Ok, so my fiance and I have talked about it and decided we really don't want to have any children at our wedding who aren't nieces or nephews that are in the wedding party. Not doing this to upset anyone! We love kids! My fiance works for the school system and I'm a nurse. But our venue for the ceremony and the reception are outside at my fiance's childhood home and during May. I realize some children are hard to handle as it is when you get them outside in pretty weather, but add in more kids, and creek running through the property right behind the location of the ceremony and I can just see catastrophe. Not to mention I went to a wedding before that was outside and it was like some parents just let their children run wild. Not just during the reception this was during the ceremony! Literally running and playing tag in the back ground of the ceremony, I could not even hear the I dos.
I know not all parents let their children do what ever, and some children are very well behaved, but I do have some family who I can see letting their children doing just this. So we decided it wouldn't be fair to let some family bring their well behaved children and then the ones who have children who are... not so well behaved not come. We want to avoid the conflict as much as possible but I understand I will not be able to avoid this without upsetting at least one person. But this is suppose to be the best day of my life and I really don't want a bunch of screaming children in the back ground. Any suggestions on how to clearly put on the invitations that we aren't inviting children in a better way than NO CHILDREN ALLOWED. Also how to handle when people start calling and asking if they can bring junior.
Thanks!
PS: The family and friends who we are inviting that have children live local, so they would not have to be away from their children for more than a few hours.