Traditionally, weddings usually consist of a flower girl and a ring bearer. These children are usually from the bride’s side of the family and are between three and ten years of age.
But what if you have a large family and many friends with young children? What if you want to include your fiancee’s side of the family as well? Or maybe you don’t want to stop including your friends and family who are more “tween” simply because they’re older than the traditional age of the flower girl and ring bearer.
Everything about wedding traditions is changing, and the roles of the wedding party are no exception. This opens up a new opportunity to include everyone, lessening the chances of hurt feelings in the family.
Alternative roles for your little ones are plentiful. You just need to be creative! Think outside the basket or pillow and opt for some of these fun and equally adorable ideas. In this way, everyone has something to contribute.
Give small bouquets or individual flowers to one or two of the girls to carry down the aisle and present to the mother of the bride and mother of the groom.
Turn older kids into bridesmaids or groomsmen instead of flower girls and ring bearers.
Ask a couple of girls to carry your train behind you instead of flowers in front of you.
Girls can bring baskets of flowers to hand out to guests as they go down the aisle. This is usually best done with older girls who won’t be as easily distracted or “cowarded.”
Ask the children to pass out programs, bird seed, scrolls, bubbles, or other materials before or after the ceremony.
Don’t forget the pets! You can certainly include the family dog ​​as a ring bearer or “best dog.” Just make sure that if you’re actually going to tie rings on him, someone is responsible for handling the dog so there aren’t any rings out of control! Also, it’s best to make sure the dog is friendly and can handle being in a large crowd.
If you can’t help but include little ones who won’t be able to stand up or walk far enough to make it down the aisle on their own, why not ask older kids to pull them down the aisle in a decorated wagon? This will surely generate a lot of “awwww…”
A new trend is for children to carry a sign as they walk down the aisle in front of you. “Here Comes the Bride” is very popular. After the ceremony, they can follow you with “Just Married”!
If you want to incorporate more than one ring bearer but still like the traditional idea of ​​a ring on a pillow, why not have a little one wear the bride’s rings and another little one wear the groom’s ring?
Another popular new trend, generally best for outdoor weddings, is for little ones to blow bubbles to announce the bride’s entrance. For indoor weddings, the ringing of bells is also popular.
If you think it’s better for your little ones to walk down the aisle and look cute, instead of doing a chore, there are some great alternatives so they at least don’t come up empty-handed:
- flower balls
- grinders
- wands
- bibles or books
- balloons
- Umbrella
- artificial bird nests with birds
You don’t even need to have the same number of boys and girls, or the same number of children on each side of the family. Some weddings don’t even ask everyone to wear the same dress or suit. The more children you include, the more difficult it can be to coordinate the parents of those children and the little ones to buy the items for the wedding day, as well as accessories, etc. And kids grow up so fast that you might find yourself with a bunch of oversized dresses and tuxedos by the time the wedding comes around!
Maybe set a color like all ivory or all white and play around with accessories like bow ties and fascinators. Allowing for some individuality can make it more comfortable for little ones and affordable for parents. Parents will appreciate this gesture.
Most of the time, flower girls and ring bearers are just for show. Adult wedding attendees can wear the rings themselves. But you’d be missing out on some cuteness if you cut out the roles of your beloved children.
Alternatives are good to incorporate everyone. And if someone “chickens out” or just gets tired before their big moment arrives, don’t worry! You’ll still get your rings, and there will be plenty of photo opportunities with the little guy who refuses to act (always good to show him off later, after he’s grown), or the cupcake who fell asleep at the altar or in mommy’s arms before the “Yes I want”.
