how to tell guests that kids are not invited to your wedding.
Oh boy, is there a more aggressively debated topic than deciding to have a child-free wedding? It’s an incredibly sensitive subject with the potential to cause drama. As someone who has been on both sides of this situation, I will say this; You absolutely have the right to request no children at your wedding, however, a little empathy for the parents on your guest list can really go a long way. That and, exceptions should always be made for newborns and breastfed babies.
So, whether it’s a cost concern, spacing issue, or just your preference, how do you effectively and politely communicate that your wedding is for adults only? Choosing your words carefully is essential. Be honest and approach the conversation with kindness and respect. Give guests clear information, plenty of time to plan ahead, and when you’re able to, help them out with accommodations. Be prepared for a few hurt feelings, some pushback, and possibly a declined invitation, and have a plan in place to manage the situation in which someone ignores your request altogether!
Below are a few wording suggestions you can use or adapt to make your own when this situation arises.
IF IT’S YOUR PREFERENCE
Although we love your little ones, we have planned our wedding day to be child-free. Infants under 12 months are the exception. We hope this advance notice means you can plan accordingly and we can still celebrate with you.
Our preference is that our wedding is an adults-only celebration. We appreciate this might add a level of inconvenience regarding your attendance, so please let us know if we can help arrange childcare.
Please note, our wedding will be an adults-only occasion. Normally, we love seeing the little ones enjoy themselves but feel this is not the right event for them. Thank you for understanding, we look forward to catching up with the whole family another time.
IF THERE ARE BUDGET, VENUE, OR NUMBER RESTRICTIONS
We have intentionally kept our guest list small and our celebration intimate. For this reason, we have decided not to extend invitations to children (with the exception of infants under 12 months). We appreciate your understanding.
We love our big extended families, we really do. However, due to our tight budget, we can’t possibly invite everyone, therefore we have decided to make our wedding an adults-only celebration. Infants under 12 months are the only exception. We hope you understand.
Unfortunately, our chosen venue is not suitable for children, therefore we respectfully request you leave your little ones at home. We hope this isn’t too much of an inconvenience and you can still celebrate with us.
We are very sorry, but due to restrictions at the venue we have chosen, we cannot accommodate children at our wedding. Children under 12 months are excepted. Thank you for understanding.
IF ONLY CERTAIN CHILDREN ARE INVITED
Due to our venue’s limited capacity, we have decided to have an adults-only reception. The only children attending will be those who are immediate family. If anyone needs help with making arrangements for child care, please let us know and we will do our best to assist.
We wish we could include all children in our day, but in order to keep our guest list to a minimum, only children who are immediate family or part of the wedding party are invited to attend. Thank you for your understanding. Children are welcome to join us at the Recovery Brunch the following day.
