Not every bride and groom wants to shut out children from their wedding. Many are very happy to welcome children to their wedding celebration both as members of the wedding party and as guests.

However, having children at the wedding creates countless problems.

Should you just leave the children to their own devices and hope they behave and don't get in the way? Or,do you organize a room with childcare so they are "present" but not too much under foot? Perhaps the best result is a combination of both, with a bit of fun built in.

If children are to be invited to the wedding, take into account the ages of the children. Babies will have to stay with a parent, for a variety of reasons. Therefore planning to have all the children in a separate room might not be workable. However if the children are toddlers up to about age twelve, you can arrange a separate room for them with childcare and make some 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 , of course, some board games. That is probably sufficient for the duration of the wedding reception.

A few things to remember: you should have a ratio of at least 1 adult for every 5 children if the children are toddlers, or 1 adult to every 10 children if the children are older. Don't expect the children to just start getting involved in the activities on their own, but rather tell the childcare provider to get the children involved in the activities by taking part in them him or herself.

What if the children will be part of the wedding reception festivities? What activities can be aimed especially to children at the reception? There are plenty of things you can do, really. You can plan a coloring table at the rear of the reception hall or room. There, you can provide loads of paper, coloring books, markers and crayons. Paints are not advisable, for obvious reasons, and moms will be grateful if you remember to provide the children with washable markers and crayons only.

The art table can be for more than just coloring, however. Purchase a giant bag of pipe cleaners. Children can amuse themselves for ages, making animals, odd figures and such like. Make sure there are at least 25 or more pipe cleaners for every child, however, as children can go through these quickly. Also, think about "clean" clay, the new products that don't stick to anything and don't leave a trace on furniture. With some different colors, children can make a variety of figures, faces or forms.

Some brides like to plan more formally for their small wedding guests. There are several options if this is the path you wish to take. One very popular option is to organize paid entertainment on hand solely for the children. This can take place in a different room or toward the rear of the reception room or hall if it's very large and the guest list is big. You can hire a balloon artist or clown. Or you can have someone provide temporary tattoos or braid the childrens’ hair. If there is a separate room available, you can even hire a children's musician to The choices are endless.

If no plans are arranged for the children, but they arrive at the reception expecting entertainment, you'll have to make some arrangements. One possibility is a "child only" dance, which allows only the children on the dance floor. This is not only delightful to watch, and could be entertaining too, but it will bring a smile to the face of every grandmother and grandpa present.

Have a word with your wedding emcee about planning some party games and activities that are suitable for both children and adults.

Other wedding emcee articles which maybe of interest:
Duties of a wedding mc
Wedding master of ceremonies
How to mc at wedding