With many couples choosing to leave getting married until after 
they have children, it is only natural that the number of weddings involving young children will rise. Whether you have ten flower girls and page boys, twenty nieces and nephews, or simply a lot of children on your guest list, you will want to look for a wedding venue that is child friendly to ensure they enjoy themselves in a safe way.
Here are four questions to ask when looking for a child friendly wedding venue:
Is there space to run around?
A wedding is as exciting for a child as for an adult; they just have a different way of showing it. Keeping an overexcited child cooped up inside will just lead to mischief, tears, and tantrums, so make sure your venue has plenty of space to run around. Ideally children will be able to play outside, and you can provide entertainment such as a bouncy castle for them to burn off all that energy.
Is the venue safe for children?
Allowing their children to roam around freely will lead to relaxed parents that can truly enjoy your wedding. This is only possible if the grounds and reception rooms of your wedding reception are safe for children, so look out for possible dangers such as openings onto a busy road, lakes or ponds, steep staircases, or raised stage areas. If you find a venue that you love, but that isn’t entirely safe for children, see if it’s possible to take temporary measures to change this for your wedding day.
Does the venue cater for children?
Your venue might be advertised as being child friendly, but unless they offer high chairs, a low children’s table and a children’s menu, they probably aren’t. Check what facilities are like for children, and if you don’t have children yourself, talk to a friend or relation that does to see what they might need. Some venues offer babysitting or entertainment services for children, and these are ideal.
Is there a room you can use as a crèche?
Setting up a crèche or children’s zone is the perfect way to include children in your wedding, but also give their parents a break during certain parts of the day. You can provide activities such as colouring, and children’s DVDs in the room, and you could also use it if you hire a children’s entertainer such as a clown, magician or puppet show.
Later in the day younger children could be put down to sleep in there. If your venue is willing to provide a room but doesn’t offer crèche services, you can hire a mobile crèche designed for events such as weddings.
Unless you are planning a very exclusive adult only wedding, children are a charming and energetic addition to your guest list. They bring a sense of innocence and fun to your wedding day, and although they might be noisy or chaotic, they will make the day’s events more spontaneous and unpredictable.