A few ideas for entertaining kids and keeping them happy on your wedding day.

From the start we think it’s a good idea to choose if your wedding is going to be a kid friendly one or not. And then make sure that is well communicated to all of your loved ones so they can make the right plan of attack.

It’s great to give parents a decent excuse to have a break and party a bit (they will no doubt love you for it!).
On the flip side, you might already have kids and they’ll probably have cousins… And it is cool to have kids at a wedding. They love a good party like anyone else, and will totally get into the celebrations.

But we all know, they also get bored easily, so give them something to do... Wedding days are high energy, and there are loads of emotions flying around everywhere. So be prepared for those restless (and relentless) young ones, then they can celebrate with you the whole day and have their own wonderful memories.

COLOURING IN

Simple and maybe a little obvious but a fantastic way to keep them busy for a bit, maybe even sporadically through out the day. There are some gorgeous colouring in books out there to suit all ages, and you might find more than a few adults wandering over to help the kids out! There are colouring in pages to match almost any theme, and you can even create your own if you’re feeling artistic and well organised!

WEDDING VENUE WITH A PLAY AREA

Another slightly obvious one. Many venues will already have their own awesome play area for kids. Making use of that with a few extra decorations and and some props = brilliant.

THE KIDS ONLY PHOTO BOOTH

YES! Something they won’t get to normally do, and they generally love taking photos of themselves! Let them go at it, you can get your photo booth people to bring themed backdrops and props and some great costumes. This will definitely keep them going for ages. We’ve seen this being a massive hit at a number of weddings.

The Amazing Travelling Photo Booth, photo by Jenny Siaosi

Gorgeous floral wall backdrop by Black Rose Florist.

OUR FAVOURITE - KID’S DEDICATED SPACE

A whole area dedicated to keeping the kids entertained complete with a couple of cool people to keep an eye on it all. PERFECT! This way everyone gets some serious time to get into the festivities.
With creative activities, over sized games, oh and face painting! Maybe even some sports games such as bull rush e.t.c..

THE (PHOTOGRAPHIC) SCAVENGER HUNT

Another favourite. This requires some extra prep before hand - but the results are awesome. You’ll also end up with a great set of images from the day all from the children’s perspective!

Step 1 - write a list of things the kids need to photograph. This could include anything like a photo of Grandpa, a selfie next to the cake, or something a little more daring, mum and dad kissing..?

Step 2 - arm the kids with a disposable camera (write their names on them so you know who’s are who’s) or polaroid camera (little bit pricey on the film though). You could use phones, but that takes some of the novelty away, and the’ll probably just end up playing games on the screen.

Step 4 - make sure they know how to use the camera.

Step 3 - let them run wild!

Please Note: this is best saved until well after the ceremony!

It may take them a while to realise there is no screen on the back (bonus!) but they’ll love the novelty and relish the challenge. It’s a great way to get them interacting with all the friends and family.

Keeping the kids happy at your wedding.