Next Saturday my two older boys will be part of a wedding ceremony. My sister-in-law is getting married, and my sons are very excited to be part of the bridal party.

Weddings are a very special occasion for a couple and having kids be part of the ceremony can be a great and unpredictable thing. Sometimes they behave as the best children in the world but other times it is just a complete nightmare.

If you are taking part in this process (as I have been doing for the last couple of months) here are some things you can do to make the experience as pleasant as possible:

• Assign them a helper – ideally another member of the wedding party who can keep an eye on them, hang out with them before the ceremony, and take them outside if they start to cry.
  
• Bring a change of clothes for the wedding reception – this way they can eat, run around, play with crayons or other toys, all without fear of ruining nice clothes.
  
• Practice walking down the aisle, until they are comfortable with it.
  
• Show them exactly where their parents will be sitting
  
• Consider buying them a book that talks about being a flower girl or ring bearer.
  
• For a child whose parent is getting married, be sure to include them in the ceremony.

There are many other great ideas to assure everyone has a great time at the wedding. For instance, there should be activities for the children. The idea is to entertain them while the adults enjoy their time together.

I had ten children at my wedding and we all had a great time. My mom had a corner specially prepared for them with toys, coloring books and crayons. They danced among themselves and parents were close by to watch over them.

We’ll see how it goes this time with my children being part of the bridal party. It is a completely new experience for me. Let’s hope is a great one.

Posted by Momcrazyforkids.