I can only imagine how tricky it must be to manage all the wedding arrangements with a baby or toddler in tow.
We were fortunate. Our little one was still safely tucked away in my tummy and my bonus daughter was already 9-years-old when we got married.
She was the most gorgeous flower girl and ring bearer on our big day. And we were able to enjoy all the fun stuff together, choosing a nice dress and shoes, getting our hair and make-up done before the ceremony. She was also old enough and sweet enough to understand that it was our day.
One of my favourite pictures of our wedding day was this one, of me and my hubby’s beautiful daughter.
If you aren’t so lucky, if your little one is teeny tiny (or a little terror), you’ll enjoy the excellent advice in the contributed post below.
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Baby Love: Planning A Wedding With A Young Child in Tow
When you’ve got a young baby or toddler, saving money isn’t high on the priority list. Add to this planning a wedding ceremony and you can throw any acts of financial thriftiness go out the window!
On top of all of the financial pressures we can have when planning for the big day, the personal pressures involved in looking after a young child can be overwhelming.
When you think about the fact that brides-to-be feel a lot of pressure even without children, the stress levels are doubled for mommy-brides-to-be. So what can you do to relieve the stress of your partner and your child?
Involve Them in the Planning
Not just your partner! If your children are old enough to feel left out of the planning, it’s important to get them as involved as possible.
Something as little as picking a color for table placings will make them feel part of the process. Even earlier on in the process, you could sit down with them and look at specific wedding invite designs.
You can go on the website of wedding invites by Paper Themes and ask your child for their honest opinion. Yes, they may want to go for the colourful options, which might not have been what you had in mind but by letting them choose something minuscule in the grand scheme of the big day, they won’t feel left out.
Schedule! Schedule! Schedule!
If you’ve got a young baby who has strict nap times and feeding times, the planning of the big day requires military precision. It can be difficult to schedule in a lot of activities, from the dress to sampling the cakes, when you’ve got a child that is cranky and tired, but this is why you need to plan everything well in advance.
You know how much of an operation it is to get the child out of the front door, so by giving yourself at least double the amount of time an average couple would have, gives you that breathing space. But even though you’ve scheduled the big day for 18 months from now, that doesn’t mean you can slack off on plans!
Get a calendar, and pencil everything in, including deadlines. This will give you the focus you need to get it all done.
On The Day…
The big day itself is about you and your partner, so it’s best for you to have someone look after your child for the day. Whether this is a relative or a group of people, you need to have that day so you and your partner can take everything in.
When you’ve got a young child wanting their mother, it can be a bit overwhelming, especially in the few hours leading up to the ceremony. But, once the big things have been put in place, and you’re dressed, after the ceremony is done, you can enjoy the day as a family.
Planning a wedding is difficult in the best of circumstances, but when you’ve got a child, there can be a lot of additional pressures. But remember, it’s about making you feel together as a family, and so, this stress is worth it in the long run.
Oh my goodness, my Mom and I just laughed so hard at this video!! Enjoy!!
Hehe… hope your little ones don’t upstage you at your wedding.
How are your wedding plans coming along?
Are you attempting to make all the arrangements around the needs of your little one(s)?
Here’s wishing you smooth planning and a fabulous day.