How to Plan a Wedding Ceremony When You're Years into Your Marriage or Have Children?

2018.06.05 published

What kind of wedding should I have for a family wedding?

We received a concern like this from a bride-to-be on marry's Instagram!

➡ Here is marry's Instagram

<<Concern Details>>

We are planning to have our wedding in August.

However, we registered our marriage three years ago and have two children.

I thought it might be too late, but I really want to have a wedding at least once...

Since it’s quite different from a regular wedding, I’m really worried about how to create the atmosphere and what to do.

We asked for experiences!

Indeed...

☑ A wedding after being married (registered) for several years

☑ A wedding with our own children

It might be concerning how to organize it.

We reached out to those who have experienced family weddings on marry's Instagram for their input!

Here are the experiences we received ♩

Family Wedding Experience 1

I sent a DM hoping this might give you some reference regarding the wedding march!

I’m also having my wedding next month, a year and a half after my marriage registration! I have children too.

Initially, I thought about walking down the aisle with my husband and kids, but my planner said,

"When the chapel doors open (when the mother lifts the veil), it signifies the life the bride has lived and the life with her husband in the future. So it’s better to walk with your parents!"

(I think it's better to research this more!)

It seems to have a proper meaning, so I plan to walk with my parents (^^)

Family Wedding Experience 2

I'm getting married in July when my daughter will be 1 year and 3 months old.

Since we had our child first, I wanted to include her in the wedding, so I waited until she could walk!

Due to financial constraints, we also purposely chose a day considered unlucky.

We initially had a dream of "this is how we want our wedding to be," but spending time with the child shifted the priority to her.

Having the kids more involved in the wedding means there are inevitably some surprises, but since we aren’t into stiff ceremonies, we aimed to create a homey atmosphere by including our daughter and other family kids as much as possible!

During the ceremony, my daughter and niece will be flag girls! So, my husband and I will walk down the aisle together!

We will also have a candy toss to make the kids happy! During the reception entrance, we will enter as a trio while checking on our daughter's mood!

Our child is quite restless, so we set up our main table in a sofa style without standard tables!

We’ll do the first bite as usual!

After that, since my daughter can also eat strawberries, we plan to feed her together!

I believe that having kids doesn’t mean you can’t do usual things. So, I think having children has even increased the possibilities.

I wish you both a wedding that reflects your personalities.

Family Wedding Experience 3

Nice to meet you! I’m a bride-to-be getting married this September 😊 It’s a family wedding.

I haven't formally decided the flow of the day yet, so I'm not sure if this will be helpful, but I’ll share the expected performances.

We’ll be a couple in our third year of marriage at the time of the ceremony, and our daughter will be 1 year and 10 months old.

Rather than a ceremony showcasing our daughter, we want to express our gratitude to our parents and guests for helping us get to this point, creating a homey and structured ceremony.

Ceremony: Human-initiated ceremony (We'll include that we are hosting it in the invitation)

Entrance (Groom, daughter, and bride will enter)

↓

Opening words

↓

Dozen flowers ceremony

Typically, it’s proposals → acceptance, but we plan to modify this slightly to have 12 flowers represent our guests, conveying our feelings.

Plus, we will make vows using important words we want to hold dear for our future as three together.

↓

Exchange of rings or a vow kiss

↓

Family binding ceremony & handshake ceremony

We will shake hands with both sets of parents to signify our ongoing relationships. We’ll then line up with my parents and our family in front of the guests, and the MC will announce, "A new family has been born here. Please take care of us from now on."

↓

Exit

<<Reception>> Entrance

↓

Cake cutting

The groom, daughter, and bride will do this together. Then the bride and groom will have their first bite and a thank-you bite for friends.

↓

Main guest speech & toast

↓

Table round (simultaneously with round photos)

At this time, the MC will introduce each table, sharing their relationship and memories with the bride and groom.

↓

Intermission

↓

Re-entry

Entertainment & casual chats

Bouquet and gift presentation

Acknowledgment

Bride and groom exit

That’s the flow of the day.

As is now customary, the letter to the parents will be presented during the familial introductions by each of the bride and groom.

Overall, both families expressed a desire to know the guests who supported us, making the ceremony a way to know those who helped us.

It might be unclear since I haven't had the ceremony yet, but I hope this helps 😅💕

Family Wedding Experience 4

I'm also having a wedding three years after registration.

Currently, I plan to include my daughter as a ring girl, and during the vow kiss, I’ll kiss my daughter on the cheek.

My daughter will also enter the venue riding in a child-sized car after the bride and groom entrance! 😂

The wedding cake will be made with a reduced sweetness so that my daughter can eat it✨

Though it's mostly a standard ceremony, I hope this can be of some help!

