The Kids Are Alright- @oh_deardeer

When my Dad married his wife I was 9 years old and up until that point I had never attended a wedding - to say I was excited is an understatement. The day finally arrived and much to my disappointment I felt completely left out; this wasn’t the wedding I had dreamed of in my head; I had to wear a gaudy dress, a hat that made me look ridiculous and when it came to the wedding breakfast I wasn’t allowed to sit anywhere near my family, instead I sat in the small hall outside of the wedding reception with the other guest’s kids. The best moment for me was finally getting to be part of the big day by dancing with my Dad.

The feeling of not being part of that important day stayed with me for a long time, and I remember saying that if I ever got married after becoming a parent I would do things differently… 20 years later I am a parent, I’m getting married in September and I am doing things differently!

 We have a daughter Euna, who will be 15mo at the time of the wedding. Euna was the perfect addition to our family of two and we are so elated that she will be there to share in such an important event; we feel it is her day too…even if she won’t remember it!

 The process of planning a wedding with a child in mind is completely different to how I had approached it prior to becoming a mother - I now realise and recognised how important it is to have children there on the day, what a joy they will bring to our wedding and how much fun it will be to share the happiness with them. Since Euna will be there we are inviting all the children of our friends and family too. We really feel that the addition of children to our wedding will only make it feel that much warmer and friendlier, full of laughter and fun. As we want our guests to be able to relax and enjoy the day, it is essential that we have plenty to keep the kids occupied but it is also just as important for us that it fits in with the aesthetic of the wedding scheme.

One way of making the kids feel welcome is a personalised wedding favour and there are so many wonderful and talented designers out there making truly distinctive things for kids.

 Etsy is a wealth of talent and the wooden figures from Mini and the Monster are adorable.

There are lots of characters to choose from, each one is hand drawn so no two are alike and they are beautifully finished. These will help keep the kids busy at their table and will look pretty on their bedroom shelf too. All that’s needed is a bit of childlike imagination to make them come alive! In addition to the many characters available you can also place custom orders via Etsy (priced individually).

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MinnieAndTheMonster

 Instagram @minnieandthemonster

Naked Lunge has been all over Instagram and the child style blogosphere lately and with good reason; Roxanna’s ‘Make a Doll’ range is so unique and pretty.

These mini make a dolls are in the new coloured linens and are £10 each, if you can get your guests to email over a picture of their child, Roxy can create a personalized doll.

Follow Naked Lunge on Instagram @naked_lunge and visit the shop at http://nakedlunge.bigcartel.com/ for classic items or www.fourmonkeys.com for exclusive designs.

The next favour is very cool and crosses over between custom gift and fun activity.

Cartoon Box is run by Rebecca who hand makes crayons from the blingy diamonds to the perfectly geeky Lego men. How about using her bespoke crayons as a unique name card for the kids seating? You can order any names you’d like via Crayonbox on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CrayonBox2013 or her main range can also be found on Cissy Wears www.cissywears.com

And what better thing to use them on than this beautiful colouring book from Roxy Marj!

Roma is the creator of these distinctive illustrations that adorn everything from blankets to baby grows, based in Salt Lake City there is usually a mad rush to get your hands on her limited release items.

Educational and beautiful Alphabet Girls of the North Winnie Mountains is a lovely keepsake for the mini guests.

You can pick up her items from her Etsy store here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/romawinkel. Follow Roxy Marj on Instagram for shop updates @roxymarj

Next time I am going to be looking at creative wedding accessories for kids as well as ideas for keeping the wee ones busy!

Check out my Instagram page @oh_deardeer for a chance to win the mini and the monster figures, two of the Naked Lunge Dolls and a colouring book from Roxy Marj,

-Cara