HISTORY
Ashley and Blair have been friends of mine for a few years. Blair and I were introduced through some volunteer work with a local non profit organization and of course I met Ashley through him. When they got engaged, I was thrilled when Ashley reached out to me for help with their wedding.
DETAILS
One of the coolest details (for me) at Ashley and Blair's wedding was the inclusion of children. I have been to a few... ok, ok a lot of weddings in the last few years and children haven't necessarily "included". Kids at a wedding can mean a lot of things. Only immediate family members, none at all, just at the ceremony, adults only receptions or they can be included from start to finish. It was so refreshing to have kids included from start to finish in this case. I think every parent there was grateful they did not have to line up babysitters on a weekend. It can be stressful! As a mom of two myself, I always struggle with this when we have weekend plans that do not include kids. My husband and I have always been on the same page, if our kids can't go, we probably won't go. It's just, s.t.r.e.s.s.f.u.l. We always leave early, never really enjoy ourselves because we wonder if the kids are ok, and honestly we like our tiny humans more than most grown adults and want to hang out with them instead.
So what happened with Ashley and Blair's wedding:
Were kids screaming at their ceremony? No.
Were kids having a food fight during the dinner? No.
Was their a poopy diaper smell hanging in the air all night? Not even a little bit.
Were there parents enjoying their night a little more because they actually got to bring their kids to a "formal" event? Yep.
Were their moms who were excited to dress their kiddos up in cute little outfits and take selfies and family pictures all night. Absolutely.
Were there cute tiny humans dancing and keeping the dance floor full all night. Yes! They kept the party going all night long!
Kids were allowed to be kids. Ashley and Blair provided a metal bin full of coloring books, race cars and party noise makers! There was even a buffet just for kids, complete with strawberries, grapes, watermelon slices, chicken tenders and mini pizza puffs! Did the kids have to wait until their table was dismissed to eat, nope! They could eat when they were hungry. No hangry meltdowns meant happy and less stressed parents.
KIDS FOR YOU?
Of course, kids at every event would be an unfair and unrealistic assumption. Sometimes it works and sometimes is doesn't. Ashley and Blair's three year old, Jackson, made it easy for them to include kids. The ONLY tears from a kiddo at this wedding, wasn't even at the wedding, it was at the tail end of the rehearsal. When Ashley and Blair were walking out of their rehearsal practicing their exit out of the front of the church, Jackson erupted into tears screaming "Mommmmmmy!". He thought she was leaving. The result, they included him in their first walk as husband and wife. Perfect.
