Here comes the bride, all dressed in white. Here comes the flower girl, wearing a bow and ready to steal the show.
Kids in a wedding party are straight-up adorable. Little boys in tuxes carrying tiny, fluffy pillows. Little girls in white dresses, sprinkling flowers down the aisle. But, as often as not, the whole basket of flowers gets dumped out in one big plop or a kid loses their nerve halfway down the aisle and spends the rest of the ceremony on his mom’s lap. Depending on your perspective, these antics are hilarious or horrifying.
The latest viral video is of a wee flower girl who opted to take a nap on the altar stairs, rather than suffer through any more of the ceremony. As the headline on the video says, "Flower girl has had enough of this wedding." Let’s be honest, a lot of us can relate. Some of those officiants can be rather long-winded -- who hasn’t been tempted to nod off?
But, if it’s your wedding or it’s your toddler acting up in the middle of someone’s big day, it may not seem so funny.
Experts like Lynelle Woolley on FlowerGirlWorld.com say that if your little one is asked to participate in a wedding, there are a number of things you can do to help ensure that the only tears shed will be tears of joy.
First, practice makes perfect. As soon as the little tux or special dress arrives, have your child practice walking in it. Set up a mock aisle at home and have them practice carrying their pillow or sprinkling their flowers. Get out your camera and do a home photo shoot with them, so they’ll be ready for all of the picture-taking. The more they practice, the more comfortable they’ll be when the big day arrives.
On the big day, be ready with some entertainment. There can be a lot of waiting around before a wedding. With little kids, boredom is often followed by meltdowns. Load up your phone with games, have books on hand, get crayons and coloring books; just keep the quiet, mess-free activities coming.
Next up, snacks. Water (or other clear liquids) in a spill-proof sippy cup, together with non-messy snacks, can help keep a rumbly tummy at bay. And, well-fed kids are usually well-behaved kids.
Finally, sit back, relax and hope for the best.
Has your child ever been in a wedding? If so, how did it go?
Dana Macario is a Seattle-area mom and TODAY Moms contributor who really hopes her kids get asked to be in someone’s wedding. Seriously, if you need a ring bearer or flower girl, just call her.
"I do..." want you to check out these related links:
Your photos: Cute kids watch the royal wedding
Baby before marriage is no big deal these days
Hello princess: Security guard makes Disney dreams come true