THIS MONTH'S VIVA LA WEDDING Q&A

Q - We have a four year old son and can't imagine not having him at our wedding. There are also a lot of young children in our family and we would love for them to be present on our wedding day as well. Can you give us a few tips on having a child friendly wedding that will help make it more enjoyable for the kids (and their parents too)?

A - Take a child out of his or her normal surroundings, dress them in uncomfortable formal clothes, break their routine, place them in an adult setting - it won’t be long before they are tired and bored. They also have a short attention span and may need a little help if you want them to make it through the day. How can you keep them entertained and having fun? Here are a few tips so that not only will they enjoy themselves at your wedding, but their parents will be able to enjoy themselves too.

Offer a kids meal - While you may be excited for your guests to try the oven roasted AAA rib eye served with exotic mustards and creamed horseradish that melted in your mouth at your food tasting let's face it, the kids at your wedding probably aren't going to be all that excited to eat it. Offer them something that will please their palates like pizza, chicken fingers or mini hot dogs and make sure to ask your venue/caterer if they can be served first. Especially at an evening reception seeing as it will probably be well past their normally scheduled eating time when you sit down for dinner.

Arrange for childcare - Having someone on hand to watch over the kids, making sure they're not getting into the wedding cake before it's officially cut or dipping their little fingers into the candy bar and overdosing on sugar before the night has even begun, can be a real life saver. If your wedding is taking place at a hotel/resort they may already offer this service on-site.

Hire a professional magician, balloon artist or children's entertainer. Not only will this keep them entertained but it adds a fun aspect to the day that's especially for them, and can sometimes be fun for the adults too.

Create special areas with activities for the kids - Set up a children's table using butcher block paper as the tablecloth with crayons for colouring. A children's wedding activity book is a great way to keep them busy and they can take it home afterwards as a memento of your day. The book can include colouring pages, crosswords, and word searches depending on their age.

Goodie bags for each child are a nice touch. Fill the bags with bead sets, bubbles, colouring kits, pipe cleaners, disposible cameras, juice boxes and a few little snacks.

If your venue allows for it, set up a dvd in a separate room along with puzzles, board games and crafts to keep them entertained.

Great find!! - These stuffed paper dolls from Anthropologie are super cute! Included are five water-based markers kids can use to create their own unique dolls. The cool thing about them is that when they get home and days later decide the doll needs a new look, simply throw it in the wash and start all over again.