Children can take the wedding ceremony up a notch. The typical roles are girls spreading roses and boys carrying the rings.

However, the energy and enthusiasm of youth can be channeled in other delightful ways.

Some of those delightful ways could be stressful due to the uncertainty the young bring.

That is when planning comes into play.

You can usually count on older children to understand the duties and responsibilities many adults fail to understand.

Your attitude is a barrier that holds disaster at bay if things don’t go exactly how you planned. A positive attitude allows you to relax and redirect the energy of any situation to the outcome you want.

Don’t freak out.

This article includes strategies to help you remain calm, collected, and fun.

First, decide on Plan B.

Plan B would be good advice even if children were not involved. However, for children, plan B is a necessity.

A poor night’s sleep, butterflies in the stomach, or a scraped knee could change things. Have a designated supervisor who can handle the situation and step in with alternatives, simple support or even taking over the role.

Practice But Don’t Over Kill

Weddings can be hectic. You need to rehearse everything. Children are used to role-playing, so take advantage of this.

Rehearse doesn’t mean taking the fun out of everything. Just like in sports, there is such a thing as overtraining and overpracticing. You want children for their energy; don’t tire them out through too much practice.

Entertain Them

The wedding may not be as crucial to children as it is to you. Fun is always important to them. Designate someone to entertain them and keep them happy while they wait to play their part.

Another good idea for couples who wish to include children in the wedding is to have a friend or family member who is good with children be responsible for entertaining the children who will be participating in the wedding ceremony.

I emphasize being good with children. Having children doesn’t automatically make you good at it. Some people have never had children and are much better with them than others who have had several kids.

Keep The Camera Rolling

The uncertainty of children could provide years of delightful memories. Designate someone besides your official wedding videographer to keep recording children. You never know when the next YouTube sensation will show up.

It could be at your wedding filming one of your youngest helpers.