8 ways to involve children in your wedding

Are you stumped for ways to include the little ones in your life in your wedding? Kristen Seymour wrote recently about how you can create roles for friends when you have too many friends for your bridal party. But what about the children who want a part of their own?

Kids can get restless at weddings, but give them a part in the big show, and they'll feel great to be an important part of the day.

Here are eight things kids can do in the wedding.

•Ring bearer: Traditionally a job for little boys, there's no reason a girl can't perform this task. My three-year-old niece did a marvelous job as ring delivery person at her father's wedding this summer.

•Flower girl: I was never more proud than when I was seven and my babysitter asked me to be a flower girl in her wedding. I felt like I was the star of the show.

•Children's story or sermon: A children's sermon was traditional in my husband's weekly church services. We decided to use it in our own wedding as a way to invite all the children to come forward and feel like they were involved in the day. It was a sweet moment -- and a great photo-op.

•Read a poem or Bible verse: If the kids in your family are natural performers, you could assign a short reading, or have a group of kids each read one line of a poem or Bible verse.

•Hand out programs: While groomsmen usher guests to their seats, station some kids at the entrance to hand out programs and greet people. This is a simple task that requires no training or planning in advance.

•Hand out rice, birdseed, or bubbles: Along the same lines as the programs, kids could hand out favors at your reception, like the rice, birdseed, or bubbles for when the couple makes their getaway.

•Special children's photo: While the bridal party is gathered for photos, invite all the children in attendance to join you for a special photo. This simple gesture shows the kids you are paying attention to them, even though it is a busy day for you and they probably aren't getting as much face time with you as they'd like.

•Help decorate the getaway car: Ask your bridal party to include the kids when they run off to decorate your car. This can be a particularly fun way for youngsters to take part in the celebration.
So, how will you be involving children in your wedding?




by Meg Massie