You love kids! You enjoy them so much that you can’t imagine not having them around on your Big Day, right? But how much are they really going to dig being at your wedding? Well, that depends largely on you. With just a little foresight and some thoughtful planning, you can make your wedding reception a fun day for even the littlest wedding guest – and keep the grumpies and meltdowns to a minimum.

Time of Day For Your Wedding Reception

This is a biggie. If you know that kids will play a part in your special day,
then you should most likely forgo the wedding reception that doesn’t even get started until past little Austin or Emma’s bedtime. A happy kid is a fresh kid. Sleep deprivation and the overstimulation that comes from a big party are not a good combo. Hold your wedding in the morning or afternoon to minimize this issue.

Wedding Reception Formality

We’re not saying that you can’t have a white tie, ultra-formal event and invite
children. But we’re not suggesting it. After all, very formal affairs require scratchy, stiff clothes and shoes and fancy hair. And heaven forbid they drop chocolate cake on that $2000 dress!

Tone down the formality, and the kiddoes will likely be more comfortable in cotton and ballet slippers. Their smiles will be sweeter, too.

Consider the Reception Décor.

Keep in mind all of those little hands when you’re preparing décor and centerpieces. Rows and rows of lit candles in crystal holders may seem like a good idea, but, well. You get our point.

Consider faux tea lights in pretty holders to approximate the look of candles. You may want to ask your florist about arrangements that don’t feature toxic flowers as well…just in case.

Foods for Little Hands

If your reception will feature food, be sure that you have a few options
for toddler palates. Pate and brie? Not such popular options with kiddoes. Fresh fruit and vegetables, mild dips for both, finger sandwiches, and crackers will round out the hors oeuvres table nicely for the under-10 set. Ask your caterer to have a child’s option available for a sit-down dinner.

And consider having a special sweets station for children as well – cookie bars, wedding cakepops, and a wedding cupcake tower would all be awesome (and hip!) options for your little guests.

Be Accessible During the Reception

Chances are, if there are children at your wedding, it’s because you really love them, and they really love you. Can you imagine how excited they will be to see you looking so special and pretty? Although it’s tempting not to let sticky fingers and jam-smeared faces within a ten foot radius of your unsurpassed gorgeousness, make time to get down to their level and
spend time with the tykes, sparing a hug, a squeal, and a pat just for them. They will feel super-special as a result, and will likely take the day away as a special memory.

Crafts, please!

“Idle hands are the devil’s playthings.” True enough. So we SUPER suggest
having a craft or activity for children to work on at the reception, or a play area that’s just for them. Keeping them occupied with something special that they can take home and remember the day by will make for happier children, happier parents, and a more radiant you.

This can be something as simple as a coloring sheet, or something more involved, like these nifty special day kits, which feature stickers and a keep sake photo frame. Having a close friend to help with the craft is a good idea, too.

A Place for Quiet Time or to Run Around

Regardless of your best intentions, kids will be kids. We think it’s a really great idea to set aside a couple of areas apart from the reception for parents to take children who might need a little break from the excitement. Mommies especially will appreciate a quiet place that would be private and suitable for napping and/or nursing.

In addition, consider a wide open space where children can run around a bit, without being scolded for unruly behavior. After all, you’re feeding them sugar. They are going to have excess energy
to burn.

With a little thought and attention, you can make your wedding reception a special time for every guest, whether they are three or ninety-three. Thinking ahead and planning just a little will ensure that you (and everyone else) will be all smiles on your special day.

Brooke Fehr manages and contributes to A Wedding Cake Blog, a beautiful corner of the internet devoted to all that is Sweet and Pretty and Wedding.  Author of “Creating a Fabulous Wedding Reception” eCourse, Brooke spent several years working in the culinary arts, before deciding to marry her love of food with her background in writing.  She is a wife and mom to two small children as well.
http://aweddingcakeblog.com

About the author: Annie Shultz, a blogger, lives in Kansas with her 3 kids, 4 years old and under. She blogs at MamaDweeb.com about parenting, family products and blogging basics. She loves to chat on Twitter (@mamadweeb) and on her Facebook fan page (facebook.com/mamadweeb) about her daily, crazy life! This is her story on how she threw a Wizard of Oz Birthday Party.

WIZARD OF OZ BIRTHDAY PARTY:

Living in Kansas, a very popular birthday party theme is the Wizard of Oz. I prefer parties to be simple, and this can lead to some very fun and easy ideas!

MENU IDEAS:

To keep the theme obvious you can choose to label the food if you want.

