My Time Co-Hosting The Secret Society of Brides Podcast - Discussing Children at Weddings.
- The Wedding Nanny
- Aug 24
- 5 min read
Should you have children at your wedding?
It's a question that comes up time and time again in the wedding industry and one that doesn't really have a simple yes or no answer.
Earlier this year, I had the absolute pleasure of joining Georgie Mitchell as a co-host on The Secret Society of Brides podcast to talk about exactly that.
As the founder of The Wedding Nanny, I spend my working life supporting couples who have chosen to have their children involved in one of the biggest days of their lives. So getting to sit down and have an open, honest conversation about children at weddings felt incredibly special.
And we certainly had plenty to talk about!
Who's Georgie Mitchell?
The Founder of Georgina Rose Events, offering expert wedding planning and in person coordination on the day across the UK and abroad.
With over a decade of wedding planning and co-ordinating experience, Georgie wants to inspire couples to have their wedding, their way. She describes herself as 'The People's Wedding Planner'.
Should Children Be at Weddings?
This was the big question.
My answer?
Personal preference, there is no right or wrong answer.
Every wedding is different. Every family is different. And every child is different.
For some couples, having children at their wedding is incredibly important. Particularly when it's their own child.
For others, an adults-only celebration is exactly what they want.
Neither choice is wrong.
But when you do choose to have children as part of your wedding, I believe it's important to consider the day from their perspective too.
A wedding that feels magical and exciting to an adult can feel very different to a baby or young child.
It's a long day, there are unfamiliar surroundings, lots of new faces, changes to their normal routine, photographs, speeches, waiting around, noise, excitement and sometimes a very late bedtime.
That's why planning for your child's needs should be just as much a part of your wedding preparations as planning where they'll sit...
Supporting Your Child Throughout Your Wedding Day
This is something I'm incredibly passionate about.
For many of the couples we work with, their child isn't simply attending their wedding.
Their child is a big part of their wedding day to.
They imagine those precious moments long before the wedding day arrives - having their child with them for part of the morning preparations, involving them in the ceremony, capturing photographs together and sharing moments throughout the wedding breakfast and celebrations.
These are the memories they want to look back on and having professional childcare alongside them doesn't take away from those moments - it actually helps make them possible.
The purpose of a wedding nanny isn't to take your child away from your wedding day. It's to make it possible for them to be included whilst still having someone there whose sole responsibility is meeting their changing needs.
If they need feeding while you're having your hair and make-up done, we can take care of this while you continue getting ready.
If they need naps throughout the day, we can quietly step away and follow their usual routine.
And if they've had enough during the wedding breakfast, we can recognise those signs and give them the time and space they need before returning to the celebrations.
And throughout it all, you can still have your child with you for the moments that matter most.
That's the beauty of having The Wedding Nanny. We're not there to take your child away from your wedding day, we're there to make it easier for them to be part of it, while ensuring their individual needs are cared for along the way.
My Time Co-Hosting The Secret Society of Brides Podcast - Discussing Children at Weddings.
Weddings Can Be Overwhelming for Children
Something we discussed is that children don't always behave in the way parents expect them to.
And if you think about it, it's completely understandable.
Even the most confident child can become overwhelmed when they're tired, overstimulated or out of routine.
A child who happily practised walking down the aisle at home may suddenly decide they're absolutely not doing it, why because the pressure and faces looking at them is to much.
A baby who normally naps beautifully may decide sleep is the last thing on their mind and be very unsettled, leading to broken sleep and a shorter nap when they needed longer.
A toddler who loves being around people may suddenly not want to talk to anybody.
You simply cannot predict exactly how a child will respond on the day.
What you can do is prepare for it.
That's a huge part of what we do behind the scenes at The Wedding Nanny.
We don't arrive on the wedding morning and hope for the best.
We learn about the child, their routine, their personality, their likes and dislikes, their feeding and sleep needs and what helps them feel safe and settled.
Then we work around them whilst still implementing the wedding scheduled for the day.
A Conversation the Wedding Industry Needs to Have
One of the reasons I loved recording this episode with Georgie was that we were able to have a genuine conversation about the reality of children at weddings.
Not the perfectly posed flower girl photographs or the adorable page boy walking down the aisle.
The reality.
The emotions.
The timeline.
The outfits.
The routines.
The unexpected moments.
And the practical things couples can put in place so that having their child at their wedding feels like everything they hoped it would be.
Children absolutely can be part of an incredible wedding day.
They just experience weddings differently to adults and when we recognise that, we can plan for them properly.
From The Wedding Nanny to Podcast Co-Host
On a personal level, being co-host on The Secret Society of Brides was a very special moment for me I have worked with Georgie once before and was in awe of her work, her energy, her passion and the way she can seamlessly navigate any wedding anywhere!
For me The Wedding Nanny began from seeing a genuine need for specialist childcare within the wedding industry.
What started as an idea has grown into a service trusted by couples to care for the most precious people in their lives on one of the most important days of their lives.
So, joining Georgie on her podcast and having the opportunity to really deep dive into these conversations, share my knowledge and experience as a professional nanny, and help educate both couples and the wider wedding industry is something I’m incredibly proud of.
A huge thank you to Georgie for having me join her on The Secret Society of Brides and giving me the space to talk about a subject I could quite happily discuss all day.
And yes… once we got started, we had a lot to say!
Listen to the Full Episode
If you're currently planning your wedding and wondering how having a baby or young child involved will actually work, this episode is definitely one to listen to.
We talk openly about children at weddings, the things couples often don't consider beforehand and how the right planning and support can allow you to have the best of both worlds:
Your child there making those precious memories with you, while you still get to experience your wedding day as a couple.
You can watch “Children at Weddings: YES or NO? (Advice From a Wedding Nanny)” on The Secret Society of Brides YouTube channel, or listen to Episode 14 wherever you get your podcasts.
Click the link below to listen.
Lots of love
Natalie x
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