As magical, romantic, and memorable as your wedding is going to be, at one point or another during the planning process, you're going to look at your fiance and seriously consider if all this hassle is worth it. (Spoiler alert: it is!)
Finding the balance between planning the special day of your dreams and managing the expectations of your friends and family can be tough, particularly when planning the guest list. Between long lost relatives clamoring for an invite, your parents' friends who haven't seen you since you were in diapers, and plus-ones turning into plus-families, whether or not to invite kids to your wedding can be a touchy subject. If you decide that your wedding will be an adults only affair, relaying this information to your guests can be stressful. It might be tempting to write NO KIDS ALLOWED across all your stationery, but we have a few more subtle, but still effective, suggestions!
The first line of defense is on your RSVP cards. We always include a simple "we have saved X seats for you" line on each of our designs. Some couples opt have a number printed right on their invitations (if you're inviting everyone in pairs of 2, it saves time), while others will fill in the blanks before sending.
Most guests will take the hint, but if you're worried that some of your guests might consider their progeny as invited-by-association, consider including a less subtle (but still polite!) line on your wedding website. A few options you might consider:
♥ In order to allow all guests, including parents, an evening of relaxation we have chosen for our wedding day to be an adult only occasion. We hope this advance notice means you are still able to share our big day and will enjoy having the evening off!
♥ Due to restrictions at our venue, children are not invited.
♥ Children are welcome at the ceremony, however we respectfully advise that the reception is for adults only.
Whatever you decide, make sure you're consistent; if you allow some guests bring their children, but deny others, you may end up with some ruffled feathers and hurt feelings.
At the end of the day, you want your nearest and dearest to have the best time ever at your wedding, so do what feels right to you!
