Thursday, March 12, 2009

Little boys and little girls..

How are you going to thank your little helpers for giving their (somewhat) helping hand during the big day? After all, they are the cute factor of the wedding… you can’t not have something special prepared for them right?

I found this area especially hard because I wasn’t really thinking specifically about which little kids would fill the spot. I know who we’d potentially have as our Ring bearer, but we aren’t planning on going the flower girl route. Even thinking about the ring bearer, It was harder to find something decent for them… Besides an engraved whistle (no thanks) and a silver plated yoyo… there wasn’t much choice around here.

You want to try to keep the personal feel throughout the gift, also throw in a couple things YOU KNOW the kids would love.

So I put together a little mock list of potential ideas.. and here’s what I was thinking…

Flower girls:
Canvas tote bag (take out your fabric paints and Bedazllers ladies!!)
Dress up Paper Doll Book (personally, I loved this as a kid!)
Little baggy filled with personalized M&Ms of her fave colors
Little silver Jewellery box (engraved to add that special touch)
Cute little earrings or engraved personalized Charm Bracelet

Ring bearers:
Wicked cool Backpack (You can let your hubby pick it out.. he knows what’s cool)
Juggling balls (in a special tin)
Little bag filled personalized M&Ms of his fave colors
Little boy watch (to attach to his belt loop)
baseball jersey/bat set (personalized of course) with matching hat
Small Lego set (to keep him busy while everyone is running around)

I was pondering the idea of coloring books and pencils and a set of markers.. but there is a risk factor that isn’t 100% kiddie full proof. You don’t want to have to scramble around at the last minute if your ring bearer thinks it’s funny to draw on your flower girl's dress.. oh yeah… believe it or not, it’s happened!! (Rule #1, ALWAYS keep a Tide stick close... in case)

I really liked the idea of Fleece blankets as well. Go to Old Navy for these (they always have pretty funky colors and at a great price you can't go wrong) or have it specially ordered with their initials on it for that special touch.

FindGift.com also had a great box gift set with miniature pops, sweets & gadgets for the kids.

Oh.. one site I was looking at today suggested engraved paperweights for the ring bearers… honestly?? What does a 6 year old boy need a paper weight with his name engraved on it for??? It’ll end up being launched at his parents when he’s not happy… not so good!!

If you still have no clue where to start, here are great tips listed on Bridal people :

Ask the parents for clues and ideas, chances are they will know exactly what to get the kids.

If that fails, take them out for a “Ring bearer”/ “Flower girl” day of fun! This can count as your gift by treating them to an activity packed day! If you still plan on giving them a gift, this is also a great way to find out more about their likes and dislikes. Should make your job easier in the long run.

The last thing to remember is to make them feel like they are an important part of your day. Don’t forget to have fun. Kids love to feel special too, they will always remember your wedding as being the coolest they've ever been to.

No comments: