KissMeGoodnight
eRomance Series:
Throwing a Bridal Shower
Can
Kids Come To a Bridal Shower?
How
often has it happened that you attended a bridal shower,
wedding, or other event and wondered if the
gaggle of children you watched really should be there? At times
you might have inwardly rolled your eyes, while at other times
you might have actually questioned the sanity of the hostess.
Is the attendance of children at a bridal shower appropriate?
The short answer is a resounding “maybe.” While this may be
a bit vague, it is important to remember that all bridal showers
are not created equal. There is a time and a place for everything
and the presence of children is no exception. There are bridal
showers where the attendance of children is most welcome, appropriate,
and enhances the occasion, while there other differently done
or themed bridal showers where a child’s presence would be
inappropriate. Set these easy ground rules before the shower
event and you will be sure that your enjoyment, and that of
your guests as well as their children, is ensured:
If the bride will have a little
flower girl to precede her
in the procession, it is most appropriate to invite the little
girl, and her mom, to the bridal shower. Consequently, if the
bride will have one or more junior brides maids, these would
be little girls aged ten to thirteen, they, too, may be invited
to the bridal shower. Inviting these children to the bridal
shower is only fair, since they are part of the bridal procession,
and since the bridal shower is usually attended by the women
of the bridal party. It is appropriate to invite the little
girls even if no other children are invited or will be present.
If
you are planning on having a more adult party, will be
serving alcohol, or will make lingerie modeling a part of your
bridal shower, please be sure to clearly state on the invitations
“adults only, please.” This will take the guesswork out of
the planning, and will alert guests with children to the fact
that they will need to arrange for child care ahead of time.
In addition to the foregoing, it will prevent a guest from
bringing a child into an environment that is clearly unsuitable
for the youngster.
On the other hand, if you wish to include the children, it
is only fair to state so on the invitation. “Please bring your
children” or something to that effect will signal to everyone
that children are not only allowed but most warmly welcomed.
Additionally, this will spell out to the harried parent that
at this party there will be food supplied that children will
like to eat, and that there will be activities that will keep
the kids busy for a while and without the need of constant
parental interaction and supervision.
Of course, if you do wish to expressly include children, please
be sure to have foods that are appropriate for them. While
most adults will cherish the idea of sushi, most children will
not and thus some hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and other child
comfort foods should be included in the menu. Additionally,
please be sure to plan some activities that will keep them
entertained, since it is most unrealistic to expect a bunch
of kids to be excited about a new mixer, or set of Tupperware
bowls and dishes. Coloring books and crayons are a nice idea,
but will keep the kid entertained only for a little while.
Thus, if you advertise in your invitations that you wish to
include the children, you will also need to plan and provide
for their entertainment. Perhaps you could hire a few babysitters
who will have some activities for the children. Ideas for such
activities are plentiful and the Internet can offer endless
printable coloring sheets, word puzzles, and such, while party
rental companies will be able to provide you with bouncers,
jumpers, and other outdoor playthings that will keep the kids
busy and entertained.
As you can see, communication is the key to planning a successful
event, such as a bridal shower, and the presence or absence
of children needs to be communicated well in advance of the
actual event. Failure to do so will result in a room full of
bored children, quite possibly a lot of acting up, and some
rather frazzled bridal shower guests.
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KissMeGoodnight.com
: 2006
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