Flower girls in wedding that starts AFTER bedtime. BTDT HELP!

The girls have been invited to be flower girls in a wedding this year, they are 17 mo. The wedding starts at 7. Their bedtime is 7. Annndd.. the wedding is 2 hours away.

I already have a nervous tick. They are wicked when they're tired.

Of course we will accept... but some things about the girls are that they do not sleep in car seats or strollers.. no matter how tired. HOW the HECK am I going to get through this evening?

What did you do?

Re: Flower girls in wedding that starts AFTER bedtime. BTDT HELP!

I would suck it up for one night...maybe try to move their mid day nap if they take one forward that day so they wake up later...and be ready to exit stage left immediately after the service and pics are taken. Sometimes we anticipate things to be way worse than they turn out to be ...it could be fine.

Good luck and I hope you all have fun and think of the cute pics you will have to look back on

Re: Flower girls in wedding that starts AFTER bedtime. BTDT HELP!

Posted by beachgirl

I would suck it up for one night...maybe try to move their mid day nap if they take one forward that day so they wake up later...and be ready to exit stage left immediately after the service and pics are taken. Sometimes we anticipate things to be way worse than they turn out to be ...it could be fine.

Good luck and I hope you all have fun and think of the cute pics you will have to look back on

Re: Flower girls in wedding that starts AFTER bedtime. BTDT HELP!

My girls are older, but were flower girls at a wedding in Disney recently.

It was a stupid long day, and they were angels. Took pictures and went down the aisle like pro's. There was another fg and her and my youngest were fast bff's. So that helped a lot.

All that said, we left the reception after dinner. No one said boo about it. The girls were down and we just walked back to the room. Reception was in our hotel, so that helped.

Try to nap them early. But honestly, they may surprise you.

Good luck

Re: Flower girls in wedding that starts AFTER bedtime. BTDT HELP!

I would get a hotel close to where the wedding is (extra cost, I know... but worth it for the convienience in this case I think). It will be easier as far as early pictures- have them nap there, and whenever they wake up, head over to get them in a few quick wedding party pictures... I don't think they need to be there for the whole time the adults in the wedding party will be taking pictures. It also will make it less of drive to get them in bed after the ceremony.
Is there somebody (grandparent, etc) that is not invited to the wedding that you could take with you to watch them?
I would definitely not have them at the reception. a wedding starting that late, I don't think anybody will expect the kids to be there the whole time. I would leave right after the ceremony, and get them set up back at the hotel room with whoever you took to watch them. once you get them in bed, you can go back to the reception.

Message edited 1/23/2014 9:50:26 PM.

Re: Flower girls in wedding that starts AFTER bedtime. BTDT HELP!

Aw, it's only one night and the girls will have fun. I also bet if they're really tired, they'll sleep where they need to. Do you have a travel crib or pack'n'play that they still fit in?

For my sister's wedding, DS was too young to be in the wedding, but we had him in a tux for all the pics (before the wedding). Then we had a babysitter and a pack'n'play so he went down for a nap during the ceremony - around 6:30 - and he hasn't napped that early since we was like 3 months old. He was tired and he adapted. I woke him up at the end of the cocktail hour so he was with us for part of the reception. Then around 11pm (his usual bedtime is closer to 8:30pm) he went down for the night in the pack'n'play. The wedding went until 1am and then I just put him in the car. He woke up for a split second when I transferred him into his crib that night, but he was fine.

Re: Flower girls in wedding that starts AFTER bedtime. BTDT HELP!

Hmm I'm a sleep nazi and paranoid about over-tired children. How close to the bride are you? I think the only thing you could do is warn her that this is past their bedtime so their behavior is a bit of a crapshoot. If I were a bride, I'd want to know if my ceremony could be interrupted by a toddler meltdown and might reconsider them as flower girls. They are so young, it will already be a struggle to get them to understand that they are to walk straight down the aisle, with their little flowers and do their "jobs", being overtired won't help.

Then again, she may be totally laid back and not care and you can do as the others say, nap as late as possible and PRAY

Re: Flower girls in wedding that starts AFTER bedtime. BTDT HELP!

The girls are 17 months now or will be at the time of the wedding?

I agree about getting a hotel close to the venue. Can a grandparent pick them up and stay with them at the hotel while you stay at the reception?

Re: Flower girls in wedding that starts AFTER bedtime. BTDT HELP!

Honestly I am all about flexibility.
I think it's good for them to learn from an early age that sometimes routines get broken.
For one night, I'd let it be.
But I am super laid back and not one for any routines really