The picture is mine, but the words have been taken from a blog written by The Tudor Barn, a beautiful wedding venue in Bucks. 

Every wedding has certain guests. There’s the portly uncle who struts around the dance floor like Patrick Swayze. The quiet ‘Goth’ cousin, sitting in the corner, who you only invited because your mum told you to. And the tipsy bridesmaid who has a little too much prosecco… at 9.30am.

But there’s one kind of guest who can make or break a wedding. The child. They can be either delightful or demonic. So how do you keep the kids engaged so that they don’t ruin your special day? Here are some ideas…

1. Treasure hunt – The grounds are huge here at The Tudor Barn, Burnham. A treasure hunt will keep them occupied for a good hour or so as they follow the clues. Make sure everyone gets a prize too, so no tears.
2. Goody bags – Get activity packs together to keep them busy at the table, including puzzles and colouring. Tailor them depending on their ages. But stick to crayons, not felt-tip pens. Many venues (including ours) don’t allow pens as they can damage the linen tablecloths.
3. Disposable Camera I-Spy game – Give every kid a cheap disposable camera and a list of things to photograph. And off they go…
4. Garden games – You can hire all kinds of games through The Tudor Barn. From giant Jenga and Connect 4, to crazy golf and table tennis. Guaranteed fun. Just ask us what’s available.
5. Arts & Crafts table – Organise a table full of creative things to do. Beads, tubs of Lego, loom bands… Maybe get one of the older kids to oversee everything.
6. Dance off – Set aside 10 minutes of your disco time for a kids dance competition. It’ll also wear the darling little cherubs out. Bonus.
7. Face painter – Always popular with kids. You might get one or two grown ups having a go as well (like that tipsy bridesmaid we mentioned earlier).
8. A big cage – Kids just love being confined to a cage in a soundproof room! (That’s a joke, of course. It doesn’t have to be soundproof!)

If you have a wedding to organise, I hope this has been helpful.