By Sarah Aanyu
Having children accompany you down the aisle can make for fond memories especially if they are related to you, such as nephews, nieces or cousins. These innocent souls will witness your union and perhaps pick a leaf from you. So how do you choose and plan for who will be your flower girls and page boys?
Rose Takan, a newly-wed says there was a lot she considered when choosing the children she used at her entourage.
She says children have the power to either make the ceremony interesting or disorganise it and this they do innocently.
“I personally got opinions from people about the children I should have in the party and there are adjustments I had to make,” says Takan.
The appropriate age
She says young children are always hard to deal with but if you want them there, then you have to find someone who will guide them throughout the process.
“I wanted my daughter to be my flower girl on the day I was wedding but because she is very young and clings on me all the time, I had to put her off the team,” says Takan.
Natalie Okiria, says children below three are always hard work because they will have needs that require a specific person to meet them.
“Sometimes you just need to sit down these children and tell them what they should do when that time comes and this will save you from the hustle,” says Okiria.
She further says that the children should be of the same age bracket so that their heights match instead of having some being short and the others tall.
Payments
Because it can be quite expensive to get all the children clothes’ on your budget you should get those whose parents can chip in to help,” says Okiria.
Behaviour
Adrian Ssebunya says you should get children who can easily be talked to and heed advice without hesitation. This is because, he says, there are children who become unruly when they see their parents and start doing funny things that will embarrass you in the presence of your guests. He advises those planning to wed to get children who are generally obedient, active and can be able to entertain the guests around. Some people find joy in seeing children do some activities.
Availability of the child
Takan says the parent of the child also determines whether the child is fit to be among the team.
Sometimes you need the child to come with you for the fittings, rehearsals and other activities before the wedding day. If however the parent cannot avail them, it slows things down.
Okiria says a child’s absence causes inconvenience at the last minute because the clothes may not fit and making adjustments may not be possible so the child will be uncomfortable the whole day.
The health
Ssebunya says the child’s health should be a priority to the couple because some children need strict supervision. If the child needs medication and someone to check on them constantly, then first ensure that the parents and children are comfortable with the child being on the entourage. Secondly make sure someone who knows the child well is available around the clock and moves with the team throughout the ceremony with all the necessities, to ensure that the child is fine.
Overall supervisor
Regardless of whether the children need constant looking after or not, make sure to get someone whose only responsibility is in charge of taking care of the children on that day. That person should know each of the children’s parents and be child-friendly. It does not help to have someone who cannot stand children be the one in charge of taking care of them. That person will just ruin their day.
“You can actually assign a willing individual to make sure that the children fit into the programme by looking out for them and making sure that they are comfortable,” says Takan.
Also, she says, security is one of the things that should be looked at so that the children are safe for instance in large, open places like gardens.
