As you will know if you read my blog on a regular basis, I am part of a beautiful blended family. Not only has my life been enriched by a wonderful man, but also by loving little souls who call me Mama Yaya. If you are in the same position and are planning your nuptials, you might be wondering how you can make your big day a family event.
There are plenty of ways you can make the whole family, including your new stepchildren, feel involved. Children can make a great addition to a wedding ceremony. As long as you involve them in the right way, that is.
Are you in the middle of planning your wedding celebrations? To ensure that the whole family can be involved, here’s what you need to do:
Choose a child-friendly venue for your Big Day
If your kids or your partner’s kids have low attention spans, it might be a good idea to choose a child-friendly place. This could be a church that has a kids area in it. Or perhaps an outdoor venue.
A popular place for family-friendly weddings is the beach, especially tropical beaches. If you like the idea of a relaxed, fun wedding, destination weddings could be the perfect option for you and your family. After you’ve said your vows and are mingling with guests, the kids can play in the sand and swim in the sea. What’s more family-friendly than that?
Make them part of the wedding party on your Big Day
Whether you have children, or your partner does, one of the best ways to include them is by making them part of the wedding party. How you include them in the wedding party will depend on their ages.
For instance, for older children – 10 and over, being a bridesmaid or groomsman is the perfect job. For younger kids, however, being a flower girl or ring bearer is a better option. If your children or your partners’ are young, you may need to have someone to help them with their job.
Give them a job
Another great way to involve children in your wedding is to give them an important job to do. If yours’ or your partner’s’ child likes baking, perhaps you could ask them to bake cookies or cakes for the big day? Or, if your child is a photography lover, why not arm them with a camera and ask them to take pictures? Obviously, hire a professional photographer as well!
You would be surprised at how creative kids can be. Not to mention how much they appreciate being given a job to do. If you want to get the kids involved, giving each child a job is a perfect way to do that.
Use their talents
If your child or your partner’s child has a special talent. Maybe they can sing or play a musical instrument. Find a way to include this in your big day. Children love performing. So why not allow them to play a piece or sing a song at your wedding?
Believe it or not, involving the whole family in your special day isn’t as hard as you would think.
collaborative post
