The Complete Guide For Taking Toddlers To Weddings

We went to a beautiful wedding on Thursday and to say that I was slightly nervous about my daughter interrupting the ceremony would have been an understatement, but I was so proud of my little lady because she was an absolute gem even if she did keep saying "Ooh a cat" during the ceremony. This wedding was our third as a family of three so both my husband and I knew exactly what to expect, you could say we have become quite the pros at this whole wedding with a toddler thing! We have come a long way since our first wedding with our three month old daughter who thought that it was the perfect time for an explosive poop as the bride was walking down the aisle. We regretted leaving the changing bag in the car during the ceremony - hasten to say that my husband made an embarrassing quick exit out of the church with an awful smell falling behind him! I thought that it would be a good idea to help all you parents with toddlers out there with a complete guide for taking a toddler to a wedding. So without further ado here are some ways in which you can prepare yourselves and your toddler for a wedding!


Where to start?

Atttending a wedding with a toddler requires planning! You have to try and anticipate any situation that may occur, any oversights and you could risk never being invited to any family function again. So here are a few things you may need to consider.

- What will your toddler wear? What will you change them into once they destroy the their wedding clothes? 
- What will you be wearing? Is that light coloured dress a good idea with a toddler with grubby hands? 
- Have you thought about an exit strategy? Explosive poops can happen at any stage during the day! Meltdowns during the ceremony or refraining the toddler from poking the cake before its even been cut. 
- Have you thought about the truckload of stuff you will need for the toddler? A little cute handbag may not be the way forward as your husband only has a few pockets already filled with your keys, your purse, extra makeup because that oh so cute handbag is not big enough! 

Getting Ready

It really doesn't matter what time the wedding starts as soon as you wake your ultimate goal of the day is to get to the wedding on time. The best thing for the toddler is to eat their breakfast, play, bath and then put on their outfit at the last possible moment! Toddlers cannot be trusted! Meanwhile the toddler is playing try and get yourself ready as interruptions from a toddler is likely. 

The Ceremony 

For us the most troublesome part of the day was the ceremony mainly because we had to try and keep the little lady quiet for a while so here are a few points to help keep your toddler entertained and happy. 

* Decide who will take the toddler out if needs be...

At the beginning of most ceremonies there is always a reminder to parents that it’s ok to leave the room if needs be, no one really wants to hear children having full on temper tantrums when the Bride and Groom are saying their "I dos". I am going to say that 90% of the time this is the husband's job...heels and a quick exit can never be executed very well. Is it just me then?

* Always sit on the aisle seat to help make that quick get away...

I think that this is so important for any parent with young children. For one it is easier and two it saves complete embarrassment in case of an emergency explosive number two situations. But it would be an idea to exit either before or just after the brides arrival!

* Take toys, books, bribery snacks - anything that will keep the toddler quiet during the ceremony and the speeches...

As you can imagine parents with toddler are already keeping a watchful eye throughout the ceremony and will have their favourite toy, book and snacks ready to hand to keep them happy and entertained. It was a little embarrassing when Amelia was saying "Ooh Cat" during the sacred marriage vows but we found a couple of distractions soon helped us out. 

* Tire them out...

If you are really worried about your little one interrupting the ceremony think about tiring them out just before. Let them run around, shout, scream have meltdowns...hopefully it is out of their system before the nuptials commence! 

The Reception

When attending a wedding with a toddler whatever you do don't expect too much. You may think that you can enjoy your meal without food being tossed towards you or actually listen to the speeches without bribing the child with some form of sugary sweet. You won't! Sorry! Be prepared to chase your toddler around the venue in heels when they try to make an escape. But just think they are likely to crash out sooner or later...

Phew...we got there in the end. So as you can see from this complete guide for taking toddlers to weddings it isn't a walk in the park, there is so much to consider and plan for but hopefully you'll manage to see the day through without too many hiccups. 

Just a quick picture of the beautiful bride and the groom on their special day. It was such an amazing day and quite an emotional one too - it was their ten year anniversary of being together. What a date to remember!!!

17 comments

  1. This is a great read. We have our first wedding in January with a one year old and a seven month old. I'm going to need all the tips I can get!

    #bigpinklink

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed the read lovely. Let's hope that these tips can help you and your family in Jan!!!

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  2. When our kids were younger we took them to weddings, people thought we were crazy to even consider such a thing. However, thankfully, we were able to show them it could be done. We used some of the same tactics as you.
    Thanks for sharing! #MMBH
    xo
    www.mrsaokaworkinprogress.com

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    1. Thank you. I think it's important for little ones to attend. I can always remember my parents being invited to a no children wedding and wondered why! Children make weddings, especially when they bust moves on the dance floor!!

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  3. Ooh thank you for this, we're all invited to a wedding in October and trying to decide whether to bring the little one or not. I'm erring towards some mum&dad fun time... xx#bloggerclubuk

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    1. I am going to be honest there are tough times to the day but if you're prepared you'll be fine!

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  4. Some really great tips!! We have always tried to sit in aisle seats, and designate one of us (yes, my husband really!!) to take the children out if they get noisy-I nearly had a fit at my wedding when one of our friends children was screaming bloody murder during a reading that my great aunt was making-I was so cross they hadn't taken the child out! I vowed that I'd never let my child do that at somebody else's wedding!! And yes, going with the expectation that there will be lots of chasing (if you have children who can walk,) and potential nappy situations, will make it easier to cope with how stressful it might become! I'm glad you had such a lovely time at the wedding you attended!
    #bigpinklink

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    1. The husband are good one aren't they! High heels and a quick exit do not work, especially if you're not used to them! I had noisy children and my wedding too and it was quite annoying. I will always take Amelia out if she gets too vocal or a meltdown is on its way. Haha.

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  5. This is a fab guide - we have been to a wedding when Alfie was 3 weeks, 6 weeks and 8 months old, all of which were pretty easy. We have ones next year when he will be 21 months, and just over 2 and I have no dobut these will be much, much harder!! #bestandworst

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  6. I'll add my own too here as I too have been traumatised by weddings with a toddler. My key too is to get mild to moderately pissed prior to the ceremony 😊 #FridayFrolics

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  7. Having done 4 weddings last year with 2 kids I am so happy to be going to a child free wedding next month!!! Thanks for linking up to #FridayFrolics

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  8. I think I could cope with the reception - the shoes would be off by then anyway lol but I would just be wishing for the ceremony to be over!
    Thanks for linking up to #AnythingGoes :)
    Debbie

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  9. Some really fab tips for taking a toddler to a wedding! I missed a trick with bringing bribery snacks into the ceremony with us when we took LB to a wedding as a toddler. Luckily she was quite the saint though. Thank you for linking up to the #DreamTeam xx

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  10. I took our twins to my sisters wedding when they were three. They were bridesmaids and were so well behaved. Some great tips here. Thanks for linking up to the #BinkyLinky

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  11. Really good tips. We've been to a few weddings recently and have a few more coming up so good to know we're not the only ones worrying about getting an aisle seat and packing the entertainment/bribery bag!

    #TuesdayTreasures

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  12. I have only taken Baby to one when she was about 4 weeks old and it was a nightmare! Thanks for linking up to #TheList x

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