With 5,000+ posts in our archives, it's rare that we get a reader question that we don't already have an answer for, but here's one:

Any tips on letting family and guests know that the couple prefers no children at the ceremony but all are welcome at the reception?

We've talked about how to tell people that you're having an entirely kid-free wedding, but what if you only want half of your wedding to be adults only? We posted this question to our Facebook page, and y'all supplied some great tips:

Invitation and wedsite wording

We did it! It was a compromise because I wanted a completely kid-free wedding, but my husband wanted kids there. We put this on our wedsite:

" Q. Are kids welcome?
A. While children are a blessing and a joy, we respectfully request the ceremony be adults only. Childcare during the ceremony can be provided at request."

In the end, no kids came anyway (we only invited 2 people with families). -Ashley

I did that! I said, "We prefer that there are no children under 10 at the ceremony, but all are welcome to the reception." -Minerva

Childcare options

Could you possibly provide childcare during the ceremony? Then you could say something like "Please join us for an intimate ceremony. Childcare will be provided so you can focus on witnessing our marriage. Then, pick up your kiddies and everyone can join us for the reception!" -Sarah

I would put on the response card a line for the name of the child attending and a line for their age. The bride and groom will also have to decide at what age the cut off will be for "no kids." If there are young ones (under two), you will need many sitters. Sometimes local youth groups will be able to help for volunteer hours or at a lower cost. Provide some simple snacks and easy cleanup toys/books. -Annette

Your turn!

Who else is doing a no-kids ceremony with a kid-friendly reception? How did you word it? Did you make any special arrangements?