Did children put a damper on your first wedding ceremony and reception? If you don’t feel like going through that again, well, who can blame you? Sure, some children are well-behaved thanks to their parents, but others are not (also thanks to their parents). The decision to have a child-free wedding is one likely to ruffle more than a few feathers, but that’s too darn bad. It’s your wedding, and it can be kid-free if you want.
With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at what you can do to ensure your wedding is sans ankle biters:
Word Of Mouth
Avoid saying “No children” or “No kids” on your wedding invitations, as it is considered bad taste and will offend a whole lot of people. Simply spread the word that your second wedding is a childless affair. If you are still concerned half of your friends and family are going to show up with their kids, make an announcement on your wedding website. Make it clear that it’s not “some” children who are excluded from your wedding, it’s “all.” You may also want to mention the wedding is an “adults only” event on your Save the Date cards. This is considered much more tactful than saying so on your invites.
Local Babysitters
Provide the contact information of local babysitters and child care services if you know more than a few of your wedding guests will have to find people to watch their little ‘uns. Consider letting the responsible teenagers in your life know you need people to watch the kids. As long as money is good, said teens will likely say yes. Just make sure they will actually do their jobs!
Invited Folk Only
List only the people invited to your wedding on each invitation. This is a subtle way to let your guests know you don’t want their kiddies at your wedding. If you want, you can put limitations on the ‘kid’ invites and only allow those 17 and up to attend.
Money Issue
Explain that children mean extra mouths to feed at your wedding if continually pressed by your guests about the issue. No one is going to argue with you about wanting to save money!
Remember, this is your big day…stand firm with the no kids rule!
