Explore the different ways that children can be included in your wedding.
The following article is an example of the content we have in our online wedding planning membership site HappyWeddings.ca under the heading of Encore Weddings. To learn more and get useful wedding planning tools for FREE click here!
At an encore wedding, it is common for the children of the bride or groom to take part in the wedding ceremony.
If the children are younger than 9 years of age, they can be flower girls or ring bearers. If the children are between 9 and 16 years of age, they can be junior bridesmaids or junior groomsmen. If the children are 16 years of age, or older they can be a maid of honour, bridesmaid, best man, or groomsmen.
The flower girl or ring bearer walks down the aisle directly in front of bride.
Children younger than 9 years of age can also be trainbearers (girls) or pages (boys). Trainbearers and pages walk behind the bride and carry the train of her wedding dress. Pages can be boys or girls, and there are usually two of them.
There are other duties that children can perform at a wedding ceremony. They can take part in a Unity Ceremony, or a Sand Ceremony, either with a statement or vow, or just through their actions while someone else speaks.
The officiant of your wedding can also include children into the service with a blessing or prayer for the whole family. When the officiant pronounces the couple ‘man and wife’, the children can be invited to join them, and the whole family can be presented to the guests.
Another way to include the children, is to present each child with a special gift. Giving the children their own boutonniere or corsage also makes them feel special and valued.
Ensure your photographer know who your children are, so the photographer can include them in the wedding photos.