An Adults-Only Wedding Really Isn’t Impossible, Here’s What to Do
There are a lot of questions that come with planning a wedding: What season will it take place? Will it be formal or more casual? How many people should you invite? But one of the biggest conundrums that couples face is the ‘kids or no kids?’ question. Oh, believe us, we’re the most culpable when it comes to double tapping those ADORABLE flower girl and ring bearer pics on Insta, but we also know that littles are a lot (I have two of them, soon to be three this summer, so yes, #IGetIt, big time), so we can absolutely get behind an adults-only affair, all the same. It doesn’t have to be a “Hide your kids, hide their toys, and leave ‘em (and their drama) home” kind of awkward ask, either, especially if you can enlist Wedding Sitter® for your special day to give guests peace of mind (and the time to really let loose).
You make the call, once and for all
But here’s where things can get tricky
Your invites can end up looking like a lot of red flags and tape
Guests are going to be pumped to get your wedding invitation in the mail. They’ll tear it open and read the deets, run their fingers all over the textured embellishments, and marvel at how “you” your nuptials announcement turned out. But that exciting scene has the potential to quickly go south once they find that insert that says something along the lines of “... we can’t wait to see you, but we’re planning to celebrate sans-children, so…” They’ll understand where you’re coming from, but they’ll also feel a little taken aback. Like you’re pseudo banning their flesh and blood from your baller event.
You might make it harder for your hype squad to get away
Kids can complicate things when special events are involved, especially ones that require elaborate travel (destination celebrations usually mean plane flights and heavy price tags). If you’re asking your friends and family to “make other arrangements” with their kiddos, and they can’t swing it — perhaps because they can’t lock in their childcare of choice (grandparents, older siblings, aunts and uncles, typical babysitters, etc.) or it’s just too much of a financial strain at the time, then chances are they’ll have to RSVP with regrets. Which flat-out sucks, just sayin.
You could heighten your guests’ stress levels, making their ‘good time’ less of a guarantee
Then again, your invitees may totalllllly see you with the ask to keep things 18+ for your wedding of the century, and have zero no problem securing sitters for the occasion. But once they arrive for the event, and start fielding questions, concerns, FYIs from the caregivers handling things at their homesteads, they might have a different opinion. They may want to forego the signature cocktails, they may want to refrain from dancing so they’re close to their phones if things start blowing up, and they may want to retire for the night, before the after-party even kicks off, just to ensure a restful (and unlikely-to-turn-into-a-hangover) night’s sleep before returning home to their crew the next day.
Once you’ve made said call, here’s how you can save the day
Like really, for you, for your fave people in the world, and their minis
Make another 👍 call, this time to the Wedding Sitter®, a premiere on-site wedding and event childcare service. We swear, this isn’t just any babysitting service, rather, it’s the
solution for underaged +1’s coming to your special event. Founder, Jessica Williams-Flores, and her dynamic team specialize in creating a classy, chic, fun, safe, and fully-supervised environment on-site at your event (for ALL ages, too, newborn through teen). They engage, entertain, and play, just a room away. What more can you ask for?
As a mother of two herself, Jessica understands the importance of keeping events classy — prioritizing couples’ personal preferences for their wedding, but also acknowledging the struggles that guests with kids can feel when they want to attend, but also have children to consider. With over 25 years of experience working in both the childcare and the wedding industry, Jessica created an on-site solution for kid-friendly events. Guests should be able to be comfortable and relaxed while sharing in your special day, knowing their children are nearby and in trusted hands. And Wedding Sitter® in the picture means that young ones can be occupied and uniquely entertained while their grownups are enjoying the event and making memories with the two getting married!
They had adults-only soirees without a single concern
“One of the best decisions we made! The wedding sitter team is a 12 out of 10. Extremely easy to work with which is not an easy statement for a bride who is working full time, planning a wedding full time and a full time mom - all during COVID which had its own challenges because of the NYC mandate requirements that went into effect only a few weeks before our wedding date. The team was on time and fully prepared to receive the children. We had one couple that declined the use of their services initially and asked to keep the children with them at their table during the reception. Once they arrived at the venue and met the Wedding Sitter team, they said they felt extremely comfortable with the team’s level of professionalism and care. The room was transformed into a child friendly space, equipped with age appropriate entertainment (non screen time). And most importantly, they said the children said they had a wonderful time!
Don't leave children out of the wedding day, they are a part of the family too! Hire Jessica and her team instead!” ~ Camille
“Dear Jessica & Wedding Sitter Team Thank you so much! Your team did an excellent job, and I am SO GLAD my coordinator suggested hiring you I'd never heard of such a service before. What an excellent idea! The little ones were having a great time decorating cookies. All the parents were thrilled that they could enjoy the dinner sans kids, and they had the peace of mind knowing that their kids were well-taken care of and having a great time. My niece Sophie looked comfortable and happy. Both Ben and I were so pleased with your services at our wedding. Thank you again, and I will happily spread the word about Wedding Sitter to anyone I know getting married.” ~ Ella & Ben Stewart
“I cannot recommend Wedding Sitter enough, they were worth their weight in gold on our wedding day. All the children and babies had a great time and were very well looked after. All our guests commented on what a great idea it was for the children, it is very difficult for a child to sit through a wedding, the meal/speeches etc... and the Wedding Sitters are just incredible for solving this problem. Jessica was very professional and communication was always excellent leading up to our big day (planning our wedding all the way from England, too). The equipment and activities they supplied were plentiful and the children just had such a great time, not one of them requested to return to their parents at any point. Thank you so much again to Jessica and her team!” ~ Laura & Ben Squires
So, before you worry that you’re kicking kids out of your wedding, realize that you’re actually treating them to their own V-I-P — very important party. For real, they’ll be bragging about it alllll day when they go back to school on Monday… Email [email protected] or visit their site to fill out an online Reservation Form.