[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/ask-the-editor-should-we-allow-children-at-our-small-budget-wedding\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/ask-the-editor-should-we-allow-children-at-our-small-budget-wedding\/","headline":"Ask the Editor: Should We Allow Children at Our Small Budget Wedding?","name":"Ask the Editor: Should We Allow Children at Our Small Budget Wedding?","description":"By Brittny Drye Reader Question: My fianc\u00e9e comes from a large Italian family and they treat weddings like family reunions. We\u2019re working with a small...","datePublished":"2012-08-16","dateModified":"2021-07-08","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/","identifier":787,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/gay-wedding-planning-flower-girl-tips.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/gay-wedding-planning-flower-girl-tips.jpg","height":400,"width":600},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/ask-the-editor-should-we-allow-children-at-our-small-budget-wedding\/","about":["Planning"],"wordCount":375,"articleBody":" By Brittny DryeReader Question: My fianc\u00e9e comes from a large Italian family and they treat weddings like family reunions. We\u2019re working with a small budget as is, and, by including all of the children, ranging from six to 16 (on her side of the family), I\u2019m forced to cut longtime friends from the wedding guest list. She\u2019s okay with having a strict adults-only invite but warns of the familial consequences we\u2019d have to pay. What should I do?Editor’s Answer: Personally, I\u2019m a fan of adults-only weddings (with the exception of children of the brides or grooms and\/or flower girls and ring bearers). Children, though adorable, keep parents from letting loose because they\u2019re too worried Junior will spill marinara sauce all over his white dress shirt. (Plus, I\u2019m sure moms and dads want to booze it up, too!) Of course, expecting guests to be away from their children for an out-of-state trip, or even to hire a babysitter for the evening, can be met with glaring RSVPs. This is an opportunity to practice the golden rule of marriage: compromise. Both with your soon-to-be wife and her family. Hire a trustworthy babysitter (perhaps one of your fiancee\u2019s 16-year-old cousins) and pay them a decent wage to watch the kids in one of your family\u2019s hotel rooms or a family member\u2019s home. One or two babysitters is certainly going to be cheaper than ten extra servings of salmon at the reception. You may be met with parents who refuse to come, especially ones of newborns and those helicopter moms who can\u2019t leave their child’s side, but that\u2019s just the way it goes. Entice the kids with fun activities (board games, movies and junk food are way more fun than a boring ol’ ceremony and sauteed green beans anyway!) so they feel like they’re getting the better end of the deal, as well. Bottom line: Don\u2019t cut true friends from the guest list to make room for toddlers, as long as you are willing to pay for a sitter solution. You can have your cake and eat it, too.Photo: Real Weddings Shavonda and Naomi, photographed by Sara Maren Photographers"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Ask the Editor: Should We Allow Children at Our Small Budget Wedding?","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/ask-the-editor-should-we-allow-children-at-our-small-budget-wedding\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]