Navigating an Adults-Only Guest List
Author: Jamie Quinn
- By Jamie Quinn
Putting together your guest list is quite possibly the most difficult part of wedding planning. It’s an emotionally charged task with the potential to create tension between you and your loved ones for several reasons. One of those reasons is the challenging decision to exclude children from your celebration.
Why Choose a Child-Free Wedding?
Many factors can influence the decision to have an adults-only wedding, such as budget restraints, venue restrictions, or simply the personal preference to have a child-free celebration. Children can be unpredictable and create distractions during important moments; it’s then up to the parent to take control. A child-free wedding can create a more relaxing event for everyone.
As the bride and groom, you have every right to create your guest list however you see fit. Once you’ve made your decision, it’s important to communicate carefully with your friends and family. This can be done on your wedding invitations, in a separate email, or in person.
Polite Ways to Communicate Your Child-Free Policy
Some examples of invitation wording include:
“Although we love your little ones, this is an adult-only affair.”
“Although we love to watch the children run and play, this is going to be an adults-only kind of day.”
“Although we love your children, we regretfully cannot accommodate them at the venue due to restricted numbers.”
“To give all our guests the opportunity to celebrate without having to worry about little eyes and ears, we politely request no children.”
“Dearest friends and family – our wedding ceremony and reception are for adults only. We thank you for respecting this request and look forward to celebrating with you!”
Keep your communication clear and polite, and if questioned, explain the reasoning behind your decision. Some guests will graciously take advantage of the opportunity to have a relaxed, child-free party but expect pushback from others.
Sometimes, the issue isn’t so much the child-free event as the logistics around finding childcare for the evening. In this case, consider making alternate arrangements. This could involve finding a professional babysitting service to care for the children near your venue.
How to Address Concerns Compassionately
If you’ve explained your reasoning and offered alternatives, and they are still pushing you to make an exception, it might be time to accept that they won’t be attending. It’s important to be compassionate but stay firm on your decision; it’s your day, after all.
Unfortunately, the guest list discussion is generally where the cracks start to show within relationships. It’s normal to receive a bit of pushback, but if you begin experiencing bad behaviour from your friends or family, then your approach will need to change. Set firm boundaries and make sure they know disrespect will not be tolerated.
Be ready to have difficult conversations, but ultimately, if someone insists they won’t be attending without their children, you will need to respect their decision.
Photographer: Life Like Film
@lifelikefilmweddings
www.lifelikefilm.com
Putting together your guest list is quite possibly the most difficult part of wedding planning. It’s an emotionally charged task with the potential to create tension between you and your loved ones for several reasons. One of those reasons is the challenging decision to exclude children from your celebration.
Why Choose a Child-Free Wedding?
Many factors can influence the decision to have an adults-only wedding, such as budget restraints, venue restrictions, or simply the personal preference to have a child-free celebration. Children can be unpredictable and create distractions during important moments; it’s then up to the parent to take control. A child-free wedding can create a more relaxing event for everyone.
As the bride and groom, you have every right to create your guest list however you see fit. Once you’ve made your decision, it’s important to communicate carefully with your friends and family. This can be done on your wedding invitations, in a separate email, or in person.
Polite Ways to Communicate Your Child-Free Policy
Some examples of invitation wording include:
“Although we love your little ones, this is an adult-only affair.”
“Although we love to watch the children run and play, this is going to be an adults-only kind of day.”
“Although we love your children, we regretfully cannot accommodate them at the venue due to restricted numbers.”
“To give all our guests the opportunity to celebrate without having to worry about little eyes and ears, we politely request no children.”
“Dearest friends and family – our wedding ceremony and reception are for adults only. We thank you for respecting this request and look forward to celebrating with you!”
Keep your communication clear and polite, and if questioned, explain the reasoning behind your decision. Some guests will graciously take advantage of the opportunity to have a relaxed, child-free party but expect pushback from others.
Sometimes, the issue isn’t so much the child-free event as the logistics around finding childcare for the evening. In this case, consider making alternate arrangements. This could involve finding a professional babysitting service to care for the children near your venue.
How to Address Concerns Compassionately
If you’ve explained your reasoning and offered alternatives, and they are still pushing you to make an exception, it might be time to accept that they won’t be attending. It’s important to be compassionate but stay firm on your decision; it’s your day, after all.
Unfortunately, the guest list discussion is generally where the cracks start to show within relationships. It’s normal to receive a bit of pushback, but if you begin experiencing bad behaviour from your friends or family, then your approach will need to change. Set firm boundaries and make sure they know disrespect will not be tolerated.
Be ready to have difficult conversations, but ultimately, if someone insists they won’t be attending without their children, you will need to respect their decision.
Photographer: Life Like Film
@lifelikefilmweddings
www.lifelikefilm.com
