Weddings with no kids...

[mrsmac]

I would think breastfed babies would be OK.

[paradise lost]

My DD is going to be the only kid at a no-kid wedding in a few weeks! SHe's the flower girl and has her own invite though. I was quite edgy about it actually because i can't predict how she'll behave and the bride doesn't want kids because she knows a few whose parents tend to say "Oh look at him wrecking that!" but don't DO anything and she says she has faith in me that i won't be like that (!? lol).

I would expect to be able to take a BFing infant to a wedding, up to about a year or so, after which you could probably let them have other food and just a big feed when you get back, but TBH i'm not sure i'd go to a wedding i couldn't take my kid to. I really don't "get" the omission of children at an event which is supposed to mark the joining of families. As if kids weren't part of (or perhaps even the POINT of) the family. But each to their own i suppose - i've never actually been invited to a wedding at which DD wasn't welcome!

Bx

[Smoke Jaguar]

I have noticed, from anecdotes, that child-free weddings end up being child-free with exceptions. Those exceptions then make it a bit of an insult to the parents who put their kids in someone else's care to go, when the kids in attendance were just as 'child-like' as the ones left out!
I'm not down with child-free weddings, either - if a wedding isn't a family event, I can't figure out what is!
Plus, the age-cut off, upper and lower is too vague. My mum didn't take us to a family friend's wedding when I was about 12 or 13 and my sister was 10...not sure how we were going to impede on the day...and of course, my mum reported loads of kids there anyway, despite the invite specification
We weren't sure if DS was invited to my cousin's wedding, but figured he was cos they knew we were bringing him all the way from Oz (wedding in Ireland)! Turns out he got gastro and gave it to me that night, so he was no problem with exuberance Breastfed 19 month old, who would have ordinarily been tearing around the hotel, who was coming regardless of no-child policy (wedding was in her fiance's county, where I have absolutely no family and didn't want to leave DS with perfect strangers!).

I think that if guests want to have a child-free time, they'll organise child-free themselves. If they would rather have kids there, it's not like the bride has to hold onto them and get her dress ruined. Personally, I think inclusion of kids makes a wedding more fun and joy-filled

[alioops]

For us it was to do with numbers. I am from a very large extended family and we had a rather small budget when it comes to weddings. The only children we had were relatives and all of our friends were understanding of that, because of the way we explained the reasons why we couldn't have friend's kids there. We only had about 30 friends and all the rest were family. We had 120 people at the reception. Kids were welcome at the ceremony, as we didn't need a number limit for the ceremony.

[Rivlas]

I would definitely take your DD to the wedding seeing its interstate. There is no way you would survive all that time without feeding.
Hoobley - Have someone you trust on call in case your DD needs to be taken home and put to bed. Its going to be a big day for her as well as for you.
We have a wedding photo of me holding my niece and when she was married she is holding my GS. So it can have special memories having babies at weddings

[paradise lost]

Hoobley - Have someone you trust on call in case your DD needs to be taken home and put to bed. Its going to be a big day for her as well as for you.

There isn't anyone. In her life DD has only been cared for by XP (who will be working) and DP (who will be at the wedding with us). Actually i will be leaving when she needs to go home to bed! The bride knows this - we had her hen on Saturday night and DP looked after DD while i got to go out, let my hair down and spend proper time with her. She knows that when DD gets tired we'll be going, and to that end they're having the ceilidh first so we can dance with her before we go

I will be very surprised if we're home much after 9.30pm.

Bx

[Rivlas]

Glad that things will work out.
It was great that you got to spend time with her on Saturday night as you don't get to spend any special time with the bride & groom on the wedding day.

[paradise lost]

LOL, i know, i can remember when my BF from childhood got married and i went to the loo with her to help her keep her skirts up out of the way while she pee'd and it was the only 5 minutes i got with her all day! LOL.

Bx