Not all brides and grooms want to exclude children from their wedding. Many are happy to welcome children into their wedding both as members of the wedding party and as guests.
Having children at a wedding, however, poses a myriad of problems. Do you leave the children to their own devices and hope they behave and don’t get in the way? Do you provide a room with childcare so they are “present” but not too much under foot? Perhaps the best solution is a simple mix of both, with a smattering of fun built in.
First of all, if children are invited to the wedding, take into consideration the ages of the children. Babies will have to stay with mom and/or dad, for a variety of reasons. So planning to have all the children in another room might not be feasible. But if the children are toddlers up to about age 12, you can provide a separate room for them with childcare and a make a number of activities available to them.
If the children will be in a separate room at the reception, you can provide a coloring table, perhaps a TV with an appropriate movie ready to roll, and some board games. That could probably be enough for the duration of the...