1. Tin man’s heart sandwiches

2. Ruby red strawberries

3. Munchkin grapes
Or you can go with a “fiesta” menu:

1. Yellow brick burritos (super cheesy)

2. Brainless Tacos (DIY taco bar)

3. Emerald city Enchiladas (green sauce)

WIZARD OF OZ CAKE:

Beginner cake makers can pick up a Wilton doll cake kit and make Glenda for a dazzling centerpiece. Then just put themed toppers on cupcakes to feed the crowd.

Keep an eye on sales at craft stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby. You can usually pick up some “Dorothy” wicker baskets for a low cost. Then fill these with party favors of your choice!

1. Sunflower seeds packets (older children)

2. Skittles (taste the rainbow)

3. colorful toys

4. Wizard of oz coloring pages and crayons

BIRTHDAY GAMES: 

1. Follow the Yellow Brick Road -

Play just like musical chairs. Put sheets of yellow construction paper on the ground in a circle. Put a number on each sheet. Tell children to walk on the paper and when the music stops (play Wizard of Oz songs) draw a number. The child standing on the winning number gets a prize..

2. Pin the tail on the Lion
3. I’m Melting!

If it is warm outside, enjoy this water balloon game! Pair children up. Tell each pair to face each other and stand 1 foot apart. Then, they begin tossing the balloons to each other and take on step apart after each toss. The goal is to see how far apart they can get before they drop a balloon and splash their feet!

Above all, just have fun! A party should always be more fun than work! Enjoy!

Planning for a Doctor Suess birthday was one of the easiest birthdays I have planned yet. I loved it and my son did too. Need tips on How to Decorate for a Dr.Suess Birthday Party? Hopefully these Dr. Suess will help. We had a blast making this blast party.

1. The colors were kept simple. Red, (known to the Party Planning Professor as the most used color for decorations because it goes with everything adding money value) We also used white and black.

2. We decided that we would have a no helium birthday party. (another way to save money) We used double sided tape, blew up the balloons, curled the ribbon tight and kept them short. THE KIDS NOR THE ADULT had never known. We also took the double sided tape and hung balloons upside down with fishing line. I imagine if balloons were in Suesville they would be upside down and at first you thought they were just floating.

3. We used Red Christmas table clothes as banner swags from curtain to curtain. Think about Valentine’s Days and Christmas decorations.

4. We also found a bunch of over the hill party supplies to incorporate the black table cloth, balloons, and napkins that were placed every other.

5. We set books up around the cake and I was sure that we were pretty lucky with our birthday cake. A friend made it. It was fantastic, We made the cake the focal point on a cheap throw away table cloth as a center place.

We were delighted and most important the birthday boy was. . The house set a Dr. Suess mood.

Do you have decoration tips for a Doctor Suess birthday party? We would love to hear!

Something is always so fun when it comes to cooking. OK, well sometimes it also means a mess to but that’s part of the fun. I am sure for the kiddos at least. This is a great dessert option, THANKSGIVING style, has minimal mess but something the kids can look forward to. This way if you have to bribe them, which I NEVER do, something will hold them over while you are cooking and they are NOT messing up the house.  This is a great kid friendly recipe.

Pumpkin Pudding

• 1 Tablespoon Whipped Topping
• 2 Tablespoons Canned pumpkin Pie Filling
• 2 Tablespoons Marshmallow Fluff
• Confectionate Sugar to Dust
• and Brown Jimmies sprinkled on top (for fun)

Each child get their own bowl to mix individual servings!

Have Fun

Share below if you have any Thanksgiving Favorites that you enjoy!

Thanksgiving is around the corner. That means it is time to be thankful and all of that good stuff. right? I mean, I try to be thankful all of the time. There is just more focus on being thankful at this time of year.  As a mom, I want to raise thankful kids.
Every year, Thanksgiving puts me in check to make sure I am not raising selfish hooligans but, humble grateful gentlemen (thankful kids). While they aren’t at the bright and shinning gentlemen yet, I do think they are doing pretty well. Maybe…..That means I am doing well too. But, Neither I, nor my boys, are perfect and there is always room to improve. Here are ideas I have gotten of the Internet and ideas we promote in our household. Hopefully, we all can raise angels with a thankful heart. Truly thankful kids.

• Point out the Positive (We try really hard to dwell on what the boys have and NOT what they don’t)

• Don’t buy your kids everything they want

• Practice what you preach (ouch…..that’s a reality check for me. Am I thankful for what I have, or am I to busy thinking about what I don’t)

• Thank you cards are a great lesson (every Christmas I mean to do this but I just crash after the holidays……maybe I will do better this year)

• Give Your Child Responsibility (Aghhhh….Guilt from the not followed through chore chart)

• Start a Turkey day diary (Great Idea)…Dedicate a notebook to things that you are thankful for. Fill it with drawings, pictures, and words that you are thankful for. Add to it year after year!

