kids | Tara Guérard Soirée

Tag Archives: kids

Mar 20, 2018

The debate has been around as long as I have been planning weddings- kids or no kids? Of course, we roll with whatever is the best plan for our clients, but if you are a little hesitant about including peanuts, maybe some of these ideas will help you feel more confident about having kids at the wedding. And, head over Vogue.com for more kid friendly ideas from some of our event colleagues.

photo by Corbin Gurkin

photo by Liz Banfield

As mentioned in the Vogue.com article, I think kids in a ceremony are adorable. It’s not about whether they make it down the aisle perfectly or not, and it definitely helps take the pressure of the bride. Sometimes, having a parent in the wedding party that one can walk to or with or older flower girls can be a big help in keeping the tiniest ones comfortable.

photo by Liz Banfield

Once at the reception- whether it’s a seated dinner or station/buffet style we suggest have a separate seating area for the kids. Not only does this help save money on the fancy table decor you may be doing for the other tables, but also gives the parents a chance to relax and enjoy conversation. You could have preset family style meals for the kids too… Full tummies always help keep the kiddos on track.

photo by Liz Banfield

We like to do special boxes or gift bags for the kids, full of snacks and games and activities. If your venue has the space for it, we’ve often hired babysitters to come and be with all of the kids in a separate area. They are still close by for the parents to check on them but under other adult supervision.

3.20.18 | TARA GUÉRARD
Bridal, Bridal Style, Event Design, Event Planning, Press, Reception, Uncategorized, Weddings | Comments >>

Nov 14, 2017

At The Kid’s Table

Photos courtesy of Southern Living Magazine

Yesterday’s post focused so much on planning a holiday or dinner party that would most likely be a grown up function, I wanted to make sure to share a few idea on setting up a kid’s table, and making it chic enough that adults and older kids would feel just as special sitting there too! For a photo shoot with Southern Living Magazine many years ago, we created a formal Thanksgiving spread at our home in Flat Rock, NC. I wanted the kids’ table to still feel formal, but important pieces that I would be heartbroken if ruined were reserved for the adults. One fun detail we did was have the kids’ names etched on glasses, so that it served as a place card and also something they could keep at home.

Photos by Liz Banfield

For younger kids, offering games or activities at the table may give the grown ups time to enjoy dinner and conversation. For this party, we served all of the kids’ meals on little trays so they would be done in advance and served while the adults were serving themselves. I also love the idea of getting inexpensive wooden ornaments or figures at a craft store (or online) and handwriting on them for place cards! You could even do trees, stars, or angels and the kids could have them for Christmas ornaments a month later!

Photo courtesy of One Kings Lane

There are so many sources for nice melamine or bamboo placesettings and utensils that you could consider dressing up your disposables to cut back on all of the clean up- a kids table is a perfect spot for this! Here, having bowls of fruit or other goodies on the table if the food is still being served can help those hungry tummies. We have a local chocolatier that we placed at each placesetting that had the kiddos excited.

Something we have done at several of our weddings that would be a good idea “steal” are gift boxes/baskets at the kids’ table. We have filled these with mini puzzles, crayons/coloring books, or an assortment of toys to keep kiddos busy during dinner.

11.14.17 | TARA GUÉRARD
Entertaining, Event Design, Press, Stationery, Invitations and Pretty Papers, Uncategorized | Comments >>