober. Participating in the wedding in this way will cement their place in the family and make them feel important. Knowing that their opinion matters on such a momentous day is priceless.
There are many magical ways to incorporate your kids into your wedding, both leading up to the event and in the ceremony and reception. How do you plan to include the kids? Share your magical moments with us!
Author Bio:
Tess DiNapoli is an artist, freelance writer, and content strategist. She has a passion for yoga and often writes about health and wellness, but also enjoys covering the fashion industry and world of fitness.
