If your family is anything like mine, you’ll be having quite a few little ones present for your big day. While kids can be a blessing, they also get bored rather quickly. I know I do, and I’m way beyond the “little one” stage. So while dinner, drinking, and dancing may be enough to entertain the adults, it may be worth a few bucks to give the kids something to do as well.
For our wedding, we plan to put together little gift bags for each child under 10, filled with toys and other goodies to keep busy hands busy 
. My first (aka favorite) piece of advice is to start early. Check dollar stores or craft stores for clearance items or cheap “stocking stuffers” especially right after the holidays. So far I’ve picked up puzzles, sticker books, and activity books, each for less than $1.
Here are a couple other tips for helping your littlest guests have fun too!
Martha Stewart Weddings has this adorable template for an “I Spy” game. Just print out copies of the game and give them a disposable camera.
Photo credit: Martha Stewart Weddings
And who doesn’t love lollipops? This adorable assortment from CandyWarehouse.com would be perfect for closing the bags – just fold the top over, punch two holes, and weave the lollipop stick thorough the holes.
Photo Credit: Candy Warehouse
Another great place to pick up little gifts and games is Oriental Trading Company. If you’ve ever helped plan a student carnival in high school, then you’re probably familiar with this company. They make inexpensive toys, etc. and sell them in bulk. One of my favorites is the wedding place mats.
Photo Credit: Oriental Trading Company
Your venue will definitely appreciate the extra protection on their tables .
They also make these awesome scratch art bookmarks, which kids will be sure to love. Just use the wooden stick to scratch off the black, revealing color beneath it.
Photo Credit: Oriental Trading Company
They also sell tons of small crayon and pencil packs.
Photo Credit: Oriental Trading Company
A couple things to keep in mind:
- Bubbles and sticky/gooey toys may be fun, but make dance floors slippery, can get into food, and can be messy to clean up.
- Avoid anything permanent. There is no guarantee that kids will draw where they’re supposed to.
- Unless you want sirens and beeping to compete with your DJ all night, don’t get anything that makes noise. Remember some day you may have kids and your relatives may retaliate with similar headache-inducing toys.
- Toys that bounce, fly, roll, or are designed to be thrown are probably not the best choice. Just think of all the broken glasses and dishes that will be added to your bill.
- Remember the age of each guest. Toys designed for older kids may have small parts that pose a choking hazard to children under 3 and toys designed for 4-year-olds will bore a 9-year-old to tears.
We plan to label each bag with the specific child’s name and place them on the same table as the escort cards. That way we can customize the bags for each age.
Are you doing anything special for the children invited to your wedding?
Handmade Love with Felt
Photo Credit: Kellen from EnchantedMama.typepad.com
One thing that I love about handmade gifts is that they are very personal and very sweet. A handmade gift always has a story to tell and to be remembered. When giving gifts to the wedding party, think about giving handmade gifts instead of purchased goods from a retail store. A handmade gift shows more love and creates an everlasting memory that your wedding party will get when receiving the gift.
There are many great gifts that can be hand crafted: notebooks, purses, business card holders, scarves etc. Handmade gifts can also be made from a variety of materials, including paper, metal, wood, and cloth. One of my favorite materials to work with is wool felt. Wool felt comes in all different varieties, is eco friendly and it is low in price.
Photo Credit: Kellen from EnchantedMama.typepad.com
One super sweet and easy-to-make gift to give your wedding party is a felt covered notebook. To do this, just buy any plain notebook and measure the dimensions of the cover in order to cut the wool felt fabric to size. When cutting the fabric make sure that you measure out extra fabric for the ‘sleeves’ of the book cover. After cutting the felt fabric, fold it in half and measure the size of the (closed) notebook on the fabric and fold. Afterward, sew the extra ‘sleeve’ fabric to the main jacket part of the book cover to create a ‘pocket.’ Do this to both ends of the fabric to create a front and back cover. (Be sure to leave extra space if your book has a spine). Add decorative designs and patterns to the notebook cover to add interest. Things like flower designs, monograms and embroidery patches are great to customize the notebook cover for each wedding party member. Lastly, insert a notebook into the handmade notebook cover and write lovely thoughts, opinions and memories in each wedding party member’s book.
Happy Planning