What age to kids 'count' as guests?

esmurphy

At what age do kids/infants/toddlers actually count on the guest list?  

We are currently at our limit on our guest list (max our venue can hold keeping comfort in mind) and we have about 6-9 guest that we would still like to invite.  I am not comfortable just inviting them and assuming that 9 people won't show.  On our list we have 6 kids under age 1 and 5 who are under age 4.  For catering we don't need to count kids under 4, but does that go for the overall guest list also? TIA 

laurenclaire1386

I'm sure different venues have different policies, but the way my venue handles it is that kids under five are free, and kids 5-12 are half price of the per head price. And vendor meals are discounted.

ETA: Crap, I read your question totally wrong. Sorry for the completely useless information.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Will they need chairs? I'd kind of assume that any kid over age 1 would need a chair (and that the parents would bring a booster seat).

rubyredlucy

I'm not sure, but I would guess that any children who needs a seat counts as a guest.  If they will sit on their parent's lap or in a baby carrier on the floor, they won't need to be counted towards tablespace. 

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

You'll probably want to ask your venue, though. Some of the capacity limits are because of fire code (how many people can safely evacuate the building) versus how many tables they can fit in the room.

tidetravel

Ditto Mery.  Check with your venue - they'll be the best people to ask.

quotequeen

If the capacity is based on how many people they can seat, then anybody who needs a chair has to count.  Kids under 6 months or so can probably stay in a carrier, but you might want to talk to the parents about whether they will want chairs for their kids.

Lisa8888

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_age-kids-count-guests?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:ae9daf6e-8efa-4fcb-909d-ea870a556724Post:8f88e44c-307e-402f-b68a-cec605cb6916">Re: What age to kids 'count' as guests?</a>:
[QUOTE]You'll probably want to ask your venue, though. Some of the capacity limits are because of fire code (how many people can safely evacuate the building) versus how many tables they can fit in the room.
Posted by msmerymac[/QUOTE]

I agree with the above. Its all about fire code.

mysticl

I'm counting the little ones as guests for the count number of people in the room.  I may have some kids under 6 months at my wedding but they are still getting a "seat".  If they are being held the parents are still going to need space for the diaper bag and to maneuver.  If they are in a carrier I want the parents to have the option of putting the carrier on a chair.  If they want the carrier on the floor then the chair can be removed.  Just putting them on the floor by a table may put them in a walkway which isn't safe for anyone.