I can see both sides to this delicate argument: to have or have no kids at weddings. DH and I aren't married yet (we call each other our "Common Law" husband/wife) so I can't offer my own experience but we have had a few dramas with this issue from a guest point of view. Getting someone to babysit for the duration of a wedding is very hard for most people, especially because so many families live so far away from extended family... and even if you do live close then they will be at the wedding themselves, most likely. DH and I once paid $170 in babysitting fees so that we could attend a wedding! Looking back I wonder why we bothered.... it was only for a work colleague who we hardly ever saw again after the ceremony. But we did it because yes: weddings can often be long and boring affairs for children.... and it's just not fair to expect them to deal with the noise and pressure to behave for so long. Just my opinion. Having worked as a table attendant at a wedding reception venue i also have seen too many poor children trying to make the best of being at weddings that go way past their preferred bedtime... babies being held too close to noisey sound systems (this was awful to witness)... and most of all seeing children surrounded by too many intoxicated people

In an ideal world I would like to have children at my wedding... but maybe this would mean having to adjust my preferences... having a day function for a start (morning ceremony, lunch reception). I think that weddings should be a family affair and all inclusive... but too often the modern wedding just isn't geared up to be that way. It can be an example of when a compromise ends up suiting nobody. I too often enjoy child-free functions, letting my hair down, having a break from the constant vigilance that having your children with you brings... but I don't associate that kind of event with a wedding. But that's just my thoughts on the matter.... each to their own.