Firstly I blooming love kids at weddings; As soon as I know kids are involved I feel myself getting giddy, they always make for some amazingly spontaneous images and are just so much fun to have around. In my eyes they never fail to bring joy to an already joyous occasion.

But I know if you are the parent and it’s your child being invited to a wedding day the predominant feeling (after the relief of not needing to sort childcare) is fear rather then joy.

In an attempt to reduce some of that fear I thought I’d share some of my tips to help you enjoy the wedding with your children in tow;

1. Well timed pit stop; This is obvious one but sometimes it’s impossible especially with wedding schedules but isn’t it a dream when a nap works out well. My tip here is a bit of pre planning, make sure you know the timings and work out when there is a bit of down time.
2. What’s in the bag: Bring some of their favourite toys, a pot of bubbles and maybe a new little treats for them. Pop them all in a special bag and play a lucky dip style what’s in ‘the bag’.
3. Share the load: This works especially well if there are a few parents. You can band together and take turns looking after the kids while the others relax and take in the day.
4. Find a quiet refuge; Large events like weddings can be a bit overwhelming for little ones so don’t underestimate the impact of slowing them some time away from the other guess. Locate a quiet spot where you and the littles can have a break. There is often a quiet corner or a spot in the garden that you can hide away.  
5. Tactical seating; It might be at the back, an aisle seat, or just positioning yourself with other little ones so they can amuse each other. I generally suggest not getting sandwiched in, just incase you need to make an emergency exit. Although as a photographer a kid running down the aisle is gold, so really don’t worry too much if your little one makes a break for it. It’s those moments that make a wedding unique and personal to the couple and if they have invited kids they are generally willing to embrace the fun and quirks that kids bring to the day so don’t try to restrict them too much.  
6. Peekaboo; You can even rope other guests into this one! Kids of all sorts of ages love a game of peekaboo, it takes hardly any effort (you can hide behind anything – grab an order of service, a muslin or just duck behind a pew).  
7. Snacks; What parent guide would this be if snacks wasn’t mentioned. Have the go to snack of the moment on hand and in plentiful supply.
8. Let them run; whenever possible let them burn off some of that energy. There is always sometime between the main events so use this time wisely and encourage the little ones to get all those ants out of their pants and run wild when they can.
9. I spy with a disposable camera; this is a great game with all ages! You may even find some of the other guest want to get involved. I have a downloadable Wedding I Spy for Children for you here. If you don’t have any disposable camera’s you could use your phone.
10. Give them a job; This is a winner in so many settings (not just weddings). It can be a simple job such as collect any spare order or services, give out the confetti or hand out left over favours.
11. Plan the toilet trips; If your little one is still in nappies then you can ignore this one but if they are a bit older remember to take the littles to the toilet before all the big moments so you are not caught out having to run out midway through a big moment.

Overall its all about letting them join in all the fun and knacker them out in the process!!!!