Having a table just for the tiny tykes at your wedding is a great idea - keeps them entertained, allows the parents a brief respite and you can save some $$ by having 'kid friendly' table decor. Sounds perfect, no?
Well, as recent experience has shown, a kid's table only works if:
a) you have a number of children (five or more)
b) you have the table set up with toys or crayons or something to make it fun
At a past wedding, the client asked me at the last minute to have a small table off to the side for the three kids in wildly differing age categories. As it was last minute, we didn't have any proper 'kiddie' items for them.
Result? Huge failure. The kids felt like they were being hauled off to a gulag in Siberia and literally scrunched their noses up when approached to sit there. One parent huffed 'I guess they don't want you sitting with the adults'. Well, yeah, they didn't. In the end, the kids all avoided it like a plate of boiled spinach and sat with their parents, at the 'big tables'.
Lesson here is…kids aren't stupid. They know when they're being shuffled off to kiddielandia as an afterthought. Take a few minutes to make the wedding comfortable for them – something as simple as colouring books, some PlayDoh and kid-friendly food will make the kids table THE table to be at. And happy children make for a happy wedding.
Photo courtesy El Velo Photograpy
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