Dallas Downtown Wedding Venue | Kids Free Weddings
Many of our couples ask the question: is it okay to host a kids-free wedding? The short answer is yes! It’s your special day, so you get to set the tone for the affair and craft a guest list to match. However, keeping your wedding child-free can be trickier than it sounds. If you’d like to limit your guest list to adults only, take a look at these tips before you make a final decision on whether or not to host kids at your Dallas downtown wedding venue.
First, set boundaries for yourself. Where will you draw the line while drafting guests lists? Many couples want a kids-free wedding, but still plan to include flower girls and ring bearers in their ceremony. This is perfectly fine, but it does introduce a gray area if you’re not careful. It can be easy to fall down the rabbit hole: “Well, we invited Aunt Debbie’s kids, so we really ought to invite Uncle Mike’s… and if we invite them, we can’t leave Mark and Susan’s kids out.” Early in the planning process, decide with your fiancé where the cutoff will be. Some couples do this by degree of closeness (i.e., only their siblings’ kids are invited), or by age (only guests over sixteen are welcome).
So how do you make it clear that Debbie’s kids are invited, but Mike’s are not? Envelope etiquette. Address envelopes with proper etiquette to make invitees clear. If an invitation is address only to “Mr. and Mrs.” it will be clear that kids are not included; on the other hand, “and Family” indicates all children are welcome. To drive the point home, you can include formal inner envelopes listing the names of each guest.
It is not polite to indicate “adults only” on printed invitations; however, your wedding website can be an ideal spot to make your guest preferences known. A courteous but firm note will get the message across: We are so happy you can come! Because we both have large extended families, we have decided to limit our guest list to adults only. We thank you for your understanding and look forward to celebrating with you. It also helps to select a venue and time that is better suited to a more mature audience; an evening wedding at Dallas downtown venue may not be an ideal place for kiddos to run around anyway.
Next, make it as easy as possible on your guests who are parents. Keep in mind—you are asking them to attend a long evening celebrating you while their kids are stuck at home. You are essentially asking them to pay for a babysitter if they want to join the wedding-day fun. Be aware of their situation, and courteous about it always. Send Save the Dates early! This will give parents plenty of time to pencil in your date and commit a babysitter to their calendar.
Finally, be gracious when misunderstandings happen… because they will happen! Even if you take all the proper steps to host a kids-free wedding, some guests’ RSVPs will include children anyway. If this happens, give them a call to politely explain the situation; chances are, they simply overlooked the details. And if kids show up unannounced at your wedding, try to be flexible! Just embrace it and don’t let their presence cause any negativity on your special day.
Got more questions? We’d love to help. The Empire Room has hosted countless events at our Dallas downtown wedding venue. We are always happy to share our expertise and help you plan the wedding you’ve always imagined. Simply contact us for assistance!
