Wedding: Gifts for our littlest guests

We had about 10 kids at our wedding, from primary schoolers to a little guy who was just 6 days old, so I borrowed a lovely idea from my friend Angela and made sure everyone had a little surprise waiting at their seat.

Thankfully, most of the kids were under one and I had some idea of what they might like, having spent a lot of time with my nine-month-old niece. The babies received a mini Dr Seuss board book, a rusk stick to munch on and a small soft toy on wheels that had crunchy ears.

The brothers who were closer to 10 found a box of Lego waiting for them that could make three different types of vehicles. Having grown up with an older sister, I totally stewed over whether to get them the same thing or slightly different things, I went with slightly different so they could trade.

For a little girl who was closer to 5, I found a Little Miss wedding themed colouring-in book, bought some crayons and also included a few sheets of neon pink star stickers that I had at home. My budget was $10 per little one and I just made it, mainly by shopping at places like Big W and buying things in packs where possible.

The presents were a hit! Some parents saved them for when their babies were getting wriggly and the bigger kids seemed really entertained and happy for the seated part of the reception.

Some of my favourite memories of the day came from having kids around - things like seeing my brother-in-law dance with his baby girl during the wedding waltz, catching a glimpse of one little guy wearing wrapping paper as a hat and chewing on his board book, and walking into the bridal room to see two girlfriends who'd met at my hen's party chatting whilst breastfeeding their bubs.

We found a couple of other small things made parents (especially new parents) feel really comfortable at the wedding. We made sure they felt welcome to use the bridal room to store their things and for quiet time. The venue was really great with this and even plated up some canapes for the breastfeeding mums to snack on in the room.

There was also a disabled toilet in a different part of the venue, which became the impromptu change area for most of the babies and because there were lots of stairs on the way down to the restaurant, we made sure parents could avoid them, even if it was for a drop-off/pick-up scenario.

My friend Angela also had a babysitter at her wedding, how thoughtful is that? By the time dessert and dancing had rolled around, I remember lots of her nieces and nephews being asleep on the mezzanine level under a watchful eye, while their parents danced.

Photos by Wattle + Lace.