Family Wedding Experience 5

I’ve attended a "Papa Mama" wedding before, and the performances were pretty similar to other weddings.

The entrance and bridal procession were done with the children.

Family Wedding Experience 6

This is about the feature mentioned in the story💕 I'm currently working in bridal services and have been helping couples with children, so I wanted to share!

First of all, while it’s said it's not a regular wedding, just having kids doesn't mean you can't have a normal wedding!

Regarding performances, it varies depending on whether you want to include family only or friends and who you want to express gratitude towards😊

I recommend having the children help with carrying the veil or rings during the ceremony.

Some couples have had their children in toy cars brought in by the groom as a way to retrieve the rings!

Also, you can sign the marriage certificate together as a family during a human-initiated ceremony. There are many possibilities with children involved💕

It might be beneficial to consider how you want to spend time with your child and your guests as your central point!

I hope this provides some reference!

Family Wedding Experience 7

Since it was a "shotgun" marriage, we held the ceremony after registering!

For the family wedding theme, we scheduled the ceremony on our daughter’s second birthday and celebrated together at the reception!

Additionally, during the entrance, my husband walked in with our daughter while I walked in with my father...

My daughter was the ring girl...

When we had the closing kiss at the end of the ceremony, it was on our daughter's cheek...

The round photos during the reception were themed around my daughter’s birthday!

Children tend to get bored at long weddings, so we created moments focused on them to keep things interesting!

Family Wedding Experience 8

I also had a wedding after four years of registration, with two children.

My husband entered holding hands with our eldest daughter (who also carried the ring) and after the first bite of cake, we did a bite for our eldest child called "Sukusuku Bite."

I think it’s common to have a dress guessing game at weddings, but we did a snack guessing game instead, which we set up in the welcome space.

After changing outfits, we had a quiz time where our child came up to choose their favorite snack, and there were prizes for correct guesses.

Since both our children are girls, I had a dress made for our eldest that matched my dress for both the pre-shoot and the wedding day.

Wearing matching dresses with my daughters was truly an everlasting memory.

Family Wedding Experience 9

This winter, I’m planning a family wedding with my daughter. Since it's a human-initiated ceremony, I’m considering a vow kiss on my daughter’s cheek and having her print her hand on the certificate!

I'm currently looking for performance ideas for the reception, so I’m looking forward to the results of this survey♪

Family Wedding Experience 10

At the end of this month, I will have a wedding in a similar situation. We’ve been married for three years and have two children.

During the ceremony, my husband and son will enter together, and my son will also be the flag boy.

For the vow kiss, I’ll kiss my son’s cheek!

I’ll read my letter to my parents during a first meet prior to the ceremony, and we plan to show a small clip of that in the ending movie.

After we do the cake bite together, since my eldest son’s second birthday is around the corner, we will celebrate it by feeding cake to him.

Having kids makes the atmosphere friendlier, allows for various performances, and importantly, helps ease our nerves.

Family Wedding Experience 11

A friend of mine had a wedding with two children, but the basic flow was the same as a regular wedding💡

But after the ceremony, they exited together with the kids and had the children bring in the cake for the first bite, making it heartwarming to see family love throughout 💓

Even "fake feeding" the baby made it a cozy scene filled with love.

Family Wedding Experience 12

I planned my wedding in my 14th year after registration!

<About Performances>

❁ We did our first bite with a big spoon🥄.

The children brought in a whole cake 🎂, and I took my first bite for my husband.

Then the children also did their first bites with the cake.

❁ We had a human-initiated ceremony and had the children act as officiants, creating a cozy and warm atmosphere.

The children entered first, bringing the marriage certificate and ring pillow.

The husband entered second, taking 14 steps to symbolize our 14 years of marriage.

After that, I entered, and we thought about our future together as we entered.

We exited as a complete family of four.

We also asked the children to help with the bouquet toss♡

I truly felt it was great to have a family wedding!

Please think of various performances♡

Family Wedding Experience 13

We did our first bite and last bite!

While raising kids, I felt filled with gratitude and respect for my own parents for raising me.

Surely, my mother gave me my first bite of solids and later fed me one last time.

Both our mothers were somewhat shy at first, but I think they participated with smiles and had fun.

It is a very memorable experience☺️

Family Wedding Experience 14

I also had my wedding last month, four years after registration!

We entered together, did the first bite with the kids, and when going to each table, we had the children hold candies for a round.

Everyone doted on the kids, and they enjoyed participating (о´∀`о)

Family Wedding Experience 15

I'm having a wedding when my child is 10 months old!

During the ceremony, the child will ride in a car and be a ring boy!

