7 Ways to Include Children in Your Wedding Ceremony
Involving children in your wedding ceremony is a great way to make them feel included in what can sometimes be an overwhelming experience for little ones!
Whether your own children, your partner's, your friends', or your nieces and nephews, the option to include them adds another heartwarming dimension to your ceremony.
It's also a lovely way to bring extended and blended families together, by acknowledging new or existing ties between you, the wedding couple, and your children.
Here are 7 super ways to do it.
1. Handtying Ceremony
This is the ancient Celtic tradition of 'tying the knot', usually done with a cord or ribbon wrapped around the couple's hands. Bring children into this ceremony by layering your hands with theirs and the ribbon is then tied around you all.
A lovely way to reaffirm your bond with your children and theirs with you.
2. Candle Lighting
Include children in the symbolic lighting of a candle during the ceremony. Depending on their age, they can help you light the centre candle, or light taper candles of their own.
A great way to shine light on them as an integral part of the ceremony.
3. Give Them a Gift
Incorporate into your ceremony the presentation of a gift to your children. A fantastic way to make them feel special and that their presence at the ceremony is important and essential; that it couldn't have happened without them.
4. Mention Them in the Ceremony Script
With a Celebrant-led ceremony, you can request your own touches, such as a special mention or message to your children about how much you love them.
This can be read by the Celebrant or by the couple themselves to their children.
5. Memory Box
Children can bring memory items or small gifts associated with you as couple or as a family, to place in a memory box.
This box can then be opened on your first, fifth or tenth anniversary!
6. Ring Bearer
A way to make any child feel special is to make them the ring bearer. With the help of the Best Man - or any other responsible adult - a child, toddler or baby can be led up to the ceremony table to present the rings to the couple.
On a cushion, in a suitcase, in their little hands - a sure show-stopper, the choice is yours!
7. Cake Decoration
So many amazing things can be done by cake makers these days. Having a silhouette cut-out or marzipan model of your and your children is a gorgeous way of making them feel special.
The will love seeing themselves with you as the standout centrepiece on top of your tiered wedding cake.
