Weddings….From the minute you get engaged, everyone has an opinion.  Mom wants you to cut a cake for the tradition of it all even though you and your fiance both hate cake.  Your grandparents want you to have a religious ceremony, but you haven’t been to church since you were 12.  There will be several things that you decide to bend on along the way… but hey, marriage is all about compromise, right?  So what about those things that will completely alter the vision that you have for your big day? Today’s topic: Children. How do you politely tell guests that your wedding is an adults-only kind of party without getting your wedding guests all riled up?  Here are my thoughts…

Use “Adult Friendly” Verbiage on Your Wedding Website

It’s never too early to set send out some adults only vibes.  Wedding websites are great, less formal ways to relay the nitty gritty of the wedding day details.  There’s nothing wrong with using it as a platform to set the scene about the atmosphere that your wedding will have.  Plan on partying until the wee hours of the morning? Let everyone know that you would love for them to stay for the entirety of the celebration and you know that midnight might be past their lil’ guy’s bedtime, and for this reason, you’d ask that the little one’s are left at home.  Need a nice way to put that?

“While we love to watch the children run and play, this is an adults-only kind of day.”

Want kids at the ceremony, but not the reception? (Because let’s face it, they are so darn cute in the photos), try something like this:

“Children at the ceremony, we’d love them on the scene. Reception time, however, is an adults-only theme.”

Be Very Specific When You Address Your Wedding Invitations

If you are inviting a couple with children, be super explicit by addressing the invitation to “Mr. and Mrs. ______” as opposed to “The _______ Family”.  Don’t think your guests will get the point? Let your guests know the number of seats that have been reserved for them on the RSVP card.

Have a Conversation

This tactic works when there are only a few couples with children attending.  If you are close enough to invite these folks to your wedding, that means that you should be close enough to have a brief conversation about your adults only wishes for the big day without upsetting them.  Want to lighten the mood? Tell them that they owe you big for forcing them to have the best date night EVER!