Thursday's Wedding Tip #29

Hooray for Thursday Wedding Tip Day. I have heard from a few of my readers that they got engaged over the Holiday's, so now these tips will be even more helpful.

Wedding Tip #29 is How to Incorporate Children into your wedding. With so many marriages these days beginning with one or both partners already having children, I thought it was important to share some tips.

My parents have both been remarried and I know it was difficult at the time to find ways to bring everyone together.

Here are a few ideas:
-Have your children walk you down the aisle or have them walk down with their new sibling. i.e Your daughter and his son walk together. This shows the unity in the families.

-Have a sand jar and have each child and bride and groom have different color sand to pour into the jar. Incorporate your wedding colors. This "artwork" will look beautiful in your home after the wedding and this signifies your lives mixing together.

-Have the children do a reading during the ceremony that symbolizes the blending of families or a poem that your family enjoys.

-When it is time for the exchanging of the rings, you can also exchange rings or another piece of jewelry with the children. I have seen where one of my friends had a young daughter and her husband did not have any children. The groom presented a ring to the daughter as well and she felt very special.

-If the children are older you can all light unity candles

-During the reception, you can have your children walk in after they introduce the bride and groom

-Have your children help with decorations and seating charts. You would surprised as how important the little things are. If they are a little older, I would also suggest having them each invite one of their friends to the wedding as it should make them feel more comfortable while you are busy with pictures and other guests

-Make sure to have a special song/dance with each child. If you have two daughters, make sure your band knows you are interested in two "father/daughter" dances

-If they can, have the children be the flower girl/ring bearer. They might need some help, so it is best to have a close family member with them at all times, so it does not take away from you. If they are very young, have a family member take them home after the wedding ceremony.

-While taking pictures, make sure to have pictures with all the kids. It is best not to have separate family photos, seeing that you are one big happy family now.

Enjoy!