Babies, toddlers and weddings

Some of our clients are big on babies and young children, and are very happy to have lots of them at their wedding. Which is cool.

Some of our clients are not at all keen on the idea of babies and young children at their wedding, so they invite their friends but not their children. Which is also cool.

In our experience, the only time this whole kids thing can easily cause a problem is when a couple who aren't really big on small people either comes under pressure to have them at their wedding, or doesn't think about the possible consequences.

Hence this quick guide to the reality of babies and young children at weddings ...

1. In this picture, Dad is returning to his pew with the baby and the rucksack full of baby stuff, followed by number one child. He'd previously taken the baby out to change its nappy. This picture was taken during the couple's solemn vows, and this sort of thing is not as uncommon as you might think.

2. But at least he took the child out when it started yelling. Even though they assure the bride that they'll take baby out if he makes a noise, very few parents actually do. Most just move the source of the noise from the front of the church or ceremony room to the back, where it often seems to get louder.

3. Many brides spend a lot of time planning how a room or a marquee will look when it's set up for the wedding breakfast. On the day, some of them clearly feel that it all looked better without the prams, buggies and high chairs.

4. It's not unknown for a child or two to hang about round the top table during the speeches, with the result that some of the pictures taken during them may include those children whether the couple wanted that or not. If the parents don't control their children at that point, not many brides are actually going to shoo them off: most put up with it and complain about it later.

5. Some sort of crèche arrangement at a reception is a really good idea, as is a separate table for the kids during the meal with a couple of mums nearby to supervise. And a kids' entertainer is usually worth every penny, especially if they stay on to keep 'em quiet during the speeches.