Grappling with guest list anxiety? Drafting and cutting your guest list might not be quite as fun as the rest of the wedding planning, especially when you’re telling your guests you can’t bring your kids. A lot of people believe that a wedding is an adults-only affair, but some people think that the guests who have young children deserve to bring their kids to weddings. Children in your close family is where it gets particularly complicated even if these young children mean quite a lot to the couple getting married. Subtlety is really overrated when it comes to getting what you want, but there is a way to get what you want while staying polite.
You want to be nice, even if you don’t want to be flexible. So be direct and include “please, no kids” on the invitation. It might seem an offensive thing to say on an invitation, a “no-kids” policy but your wedding is planned in advance parents have plenty of time to have a sitter and parents can enjoy the night out as a couple. That means the kids who parents claim are mature or cool are still not allowed.
Inform Your Immediate Family First
Make sure your immediate families are the first to know of your “no-kids” wedding policy as soon as you’ve made the decision. Be proactive with your friends with kids and have the conversation with them early on that unfortunately, they won’t be able to bring their kids.“You want to give them as much time as possible to make arrangements for childcare to make sure they are at your wedding.
Make It Clear On Your Invitation
Address your invitations to those invited, not every person in the household. Stay away from “The Smith Family.” Leaving family out of the address reassures that their children are not mentioned, and therefore not invited.
Put No Kids On Your Wedding Website
Include a brief mention of that there will not be children at the reception so that guests are informed in advance and are given a friendly reminder. Remind them over and over again to avoid any type of confusion. If you hold back this information, it could confuse guests and prevent them from coordinating a sitter in time.
Try To Remain Understanding
You might not be a parent yourself, but that does not mean forget about being empathetic for those who are parents. It’s not always easy for them to part with their children, especially friends and family with young children. So try to maintain your composure and explain in a nice way why you want your wedding to be kid-free.
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