A friend of mine is having a HUGE wedding with a formal dinner afterwards.?

Question

She DOES NOT want anyone under the age of 15 there. What can she put on the invitation to that affect and what should she do if someone goes ahead and brings their kids anyway.

Should she perhaps arrange for a babysitter in another room?

Answer 1

adult reception


on the second envelope ut the first names of the people invited. if a child is included their name is listed.

here's the tough part.... m/m jones say they are bringing 3 people - knowing the only other one would be their 10 year old kid. the bridesmaids are the ones to call and politely question and then explain.

one gal did this on her RSVP -- 2 seats have been reserved in your honour, please let us know if you will be joining us.

Answer 2

If people are rude enough to bring their kids, they aren't going to put them in another room.

There is no nice way of putting "leave your brats at home" on the invitations. The best you can hope for is to put the names of parents on the invitation and hope they get the hint. I would certainly make sure the female relatives, mother, mother in law, grandmother, maid of honor and wedding party also spread the word that this is an adult only event.

There isn't anything she can do about it once they are there. Demanding they drop off their gift and take the kids home, isn't going to be socially acceptable. She should just be prepared for idiots and ignore it. The wedding, no matter how big and expensive, lasts for about 30 seconds and then the marriage takes over.

Who knows, sometime in the future she might be in the same situation, only it will be her kids.

Answer 3

If your friend doesn't want little kids at her wedding, then she should arrange for a baby sitter at the reception. To be perfectly honest. Most people think it is rude to be invited to a wedding and not be able to bring their children.

So your friend is going to tell her brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, etc, etc, that their kids can't attend if they are under the age of 15? I'm sorry that is lame.

Answer 4

Guests should know that if someone's name is not on the envelope, they are NOT INVITED.

If guests do not know this, she should clear up matters once she receives the RSVPs with names on them that don't belong there, by calling the people who don't know how to reply to an invitation properly.

She should NOT use any phrase in her invitations like: "Adults Only" or "No Children Under 15" or "Adult Reception." An invitation does not mention who is NOT invited, it only indicates (on envelope) who IS.

She can provide childcare at the wedding and reception if she wants and can afford to, but that means inviting the little ones and then having that separate space provided for them, etc.

Answer 5

Traditionally if there are no kids allowed, you would just put on the invitation Mr & Mrs so and so only. Maybe you could arrange to have a baby sitter there just in case someone has to bring their kids. Thinking of things like this in advance will save you a lot of headache in the end.

Answer 6

it isn't really proper etiquette to mention on the invite. adults only reception is becoming more acceptable on the invite, but still not great to have on there. i would just put mr and mrs on the invite. on the inner envelope as well-most people go off of who is invited by that inner envelope where the first names are usually listed. most people will get the drift. then make sure people (aka her parents, his parents, bridesmaids, groomsmen etc) spread the word that no one under 15 is invited. this way no one is confused. most should be calling to ask where the couple is registered (beacause it's also bad etiquette to include the little cards with the invite) so when they call, inform them of the kids thing too. just say oh and one more thing, to keep costs down, so and so and so and so have asked that no children under fifteen attend. if someone shows up with their kids, deal with it. it is in really poor taste to ask them to leave and it could offend the adults and cause future family problems. if people rsvp with their kids, then they can be called and told for cost issues, only the parents are invited. you can always say the reception activities may be too adult for young children and be best they not attend.
hope that helps!

Answer 7

It's easy. simply include on the invitation that children under 15 are not catered for at the reception. I am married, however, I had only 5 children under that limit. simly because of the age range of kids attending. most of them were over that age. Good luck! If they insist on bringing their kids, the guest should then provide their own babysitter.

Answer 8

a baby sitter might be a good idea unless some kind is screaming for his mom. b/c then the sitter might bring the kid to the mom, or maybe the moms wont even want to leave thier kids with a sitter they dont know.
i think you could put 'no children please' on the invites....... or maybe 'adults only'. I think the adults only thing would get thier attention more. if she knows someone who's over 15 that she specificaly wants there, call the parents and explain that the invites will say adults only, but that you want thier children there. you just didnt want some peoples kids.

Answer 9

She can always request it. It is after all, her wedding. However, if anyone should bring someone under the age of 15, there is nothing she can do but ask them to leave, or simply deal with it. Not a good idea for the babysitting room, she would become liable.

Answer 10

"As this is a formal affair, we kindly ask that children under 16 not attend."

If someone does show up with their children, it's the place of the head usher or whoever is in charge of the seating chart to tell them at the door point blank, "I'm sorry, Madam, but there is no seating for children in the dining hall, as stated on the invitation." Then they leave.