The Kid Factor – Marriage Style

Kids can be a fun part of a wedding and reception. And you know there is a however coming…. However, I’ve witnessed on many occasions, very young children become scared when it’s their turn to walk down the aisle as ring-bearer or flower girl. Imagine being 3 foot tall and facing all those faces looking at you! At a recent wedding, the flower girl was ready to walk the aisle, got scared and the only one there to comfort her was the bride who was next up. So what should have been the happiest moment of her life was spent trying to comfort a crying child.

Over the years, while playing the processional music for a lot of weddings at Surface DJ Group, I’ve witnessed some funny things. In one wedding, their dog was the ring-bearer with the ring tied on his collar. And you guessed it! The dog relieved himself on the way down the aisle. Wish I would have had my video camera for America’s Funniest Videos. In another wedding, the flower girl dropped rose pedals and the ring-bearer went behind her picking them all up.

My advise? Include the children but think about the following tips:

1. Don’t have extremely young children who don’t take directions very well.

2. Have Mom stationed close to the front so they’ll go to her.

3. If it doesn’t work at rehersal, it won’t work in the wedding.

4. If you don’t have a wedding co-ordinator, have someone in the back to send everyone down front and handle any problems.

5. Have the young ones return to their families during the ceremony instead of standing up front during the entire ceremony. They get restless and the guests are watching them instead of the couple

Watch for future blog posts with lots of suggestions for children at a reception. With some planning, they can be a fun part of the event.

Dan Surface, Surface DJs, http://youdeserveaparty.com