Trying to figure out if you should provide childcare at your wedding? Or just wondering why people do it at all? This is the post for you!
I think we can all agree that providing childcare at your wedding for your guests is a “nice to have” thing. It is not a guaranteed option at all weddings. Most weddings do not provide childcare, and opt instead to have no children at the wedding or to allow children to be there. Sometimes not allowing children to be at your wedding means that certain guests will not be able to join. For some couples, this is enough to make them look into providing childcare rather than have the kids join for the actual event.
The thing about providing childcare at your wedding is that certain things need to line up. Not every venue is set up with a childcare space. And, not every couple can afford it. Plus, not every wedding guest list will make the cost of childcare worth it. There are some economies of scale there. In your quest to determine if you should provide childcare at your wedding, you have to weigh what’s right for your situation. Some reasons will resonate with you, and others just won’t.
8 Reasons You Should Provide Childcare At Your Wedding
This post will go into the reasons you should provide childcare at your wedding. I will not review the pros and cons, just the reasons why a couple should go for it. If you are on the fence on if you should provide childcare at your wedding, see how many of the reasons are relevant to your situation. You may find that many of them apply to you, and there are no major dealbreakers (like not being able to afford it and not having the space or venue support for it). Otherwise, you may find that providing childcare at your wedding isn’t for you.
Let’s get into it!
1. YOUR WEDDING VENUE HAS THE SPACE FOR CHILDCARE, AND WILL ALLOW IT TO BE USED
I’m going to kick off the reasons you should provide childcare at your wedding with a deal breaker reason.
Your wedding has the space for childcare, and will be okay with you using it for this purpose. If your venue doesn’t even have the room, providing childcare is not an option. And, if your venue has the space but will not agree to letting you set up childcare, well, that is a deal breaker, too.
2. YOU HAVE THE BUDGET TO PROVIDE CHILDCARE AT YOUR WEDDING
Alright, another deal breaker. Your budget.
Do you have it in your budget to provide childcare at your wedding? This could be the cost of the actual person, or people, watching the children. Or the cost of activities, toys, food, or other items that childcare providers will need in order to properly entertain and take care of the kids. If you don’t have any wiggle room in your budget, you should not provide childcare at your wedding. As mentioned above, this is a “nice to have” and not something that you have to do. Choose what you spend wisely if you need to.
3. IT IS RELATIVELY EASY FOR YOU TO HIRE A CHILDCARE PROVIDER FOR YOUR WEDDING
Last absolute dealbreaker before we get into the situational reasons to provide childcare at your wedding.
For this one, the tip is simple. If you can’t easily hire someone to provide childcare, setting it up will be incredibly difficult. Maybe you’re getting married in a really remote or rural area, and resources are limited. Or, you feel that the demand for the childcare may outweigh the people you can hire. If hiring people to actually provide the service is difficult or impossible, skip it.
4. YOU DO NOT WANT KIDS AT YOUR ACTUAL WEDDING
A big reason why a couple would want to provide childcare at their wedding is because they don’t want kids at their wedding and see this as a happy medium.
By providing some childcare options at your venue, you can allow parents of small children the best of both worlds. They get to have their kids close, but they also get to enjoy the wedding child-free. you get the best of both worlds, too. Your friends with children will be able to enjoy your wedding, and you can feel good about making it easier for them to do so.
By the way, if you want tips on how to have a kid-free wedding, this is the post for you.
5. A LOT OF YOUR GUESTS HAVE KIDS (LITTLE KIDS)
As mentioned above, it only makes sense to provide childcare at your wedding if your guests have little kids.
If only a handful of your guests have kids, providing childcare may not be worth your time or money. And, if they are older kids, chances are they can stay by themselves or with a friend, meaning that the babysitting you provide at your wedding won’t really get used. The key here is that you have a lot of guests with kids, who are younger than say, ten years old. This will drastically up the likelihood that guests will even use the childcare you provide.
6. YOU DON’T WANT KIDS AT YOUR WEDDING BUT KNOW SOME GUESTS WILL ONLY COME IF THEY CAN BRING THEIR KIDS
This reason to provide childcare at your wedding is a little nuanced, and may come with some big feelings, but let’s still go over it.
Chances are, some of your guests will only come to your wedding if they can bring their kids. This may be due to their own personal reasons, all of which could be very valid. If you do not want kids at your wedding, but want these particular parents to come to your wedding, you may want to explore having childcare at your wedding so they will join. Now, as mentioned before, this could come with a little bit of eye rolling or resentment, depending on the situation. However, it’s still a reason to have childcare if everything else lines up.
7. A GOOD PORTION OF YOUR GUESTS ARE TRAVELING TO ATTEND YOUR WEDDING
Have you ever traveled with kids? Or without kids, if you’re a parent? Either way, it’s not the easiest task in the world.
If you have a lot of guests who are traveling for your wedding, it may be difficult for them to leave their kids behind with a trusted family member or friend. This means that they need to travel with their kids. Of course, you could allow these traveling guests, and their kids, to attend your wedding. Or you could provide childcare at your wedding so these parents can enjoy a “night off” and know their kids are cared for.
8. YOU THINK YOUR GUESTS WITH LITTLE KIDS WILL USE THE CHILDCARE AT YOUR WEDDING
Okay, let’s take a moment to think about your guests. They have kids. They are coming to your wedding. There is an understanding that the kids are not going to attend the wedding.
Do you think these guests will take you up on childcare, if it’s provided?
If so, it could be a good reason to provide childcare at your wedding. If not, well, it’s a big sign that the effort to arrange it isn’t worth it.
THOUGHTS ON PROVIDING CHILDCARE AT YOUR WEDDING
Friends, there are lots of reasons to provide childcare at your wedding. Some are nuanced, some are situational, and some will not apply to you. Remember to watch out for the dealbreakers, such as your venue being okay with it, your budget limitations, and your ability to actually hire a childcare provider. If the dealbreakers aren’t an issue for you, look into if the other reasons to provide childcare match up with your wedding guests and their needs. Happy wedding planning!
More On Kids At Your Wedding From Hummingbird Wedding Advice
How To Include Older Kids In Your Wedding
Coordinating With Parents Of Kids Who Are In Your Wedding
Kids In Your Wedding, No Kids, or Somewhere In Between?
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