For the first bite, we’ll do a "Sukusuku Bite," feeding the cake to the child (*˙ᵕ˙*)

In addition, we’ll enter together during the colored dress entrance (*˙ᵕ˙*)

We’ll display the child’s profile in the welcome space💕

I’m so looking forward to the wedding this weekend, especially with the kids involved ⋆*✩⑅◡̈⃝*

Family Wedding Experience 16

Hello! I got married after having a child. It’s been two years since registration. My child will be two years old.

I can't give up on having a wedding! So, we're going for it!!

While there are kids involved in the wedding, I'm particularly focused on making it [the couple's wedding], so I won’t be too over the top with the child’s involvement.

During the ceremony and reception, the mothers on both sides will look after the child, which they have agreed to do, so I’m grateful for that.

The most challenging part has been planning meetings, as they can be quite boring for the child, making it difficult to complete them smoothly every time.

I expect outfit fittings will be even tougher than the planning meetings.

I want my child to be the ring girl. We waited until she was old enough to do this before having the ceremony.

I’m also considering a baby ring presentation after the ring exchange.

Additionally, I’ve been silently preparing for this wedding, starting slowly a year ahead when the child is asleep.

I haven't had the wedding yet, so I couldn’t share much, but I just had to DM!!

Family Wedding Experience 17

After having my child, I’ll also have my ceremony three years later 😘💕💕💕

Since three years have passed, I’m having a wedding with only close friends and family overseas 💓

We’ve planned for our child to be the ring boy, and we’ll have the first bite from my husband and son towards me, and then the reverse.

We plan to take numerous family photos with our son, as it’s not often we get those nice moments (⌯˃̶᷄ ⁻̫ ˂̶᷄⌯).

In the welcome space, we thought of adding some personal touches, such as displaying our son's growth photos like a garland 💞

Family Wedding Experience 18

Good evening! I always enjoy your posts! I had my wedding two years later, with a 1.5-year-old child.

For the bridal march, the groom entered with our daughter, and I had the typical mother do the veil down before walking in with my father.

The vows remained unchanged!

Since photography is a hobby for both of us, we entered while capturing the venue.

For the outfit change entrance, my husband made a mask resembling something from the Lion King, putting it on while dressed our daughter in a lion costume 🦁, entering alongside lively lion-themed music while holding her up!

I entered next to take pictures with the camera!

For the first bite, we mutually fed each other, calling our daughter over for a round after to feed her too!

We also read letters to our parents!

This is how our family wedding went! We incorporated moments with our child because we wanted the day to be enjoyable for everyone!

I hope this helps 😊

Family Wedding Experience 19

I work in the wedding industry.

- Entering with the children or having them as ring boys/ring girls.

- Kids can share a wedding kiss.

- After the first bite, the kids can also have a bite.

- The toast can be given by the kids.

This is how common it is!

Family Wedding Experience 20

This summer, we’re having a wedding marking our third year of marriage! Our child is almost three, and I plan to have them as the ring boy!

We’re thinking of including them in the entrance and even considering drawing lots for fun with the kids 😊💞

Family Wedding Experience 21

Though it’s not yet been three years, we recently had a family wedding with our seven-month-old son!

Our child served as the ring boy, and we created a movie for the letter to the bride!

Additionally, we all coordinated our outfits for the outfit change, and we did many performances that can only be done in a family wedding 😊🎶

Family Wedding Experience 22

Nice to meet you! We had a wedding when my child was 2 years and 2 months old due to a shotgun marriage ☺︎

I wanted to plan a wedding that reflects our family life.

For the welcome dolls, we prepared a doll of the three of us (husband, daughter, and me) and made a welcome board with our handprints!

I wore a white dress during the ceremony while my daughter participated as the ring girl with matching lace and ribbons on her ankle. The kiss was on her cheek ♡

At the reception, we did a first bite with our daughter involved, and we changed outfits to re-enter together ☺︎

The gifts to parents included stuffed bears with engraved names and weights at birth, reflecting the happiness of having our daughter...

It may seem typical, but I hope this helps ☺︎

Family Wedding Experience 23

Last October, we held our ceremony with our son, who is now 2 years and 7 months.

We did angel kisses and bites during the ceremony, and for the bouquet toss, our son tossed a ball, making it a family-friendly ceremony and reception (^○^)

Family Wedding Experience 24

Hello! I also had a family wedding with children!

To reveal our daughter, I walked down the aisle with my husband, and we both shared a kiss while the final kiss was done as a family of three ☺️

After we performed our first bite with each other, we did a first bite of strawberries for our daughter 🍓

Family Wedding and Papa Mama Weddings are Wonderful♡

We introduced family wedding experiences gathered on marry's Instagram＊

The performances that create beautiful memories with children are much more plentiful than imagined♡

May you have a happy wedding♡