Deciding whether or not to have kids present at your wedding is up to you – on one hand, having a wedding exclusively for the adults means less chances of having a screaming child during your vows. On the other hand, some invited parents might not be able to find a sitter and bail; kids can also be wonderful to have around.

Kids can be rowdy during the wedding and the reception, after all that’s just what kids do. However when they get upset and start throwing tantrums, it usually means that they are either hungry or craving for attention. Having a kid-friendly wedding means adjusting some things like the wedding catering (there should be dishes that the kids can enjoy) and of course, something to keep them busy while the adults are busy.

Treats

Most kids can stay in a good mood by giving them sweets and treats. Have someone trusted such as a family member walk around to offer treats and ask the kids to promise to stay on their best behavior. Be sure to choose snacks that are white or clear (like marshmallows and gummy bears) so that it won’t stain their clothes. In addition, permission from the parent must first be granted before giving kids any treats.

Childcare

Guests want to bring their children to the wedding but often choose not to because they know they might cause a ruckus. You can designate an area just for the kids and hire a professional childcare service for your wedding to make sure all the kids are entertained. They can hold games, arts and crafts, and movie showings to make sure the kids have fun while the adults are free to mingle and enjoy the event.

Hire a Professional Kids’ Entertainer

While childcare services are trained to entertain kids, nothing beats a showman. You can hire an artist, a clown, or a storyteller. If you have the budget, then invest in a good magician or superhero impersonator. This would be epic if the entertainer plays perfectly into your theme. Kids playing with the showman could not only be fun for them, but also it could be delightful sight for your wedding so long as it doesn’t distract from the main event.

Have a Game Room

Sometimes kids don’t need adults to have fun; just each other, a lot of energy, and a few games. Assign a room in your reception venue just for them and fill it up all sorts of activities! You can have ping pong/hockey tables, board games, hula hoops, jump ropes, dolls, and even video games there to entertain them. If you’re going to hold your reception at a hotel or club, then you might find that their game room is good enough for this. For a garden reception, then outdoor games are the way to go.

Plan the Meals

Consider dividing the buffet into two sections: a big one for adults and a small one for kids. A separate table could be dedicated to kid-friendly food such as nuggets, hotdogs, and burgers. It’s like holding a mini kids’ party at your wedding. The reason why you want to do this is because kids don’t like waiting long for dinner and could end up getting rowdy or mad; they just want to eat and play. At this table, you can add cups of crayons with white butcher paper to give them something to do.

Goody Bags

Along the lines of the idea of having a kids’ party within your wedding, you can also give out goody bags. These can have snacks, little toys, bubbles, etc. that will keep the little ones entertained. The best part of this is these are really cheap to purchase and prepare, especially if there are only a handful of children at your wedding.

It is important that the kids are well fed, entertained, and cared for. Make them feel like it’s a celebration for them as well. You’re going to want to remember your wedding as the day that everyone was happy and celebrating for you and your future husband/wife; even the young ones.

How do I choose the right colors for my wedding?

1. Prioritize either the venue or the colors. Whatever you choose, the other needs to adapt to it.
2. Base the hues off of the season in which the wedding will be held in.
3. Understand that colors, psychologically, place people in mental and physical states. Think of the emotions that you want to be felt on your special day. Then, research what colors you need to convey this.
4. Look at magazine, art galleries, and other sources for inspiration. The way artists use colors can make you look at your favorite palette in a more unique way.
5. Use a color wheel to get perfect matches of two or more colors.

There are a lot of things to plan in a wedding; catering, seat plans, transportation, etc. Choosing the main colors for the event might seem like a small task compared to the rest, but you shouldn’t underestimate its importance. Just like the theme and venue, the colors will greatly affect the overall aesthetic and environment of the wedding! Particular things like the décor, dress code, and even the food garnish are greatly influence by the colors! Thus, choosing the right hues is absolutely important. Choose the wrong palette (or rather, no particular palette) and you may end up with an eyesore of a wedding! Here are a few tips so you don’t make that mistake:

Venue Hues and Other Outside Factors

You will find that you will be adjusting the style and design of your wedding and reception to your chosen venue; including the colors. But since you are trying to get both the perfect location and the perfect color scheme, it is very possible that these two will clash if you don’t think of them as one aesthetic unit. Thus, you should learn to prioritize. Think which of the two is more important to you. Whatever you choose, the other factor should adapt.

So, for example, you’ve already set your eyes on a specific venue. Your colors should then complement the over design of the said location. This works vice versa as well. Venues such as warehouses, lofts, or tents are good choices as they are far more easily styled than places like gardens and beaches. Then again, that’s your call.

Aside from the location, there are other details that you need to think of as well when picking your colors. For example, the flower arrangements will definitely have a dominant color to them and you don’t want them to clash with your hues. Other factors such as the family’s preferences or heritage could also influence your choice.

Go with the Seasons

Just like how people change what they wear to the changing seasons, your wedding theme can also depend on the time of the year. In fact, it can be pretty specific with how it influences your hues. For example, coral pink is better for the summer while a blush pink is more fitting for the rainy season. While they’re both pink, they are still very different from one another in terms of emotion. Psychologically, colors and the season will heavily influence the overall mood and vibe of your wedding (we will discuss this psychological effect of colors shortly). Thus, you want these two factors working together.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t choose your favorite colors. It only means that you have to be on the lookout for different hues and textures of that same color.

Mood

Colors convey emotions; at least psychologically. This is why certain places irritate a person or calm him down. The colors they see in this place set them in a certain physical or mental state depending on the dominant colors they see. While the topic is very broad and detailed, the general effects of colors are the following:

1. Warm colors, such as red, yellow, and orange, can make a person feel comfortable or hostile.
2. Cool colors, such as green, blue, and purple, can make a person feel calm or sad.

With such psychological effects of colors, these can set the right or wrong mood for your wedding; especially when in combination. Black, gold, red, or emerald can add a dramatic flair to the celebration, while light colors can bring out more joy. Think about the emotions you want you and your guests to feel and remember when you think back to your wedding day. Once you know, study what colors you need to add to your color scheme to convey this feeling.

Get Inspired

While it’s good to be original and avoid trendy themes, sometimes your mind can be limited creatively. To help you with this, you need to get inspired.  You can get this from many sources. Magazines, art galleries, and museums are all good places to look at to give you some ideas. The way artists use hues can help you see your favorite colors in a different way. Who knows? Maybe the perfect color scheme is in a photograph someone on the internet and you just haven’t seen it yet. Just be sure to add your own flair to these inspirations if you really want to be original.

Looking around your home can draw inspiration as well. Of course, you choose the designs and colors of your home décor based on your preferences. Thus, the colors in your home are something that you know you can live with seeing those every day. Why not use the same palette for the wedding? Doing this will give the celebration a personal touch that will be familiar – maybe too familiar for some – yet surely pleasing to your eyes. Plus, you can take home those expensive pieces of décor that you will buy just for wedding and these will fit right in.

Look at the Color Wheel

You don’t need to be an art major to be able to use a color wheel. The basics are pretty easy to understand and you can use these as a starting point to choosing your personalized choice of matching colors: These basics say that these combinations on the color wheel go well with each other:

1. Opposites: This pairing gives the perfect contrast of warm and cool.
2. Neighbors: The colors are similar and share the same primary color.
3. Neutral & Bright: The neutral colors will accent the bright colors.

Key Takeaway

Most importantly: don’t stress out. Hiring a wedding planner is a good option for when you’re unsure about what you’re doing (or if there’s simply too much to do.) Better yet, as long as you promise not to turn into bridezilla you can ask for help from family and friends!