Child Friendly-wedding ideas for UAE weddings

Unless you have specifically mentioned a black tie affair on your wedding invitations or a ‘kid free wedding’, you can expect at least a dozen kids under the age of 10. Naturally, as a wedding host, if you are having children at your wedding, it’s your duty to make certain arrangements to keep your young nieces and nephews happy. After all, happy kids means happy guests. Here are some ideas to make yours a truly child-friendly wedding celebration…

Make yours a child friendly venue

Now, when you select your wedding venue, the last thing you’d have on your mind is kids. However, once you have finalized your wedding banquet hall, you could take some steps to make it slightly more comfortable for families with kids. For example – you could ask your ushers to seat the families at the end of the hall or near the bathrooms or feeding areas etc, so that it’s easier for the parents to slip out in case of emergencies. If you’re having a large outdoor venue, then consider adding a bouncy castle for the kids. Or if you’re having a destination beach wedding, kids will be extra excited since most love spending hours on sandy beaches.

Include kid friendly meals in the buffet

Well-fed kids are happy kids. You don’t need to go out of your way and arrange for McDonald’s Happy Meals. However, you could certainly talk to your caterer about including some child friendly foods like pizzas, pastas etc. Do include allergy-free foods on the menu as well; many parents will thank you for this extra consideration!

Consider giving fun favours

Your younger guests might not appreciate mint boxes and plants as wedding favours but M&Ms will definitely go a long way to keeping them entertained. Apart from edible favours, you could even consider toys as giveaway gifts – tiny cars and the likes of Lego figurines don’t cost too much but can keep tiny minds and hands occupied for hours!

Keep them occupied with tasks

If you have young flower girls and ring bearers, keep them occupied by giving them small tasks like throwing flower petals. You could even give them small bubble bottles – most kids can spend hours blowing bubbles. Slightly older children may be given disposable cameras to take pictures, while others could help pass the wedding favours around.

Inform their parents

The best thing you can do to make yours a child friendly wedding is to help the parents prepare for the day in advance. This can be done by giving them an itinerary and timings of the events. If they’re new to the city, you could provide them with a map or directions to nearby child friendly areas such as parks or zoos where the families can unwind for a bit, away from the hustle and bustle of the wedding.

Be considerate

Children love their routine and schedules and the younger ones need timely meals and naps. So be considerate and make sure that the kids have somewhere to nap. If you’re considering taking pictures with the kids, arrange to have them after the child has been fed or has had a bit of a nap.

Provide child friendly entertainment

If you’re having a stand-up comedian, or other live entertainment, it’s important to factor in the children as well. A magician might be a better option if you’re having several kids at your reception. Alternatively, you could provide a separate area where the kids can be entertained by a clown, a magician or a face-painter. If this is stretching your budget, you could simply provide them with activity books and colouring materials to keep them entertained.

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