Assign a Baby Sitter
Update: I added more information regarding children at City Hall on the main part of the website. Click here to check out more about Kids at weddings.
There are quite a few things to consider when bring your children to your San Francisco city hall wedding. If they are still a baby you may want to make sure that you schedule your wedding to work around their nap time. The last thing you want is to have the ceremony occur right during their most grumpy time. Make sure that you bring another adult or older sibling who can watch and entertain the baby if needed. The preference would be to choose someone who can miss the ceremony in case the baby is crying. If a family member is watching the baby they may be inclined to stick around during the ceremony which can be quite disruptive. I would suggest bringing the family babysitter.
Involve Them in the Wedding Photos
Children seeing one of their parents getting remarried can experience some jealousy and fear. It can be a big change in their life and they are liable to wonder how they fit in to the new family. One thing you can do is to make sure to involve them significantly in the wedding photography portion of the day. Include them in as many pictures as you can to make them understand that they are important and involved in the the couple’s new life together. If possible, you may even want to try to include them in the actual city hall wedding ceremony somehow. Maybe they can hold the wedding rings or the flowers. Just don’t have them be a bystander like everyone else. This is your chance to make them feel special.
Realize their Limitations
Even though we strongly recommend getting the little ones involved on your San Francisco city hall wedding day, it’s also important to understand that they will be tired at some point. Make it part of your plan to have someone take the really small children home before they burn out. You know your kids better than anyone and so you should be able to figure out when they are going to be ready to leave. It is very important that you have someone who knows them well and can take care of them when needed. Yes, you want to make sure your kids are involved and happy, but you also need to realize that your wedding day is about the 2 of you! Make sure to set some time aside for you both! The main thing is to achieve balance between both extremes. You will be happy you did.