• Make a Thanksgiving Tree (we did this and it is still hanging on our wall. We will take it down this year and replace it with a new one)

• Get your child volunteering in the community(we need to have a youth volunteer league….does anyone else agree?)

What do you do to help your children to be thankful?  What are you doing to have thankful kids?

My first Thanksgiving I had a house big enough for all of my family I wanted to go ALL out.  I was all about not using the canned cranberry sauce, using something different, something fresh.  I wanted to make a lasting impact on my kids as “my” traditional dish.  I was delighted when I found this recipe and perfected it to our liking.  All though my husband is a fan of “the canned stuff”  I love how this puts me in the Holiday spirit.  It smells SO good and the whole house screams the season to be thankful is here.  I am delighted to share with you MY Cranberry Chutney with you. this is a Thanksgiving cranberry recipe  that is home made Cranberry Chutney at it’s best.

Step 1:  Mix 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar together in a sauce pan on medium heat.  Stir constantly until you are are at a slow boil.  I usually back off and let the mixture simmer as I quickly prepare for the next step.

Step 2:  Peal, Slice, and cute into bite size pieces Red delicious Apples.  (I have tried using green apples but it was to tart for our liking)  I use about 4 medium size apples but you can add another in if you are an apple liking family.  My kids like the bite size apples so I make sure to chop them fine.

Step 3:  Use a bag full of fresh cranberry’s.  I have used “from the bog” and good ol’ ocean spray.  Both work great.  My youngest actually feels by the end that the cranberrys are cherries by the completeness of the dish.

Add 2/3 cup water and 1/3 apple juice.  This is still being perfected as I normally have used 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar.

Stage 4: Mix and stir on low heat.

Step 5:  Add 4 packs of kid size raisons.  (as seen in this picture)  Add the following ingredients.

  (this is where the great smell aroma comes into play)

• 1/2 Teaspoon of ground cinnamon.  (freshly ground is the best if you feel up to it but not needed)
• 1/4 Teaspoon of ground allspice
• 1/4 Teaspoon of ground ginger
• and a few shakes of ground cloves. 

Step 6:  Sprinkle sugar on top of pan or serving dish.  I find this dish pleasing to all senses.  I love it.  Cover and serve chilled.

 

If you are lucky please try with oatmeal the next day.  It is delish.  If I do say so my self this dish it beautiful!!  I am delighted that this is “my” dish and I get to share it with you.

What I like about this recipe.  The fruits are all kept on a low heat and are not over cooked.  I really enjoy keeping things fresh.  I hope you can give the recipe a swing.  We love Cranberry Chutney.

1. Instead of Balloons consider paper ribbon, bows or pompoms hanging from the ceiling!

2. Instead of buying a banner for the party have the guests ditch the cards and make a banner and sign birthday wishes and their names. (This is a very Eco-friendly idea that I used to help entertain the kids while waiting for those that have arrived late.)

3. If it is a themed birthday use already owned toys as centerpieces and decorations. (For my sons Dr. Suess party I placed books around the cake, on the end tables, on the present tables)

4. Consider the best decorations-the outdoors!

5. Don’t buy, rent! Donate! Use eBay as a resource of using decorations more than twice!

• Green Invitation Ideas
• How to pick a green theme party- green princess party, green pirate party? Yes, any birthday party can be green!
• How to Make “Earth Friendly” Goodie Bags for Party Guests

I remember my son’s 1st birthday. I was ALL about planning and filling goodie bags even before the invites were sent out.  I spent hours planning and an extraordinary amount of money on the toys in each bag.  I put quality thing in each bag.  Since than I have attended over 8 years of birthday parties.  Some have had great take homes and others well haven’t. I will say it right now. STOP SENDING JUNK HOME WITH YOUR GUESTS IN THEIR GOODIE BAGS!Here are 5 reasons why what you send home should matter.

• 1. A lot of cheap toys are not local made.
• 2. A lot of cheap toys break, get lost in the toy boxes, or never get played with.
• 3. This is about your child not about the gifts being sent home.
• 4. Goodie “Bags” that are plastic are just are a waste.
• 5. The perception and economic cost is not worth what is really in the bag.  Do you want your guests to think about you when they dump your goodie bags straight into the trash?

