How to ask parents of small children

teakum

for the child to sit in the parents lap during the wedding? I don t wan t a 2 or 3 yeard old to take up a chair if the seating is tight. We only have 80 chairs set up on the beach and the photog. will not take pictures if people are standing. Would you feel this rude if I asked you  to hold your toddler during the ceremony?

FutureMrs.McC

How many guests are you expecting?  I think it might be difficult for parents to hold their toddlers.  I'm not a parent so maybe others will be more knowledgeable however, many of my friends have children around that age and they can be very independent.  I can see a HUGE breakdown happening if they don't want to be held.

merhou

I agree with the PP - you know how kids can be.  What about a sitter?  The resort we're using can arrange for a sitter and if all the parents chip in it wouldn't be so bad.  And then you would make sure you had a peaceful ceremony :-)

erin_nj83

As the parent of a toddler, yeah I would be kinda offended that I traveled all the way to your wedding, brought something quiet for my son to do during your wedding and there was no place for him to sit.  He is in a stage where he is a big boy and wants his own chair.  If I had an infant, then it would not be an issue, but a toddler wants to be treated like an adult.  I don't mean to sound snarky, so please don't take offense.

chosen175

I agree with Erin - my toddler would never sit quietly on my lap during a ceremony.  She'd scream and fuss and want to get down or sit on her own to play with the books I'd be bringing, etc.  Is there any way to get extra chairs or is it a cost issue?  If you can't get extra chairs, I'd probably look into having a kids area and hiring a sitter to keep the young ones busy and away from the ceremony.