Wedding Receptions with No Children? Extreme Selfishness or Just a Way to Have Some Good Fun?

It is really rare to get invited to a wedding party where children are not welcome. Couples who go for such an option come up against a lot of criticism at best. As a result, many guests turn the invitation down. So the question is: are wedding parties without kids really such a bad option? Isn’t it a perfect way to enjoy yourself without worrying what your kids are up to at the same party? With more and more people thinking about it, perhaps it's time to analyze the idea in an emotionless and impartial way.

At first a few words of explanation. A wedding reception is a party thrown by the just married. It is prepared by them and for them. The satisfaction of the guest, however important, should never take priority. This is the bride and the groom celebrating the happiest day of their lives and the attempt to satisfy everyone should never disturb that. That is why their failure to invite children ought not to be viewed as maliciousness or bad intention.

#1 It is usually money that makes the people invite parents only (in many cases a child costs the hosts as much as an adult). Sometimes it is also the size of the room. With small wedding receptions trending these days, that becomes one of the key factors. The couples do not want to start their marriage with a wedding party loan to pay back only to make everyone happy.

#2 When children get sleepy, you need a room to put them to bed. And this is when parents have to leave the party, no matter how early it is, and drive the child home or anywhere with a bed. That also means that at least one of them has to stay sober.

#3 Children can get out of control and ruin the first dance. Moreover, there are often some hot dishes served and that poses additional hazard with the young ones madly chasing one another not paying attention to the rest of the world.

#4 There is a lot of alcohol. And drunk adults are definitely nothing your children should be looking at all night long.

#5 A wedding is a chance for the parents to leave home and get relaxed. Many of them would love to do it without their children around. Looking after them or feeding them every two hours does not make it a nice and smooth experience.

#6 Some children get bored easily and they quickly begin to moan. Sometimes this happens during the wedding ceremony (sometimes as early as in the church) which ruins the atmosphere. And the bride and the groom are in no way obliged to employ a children' s entertainer to keep the event going.

The opponents of childless weddings strongly believe that since this is a family kind of celebration, children simply have to be a part of it. Moreover, it is really difficult sometimes to find someone to look after kids all night long. Anyway, once you get an invitation to a wedding like that, it is not a reason to feel upset - just put yourself in the couple's shoes. Do not overreact in any way, for example by turning it down in a rude manner or deliberately losing touch with them. The invitations are sent well in advance which gives you enough time to look for a babysitter. If you can’t imagine going there without your kids, simply refuse and restrain from any mean comments.