Want tips for a great Party with a Smaller Carbon Footprint? Here are some tips on what to put in your own goodie bags!

• 1. Fill with home made eatables-either made before or during the party!
• 2. Cups that can be used during the party and then filled with goodies after avoiding all use of paper cups and plastic bags. Win! Win!
• 3. Fill with usable items-crayons, chalk, pencils ect
• 4. Make a craft that can be brought home this saves on goodie bag expenses and also saves on entertainment options. A GREAT example of this is planting flowers as a party activity and using as a take home gift but can really be any craft activity like cup decorating, hat decorating, pirate patch making or bandana accessorizing all can be “two-fors” multi functional as entertainment and goodies to send your guests home with.
• 5. Paper origami art that the kids can do at home is a fantastic idea. How-to-fold papers are great green gift bag fillers.

So, you want to throw a green birthday party, an eco-friendly bash. We are all for that! We love the idea. We think it is fabulous. But, when it comes to green party planning it isn’t always the thought that counts. It is THE action, THE doing and THE being an example that will execute an impact on the environment and inspire others to take this green party road.

Little things do add up to a big difference. We congratulate you on taking on this feat and we are going to help you along the party planning process for throwing a kids green themed birthday.

The first step is to pick a theme. While being green is important so is making sure this birthday is still about your child and is your celebration. Because green is such an “in” thing these days it isn’t hard to incorporate characters into a green themed birthday. Here are 3 questions to ask to make any birthday party theme earth friendly! Here are a few suggestions on how to tie in a green message with some popular themed party ideas.

• Has the Green Theme already been covered?

Green is in. Although some companies may use going green as a marketing technique, this can be used to a party planners advantage. Earth day is another opportunity for characters to be involved in the earth message. We love Elmo in our house. Elmo has a whole episode devoted to being green. An Elmo Birthday party that is green would be easy and FUN! It is true, in the world of make believe, characters everywhere are going green. This is an amazing time to plan a fun green birthday party.

• Use YOUR imagination with every theme. Can green habits be habits of your child’s character?

Once upon a time…….Cinderella likes to walk places, ride her bike, and her horse carriage instead of use the car. Belle loves to read instead of wasting electric energy on television watching. Aurora loves to sing and make music of her own. Snow White and Giselle love animals and the forest!!!! In fact they believe EVERY forest is enchanted wanting to be enjoyed, preserved, and discovered. Cars 2 now has a green theme, Pirates LOVE the ocean and all sea life in it. Think out of the “normal” story “box” with your child’s favorite characters.

• Is your theme green already?

Some of what kids love the most are ALREADY earth friendly. Remember when your child was 2 and you had just bought a new toy for your child and ALL.THEY.WANTED to do was…… play with the box. As adults we always make things complicated while kids are ok and actually sometime prefer and LOVE simple. Kids already love animals, love bugs, and love outdoors already! I know of a family that recently bought a croquet set to use for a birthday party. Their son loves baseball and mini golf and they incorporated both in an outside party. Sometimes…….. It is so hard for me to remember that the fun of party planning sometimes can distract from the simple beauty of your child entering another year. A celebration can STILL be spectacular when it is simple and enjoying things that children naturally love. Want to make stick bugs anyone? Soccer goal games? Star watching at a campout?

The possibilities are endless. The fun is limitless. The green options that make a difference are eternal. You can make a difference not just by entertaining, or by sending out green birthday party invitations, but also by enjoying being green and teaching that all kinds of life is something to celebrate especially another year of your child’s.

I am kinda sick of it all! Here at the Party Planning Professor we love to party but when it comes to celebrating there is NOTHING to celebrate when it comes to being reckless and careless with our earth. Over the next couple posts we are going to cover green celebrations.

We are going to give you the skinny on ditching the wrapping paper. We want to help you deal with disposable plates and cups and mess but still keeping things easy and simple. We want to tap into the reason for birthday cards and the many uses for them. We want to talk about earth friendly balloons, favors and other items. We want to help you stay away from the tons of garbage but keep tons of memories.

Those memories don’t have to break the bank nor do you have to appear cheap. You can, and I repeat, YOU CAN have a party plan that includes style and green. Be a tend setter. Set a standard in your area for greener living….I mean greener partying. Make a difference with your carbon foot print and be an example for your children and your guests. Now that is truly something to celebrate!

• Green Invitation Ideas
• How to pick a green theme party- green princess party, green pirate party?  Yes, any birthday party can be green!
• How to Make “Earth Friendly” Goodie Bags for Party Guests

Green Decoration Ideas for a Party