Today’s world is a bit different than the domain of yesteryear. Today, the majority of families experience some sort of rift. Divorce is sad and depressing, and it’s all over the place today. In fact, it’s become quite common for marriages between two people to involve children from previous marriages. This was part of the idea behind the movie Cheaper By The Dozen.
Essentially, two people fell in love who had many children from previous marriages, and so their coming together represented something a lot greater than just themselves. As you may have guessed, a lot of hijinks ensued. And if you’re about to get married, and you have children, and your future spouse does as well, you can expect something similar.
What makes sense is planning in advance as much as possible. You can’t control the future, but you can anticipate common issues and maneuver out of their way. For example, consider the event itself. How far in advance can you secure all the details? If you’ve been married before, this is going to be a bit easier for you than totally inexperienced newlyweds.
You’re going to know how long it takes relatives to get to your location, what it’s like to book a venue, find an officiant, organize a reception, book the entertainment, cater the event, provide dessert options like a candy buffet, and source proper entertainment. Additionally, you’ll be more savvy about choosing a wardrobe for the event. But unknowns will still exist.
Advantages Of Planning In Advance
When you plan all these things in advance, you can know what you’re going to have to deal with well before any conflicts arise. Get everyone’s wardrobe aligned and ironed out beforehand with the most cost-effective simplicity through online options like this website https://www.azazie.com/.
Next, you want entertainment options for the children. They’re probably going to fight. If your future spouse has three kids, at least one of them is going to be adamantly opposed to you becoming their new mother or father. If you’ve got three, it’s the same. If you’ve both got three, expect at least a third of the kids to be against the wedding and act naughty—most likely the middle children.
Hopefully, this isn’t what happens, but if you’re prepared for it, you’ll be able to handle it when it happens better. Find ways of keeping them entertained. Will there be other children in attendance near the age range of your future step-children? What kind of things can you do to make things easier for them? What sort of entertainment can you bring?
A projector can be a screen for a video game system in a room at the venue; you might have some sort of Super Smash Brothers tournament going on. Are they too young for video games? A bouncy castle near the outdoor reception area could be good, or in a gymnasium, if you’re indoors. Can you hire event services to entertain the children?
It’s About You, And It’s About Them
Alternatively, if you don’t have the budget, you may just have to provide behavior incentives for the end of the event. Promise each child some sort of reward if they behave themselves, and disciplinary action if they don’t. It’s about you and your future spouse, not the kids; but children have their own minds—they’re just miniature adults, after all. Ignore this at your peril.
A wedding is an important event. It’s one of the most life-changing ceremonies people experience. Two families coming together have the potential to make a huge impact where they live, and even beyond. So take the time to plan things in advance; you’ll be happy you did.
