My brother just got engaged and my daughter will be almost 3 at the time of their wedding. He & his fiancee asked me if I thought she is too young to be in their wedding next year. I think she will be ok, but wanted to see if other moms had any experience/tips for dealing with this...
My daughter was just under 3 when she was a flower girl at an informal wedding...but she was born with an incredible "socially acceptable behavior" gene. My brother was also 3 when he was a ring-bearer, and he did great. The only thing he did "off-script" was give me a tiny little wave from under the pillow.
You know your little one best. If YOU think she can handle it, odds are, she can. Just be ready for some possible little spontaneous moment.
My nephew's 2yr old did a great job but they had her ride in a nicely decorated wagon!
my daughter was a flower girl last year and she loved it she did a great job and thought she was such a big kid to wear a fancy dress and hold the flowers i would talk about it often with her and ask her questions and take her to a bridal shop to look at the dresses she should do fine we had no problems at all with my now 4 year old who still talks about how much fun she had and how she got to ride in a limo like a big person so i hope this was helpful goods luck from Kathleen
Hi Elena,
My daughter was in my brothers wedding when she was 13 mo old and she was just fine. The reception started at 5ish and by that time she was so tired she slept through the whole party. As long as your daughter is not afraid of a crowd she will have fun, and look so cute in what ever she wears ! Also, if she does panic at the last moment just have the bride have a back up plan ready so the day will run smoothly for everyone.
If you are also in the wedding, my suggestion would be to make sure there is someone at the front of the church she can walk to and who will hold/amuse her for the ceremony. My toddler was fine going down the aisle but had trouble with the ceremony length. If she loves frilly and fancy, she will have a blast!
Hi, My daughter was a flower girl last summer when she was 21 months. She did fine in the rehearsal but got a little stage fright during the ceremony. I ended up carrying her down the aisle while she threw rose petals. It was fine. SHe had fun and loves to look at the pictures. Just make sure you or someone she knows is available to escort her if she feels timid.
By the way, finding the flower girl dress was more crazy than i would have ever expected! This was an out of state wedding so that had a bit to do with it, but I was floored by the selection, size variances and the expense. We got what the bride chose and I have paid less for bridesmaids dresses for myself!
I think she will be fine. My niece was 2 when she was a flower girl in my wedding. She made it down the aisle but just barely. I realized that she was going to have difficulty with it but just went with the flow. I made sure she had someone familiar waiting for her at the end. I think it will be very sweet. Good luck!
My niece was our flower girl when she was 20 months old. Is it the ideal situation...no!! But I would not have had it any other way. Everyone thought we were absolutely crazy to have her in the wedding, but for us it was extremely important to involve all of the little cousins. We were also flexible with her during the ceremony, at one point she noticed a really trusted friend in the audience and ran to her, which was absolutely fine (and pretty darn cute!). Have her walk down the aisle (assisted if she gets nervous about all the people), and then let her sit with a family member or friend. So...just be prepared for meltdowns, and always have a plan B. Good luck and have fun!!
Not too young, just be prepared for set backs. She may not want to do it at the last minute, and everyone needs to be prepared for that and be okay with it.
commit to it, but make them very aware that she may not perform, or she may cry and not do it or she may do wonderful and love the attention! Is there a ring bearer? Usually it's a little easier if there's another little kid around so they can help each other deal.. how fun for her!!
my niece was almost 3 when i got married I thik she'll be fine if one parent is in front of the church and the other in the back that way if she gets scared she has soemone to go to either way
another thing to consider is if she's been to the church and knows a lot of the people who are there-to make her more comfortable and not have stranger anxiety
the worse that can happen is that she doesn't go down the aisle but it will make for a good story(my niece didn't make it down but she didn't know anyone, was in a strange place)
just let your brother and fiance know that it might not work out the way they want and they can't be mad if it doesn't
Elena,
I think a lot has to do your with daughter's personality. When my husband and I got married over 7 years ago, we had 4 flowergirls-one was just barely 3 and one with just under 3. They both did great!! They were so excited and adorable. I think it might have help to have the older girls with them.
Even if your daughter is on the shy side, how nice of your brother to want to include her-I'm sure you can work out a way to have someone walk her down the aisle if she gets cold feet. Good luck!
I had a 3 year old in my wedding. We just practiced alot when it got closer. We made it fun we out a dress up cloths on her and gave her a sm basket(sames as she was gong to use the dy of the wedding) She did fine. Her personality is a big part.
Christine & Adeline Temple NH
My daughter was a flower girl last October and she was 2.9. I also thought she was a lttle to young, but they really wanted her in the wedding. The wedding advisor at the church recommended to the bride and groom to have the flower girl walk down with the junior bridesmaid and usher. They did not have a ringbearer. She walked down and back perfectly. She sat with the wedding party in the first seat and did not make a noise. (I also told her if she put her listening ears on and sat like a big girl with the other big girls. That I have a surprise in the car for her. We gave her a snowwhite barbie doll. It worked out great at the reception also with the doll. The guests at the wedding commented to us that you would not know that a 2.9yr old was in the church. The wedding advisor also had my husband sit in the seat behind our daughter and I sat in the last row of the church in case she got scared and ran down the aisle. Your daughter will be fine. You will be surprised!!!
My daughter was 3 1/2 when she was a flower girl in her godparents wedding and she did fine. I purchased fake flower patels and we practice down the driveway several times before the wedding. Also, her godmother let her look through books and we watched wedding shows so she could see what a wedding and being a flower girl was all about.
Hi,
My daughter was the flower girl in my sisters wedding when she was about 28 mnths. old. Since I was also a part of the wedding, we had her walk down the asile holding my hand. It was a great way to ensure that she'd make it down the asile. She got so many "oohs and how cutes" that she was beaming. She had a wonderful time. That being said...here are a few things to think about. What time will the wedding be? Will it affect her nap or is she a child that is pretty adaptable when she hasn't slept. Have her go to the rehersal and see how she reacts. That will give you a good indication as to whether or not she'll perform her duty the next day. Have a back up plan if it's not going to work out. Don't put to much pressure on her (or on you) it's not worth it. Ask if you can bring a sitter for her. Yes, there will be a ton of family members and friends attending but having someone there that has their eyes exclusively on her and who's in charge of potty breaks, snacks and jammies is soooo helpful. My daughter had a blast and danced herself to sleep on the dance floor. She's 4 now and still talks about it. One last tip. Flower girl dresses can be really expensive. We got our "flower girl" dress at a department store after Easter on clearence for about $12 bucks. Keep your eyes open for deals.
Good Luck!
My niece was our flower girl when she was 3 and she did fantastic. The good thing is at that age, even if they don't do it "right" they will make your guests laugh. Everyone loves when a little flower girl dumps all the petals on the ground at once!
I had a very young flower girl in my wedding. What we did was to seat her parents close to the front so that after she walked down the aisle, she was able to go to them and sit down.
Julie (-:
My niece was almost 3 in our wedding. Her parents were up front, and she walked very proudly halfway down the aisle...then when the organ music shifted and got louder, she ran the rest of the way to her parents. It was adorable:)