“We’re Getting Married” and Your Kids Aren’t Invited

• We are in the midst of wedding season and guests are receiving invitations specifying their children aren’t invited. How appropriate is this request?
• According to Bodas.com.mx, although it can be taboo, 2 out of 10 weddings in Mexico are celebrated without children. The couple is fully entitled to plan their special day as they wish just as the guests are free to accept or decline the invitation. But should it be cause for discussion?
• Sixty-five percent of weddings where children are invited do something dedicated for the entertainment of younger guests, so wedding professionals are increasingly looking to children to enjoy and be part of the celebration.

Mexico City, August 13, 2018 – Nobody argues that the bride and groom should be free to plan their big day exactly as they wish, but when the question of children at the wedding arises, the jury is still out.

Weddings without children, as well as child free restaurants and hotels have been growing in recent years. It’s no wonder that at a time when DINKY (Double Income No Kids Yet) couples are increasing, the number of events where children are not “welcome” is also growing. But is the number of child-free weddings in Mexico really that high?

The answer is no. According to a study conducted by the leading wedding website, Bodas.com.mx, with data on couples who got married in 2017 and the first quarter of 2018, only 16% of all celebrations were child-free.

How do guests react to a wedding invitation that specifies children are not invited?

An invitation to a wedding should be a cause for joy. But many take it as an offense or a personal attack if the invitation says “No children”. Many believe that children bring joy and that leaving them out of these events is even discriminatory. Others think that because of the format of this type of celebration, usually over many hours and including alcohol, it is not the most suitable place for children. And some parents simply want to be able to decide for themselves whether or not to bring their children, but do not react well to having them excluded directly.

Sixty-five percent of all weddings that included children decided to plan something exclusively for the little ones. The most popular services contracted for children to enjoy the big day include: a special menu, hiring entertainers, babysitting services, setting up a play area, drawing, and installing inflatable games. There are also other less common activities such as a children’s musical groups or the classic face painters.

“A wedding is a celebration of one of the most important days of our couples’ lives – comments Nina Perez, CEO of Bodas.com.mx – professionals in our industry work to make everything go as planned. Many cartoon artists, for example, specialize in weddings in order to entertain children and allow them to participate in this special day.”

Couples have options when thinking about these young guests: they can exclude children completely, or place them front and center as flower girls or ring bearers. The important thing is that both couples and parents know how to respect and empathize with each other’s choices, making the right decision for them without taking it personally.

About Bodas.com.mx
Bodas.com.mx, part of the WeddingWire group, is the leading wedding website, designed to help the couple plan the happiest day of their lives. With its international presence, the group has created the world’s largest bridal community and virtual wedding marketplace on the Internet. It has a detailed database of over 500,000 wedding professionals and provides millions of couples with tools to prepare their guest list, manage their budget, find their suppliers, etc. The group operates in 15 countries through different domains such as bodas.net, weddingwire.com, matrimonio.com, mariages.net, casamentos.pt, bodas.com.mx, casamentos.com.br, matrimonio.com.co, matrimonioios.cl, matrimonio.com.ar, matrimonio.com.pe, weddingwire.co.uk, matrimonio.com.uy, weddingwire.ca and weddings.in.