I banned most kids from my wedding, now I regret it

"My then fianc; and I decided not to invite kids who weren't relatives to our wedding. We feared they might misbehave and become a distraction. Now that I'm a mom, I realize it was wrong. It would have been nicer to host them and their parents. Meeting a pair of English friends for a meal during our vacation in my native UK this past summer, it struck me how easily the conversation flowed."

"My then fianc; and I decided that the only children who could attend were blood relatives. At the time, we assumed that other people's offspring would be a distraction, especially if they misbehaved. We also wanted to keep the costs down. Our strict policy applied to a former colleague in England with three school-age kids. "I can't imagine going to another country - let alone another continent - without them," he responded. I was somewhat offended."

A couple limited wedding guests' children to blood relatives to avoid misbehavior and keep costs down. A long-time colleague in England declined because he could not travel without his three school-age children, which caused offense. Several relatives' children participated formally as bridesmaids, a flower girl, ring bearers, and ushers and entertained guests on the dance floor. Years later, after becoming a mother, one partner recognized that excluding non-relatives felt wrong and that hosting visiting children and their parents would have been more welcoming and inclusive.

Read at Business Insider