How Do You Make It Clear That Children Are Not Invited?

Q. How Do You Make It Clear That Children Are Not Invited?
A. If you address your invitations only to the adults in a household, they should understand that children are not invited.  It’s not appropriate to include “No children, please.” on your invites. If you anticipate any issues, ask people close to you to spread the word that this is a no-kids event.

If an invitee assumes that you did mean to invite their children and includes their names on the response card, you or the person hosting the event may call and let her know that, regretfully, no children are invited. It’s very important that you draw clear lines about who is and isn’t invited and don’t bend those rules or you will run the risk of offending guests who respected your request and left their children at home.

If your decision to not include children is based on the venue’s restrictions, you can include one of these statements on your RSVP card:

• Due to restrictions at our venue, children are not invited.
• Management request no children under X.

You can also design your RSVP cards so they leave little room for a misunderstanding whether children are included or not with simple little statements like these:

• _____ seats have been reserved for you at our celebration. Please let us know if you will be joining us!  YES____   NO _____ (Simply fill in the blank with the number of adults invited.)
• “We have reserved_ seats in your honor” (Simply fill in the blank with the number of adults invited.)
• Where you note the reception information on the invitation, simply add adults before reception – for example “Adult reception beginning at …”
• Customize the RSVP card to say “___ of ___ in party attending” (fill in the number invited)

If a guest shows up with uninvited children, be gracious and accommodate them as best you can to keep your vow renewal a happy occasion.