Many couples already have children when they say “I do.” It’s a be a big event in their children’s lives and it’s wise to acknowledge them. Of course, the wedding is all about the bride and groom. But, consider making a portion of the wedding ceremony about the children. Here are some great ideas for including children in your wedding ceremony.

~Include children in a sand ceremony. If they are old enough, give each child a shell and at the appropriate time, all family members can each scoop a bit of sand and all together poor their sand into a communal shell. Usually a large conch shell will work well for this. Give the children smaller clam or scallop shells.

~Wheeling a baby in a decorated wagon should be done with care and by an older child that will watch the baby carefully. Put lots of lacy soft pillows to make it cozy. Assigning another older child or junior bridesmaid the job of following the wagon to make sure baby stays put and is safe. For a short distance, I’ve seen this done at the end of a processional. Careful though, baby might steal the show!

~A Dove Release during  your wedding ceremony adds special symbolic meaning. Generally, two birds are released representing the bride and groom an entering the journey of their new life together.  Add an extra dove to represent the unity of family. Watch as they are released and soar to the sky.  The doves will circle, join together and  fly home.

~Another way to include your children in your wedding ceremony, is to presenting your child with a bracelet or necklace during the ceremony. Give some promises of continued support and love. This is a wonderful way to reassure children that they are an important part of the family. It’s a big day for them too, and they need to be honored in some special unique way. When captured on video, these moments will be treasured forever. Make sure to tell your videographer when you are planning on something unusual like this. We may need to place extra microphones to capture the words, or bring an extra video camera to get a unique angle to feature small children in your beautiful wedding video.

~by Leslie Harris Senac of Visions Unlimited Video Productions, Inc., of Sarasota