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It was very important to us to invite kids to our wedding, and luckily we didn't have any budget/space issues that prevented it. I guess all of our friends/family are on the same page about kids at weddings since we have never recieved a "no kids" invite! DD is almost 3, and she already been to 6 weddings (and she'll be a flower girl at her 7th this summer!).

Maybe it's because I'm still a kind of new bride (2.5 years), but I wouldn't be offended or upset to receive a no-kids invitation. We didn't have kids at our wedding because it would have added 30 guests to the guest list! We couldn't invite some and not others, and even just inviting family kids would have been 10 additional guests. My MIL argued pretty hard to include Hubs's niece and nephew, but then what about my (step)nieces and nephews? So we just said no to kids, other than hand-held infants (I was not about to tell a breastfeeding mother she couldn't bring her baby). We ended up with 4 babies, and everyone else was happy to have the night "off!"

We didn't have kids at our wedding. It was a formal evening event that just wasn't really kid friendly. (We did however have one breastfed baby whose mother asked me if it was OK and we were totally fine with that. I personally would never ask a nursing mother to leave her baby behind!). Since we have had a LO we have been invited to two weddings and our baby isn't invited to either one. I'm fine with it. We aren't going to one wedding, and the other one my parents are meeting us in NJ so they can watch the baby for us while we're there. It sucks that I'm going to have to pump during the time we are there but it's my husband's best friend and he's a groomsman so there was no way we were going to miss it. I am bringing baby to the rehearsal dinner though. It's on a Thursday night and it's a plane ride away from our home and I just don't feel comfortable leaving her alone two nights in a row in an unfamiliar place.

I would have invited anyone who had a babe in arms (ie wouldnt cost a meal or taken a seat) but all our family/friends have LO's that are significantly older. Also, by not inviting kids, we reduced our numbers by 14. And that was just my family.

We didn't have kids either! I don't mind kids not being invited; I look at it as a time to get away;) or as an excuse to not go!

I never once considered not letting people bring their kids to our wedding or our second reception. It just never made sense why I wouldn't want a whole family if it were people we loved. It's been kind of a shock to me since we were expecting K that we've gotten 2 "no kids" wedding invites (though they don't explicitly say no kids on it - it's a verbal or email thing). I'll admit it seems not offensive but very off-putting to me.

We had a semi-destination wedding. So I hired sitters and had a room full of coloring books, toys, and TV w/ kid friendly movies and food (we got a 2nd room for the kids). I did not think it was fair to ask people to travel without their children. But I also knew the parents could not relax if they were constantly watching their kids, so I thought having a room and babysitters was the perfect option.

We didnt have kids at our wedding. I wouldnt bring C to one even if she was included, unless I absolutely had to or was specifically asked to.

Mama wants a night out without the baby!

We had a no kids wedding as well. We had one relative call and ask if they could bring their 6 month old and I said yes of course. I certainly wasn't the type to freak out about a screaming baby during the ceremony. I knew they had enough sense to take her out should she start to cry. The frustrating part was that they RSVP'd yes with the baby and then didn't show up.

Now that I'm a mom, I still get it. If LO's name isn't on the invitation, we take it as an opportunity to have a nice night out together. Our first night away from LO was actually an OOT wedding when he was 6 months.

@Foodnerd81: Im from the Midwest.

@zippylef: And there, you just disproved my midwest theory!

We're getting married in September, and while we aren't having a strictly "no kids" event, word will be spread that it's no kids under the age of 10, unless they are nursing.

I have some older cousins, they'll be 10, 12, and 14 at the time of the wedding, and I'm fine with them being there because they will entertain each other and they're well-behaved and don't require much attending to. I also have a a nephew who will be 8 months at the time, and a friend with a son who will be 6 months. I'm eliminating the "in-between" ages because I have second cousins who are 4, 5, and maybe 6, and they are kind of wild and need constant monitoring, which I'd rather not deal with, and I'd rather my guests not deal with.

I know the cousins with the younger children live very close to the venue, so if they want to come, they can get a babysitter and have a night off!

I honestly don't see an issue with it. You have to remember that the wedding is for the couple, and even if it would have been a good opportunity for you to have LO meet/see family, that's not the reason for the event. And it can be hard to make exceptions, because if you allow one, you have to allow others.

ETA: I'm in the Northeast.

@Foodnerd81: I've attended weddings in the West and Mid-West (all of them with loud music and drinking, lol) and every wedding I've been to has included kids.

@Beebug: I hope I didn't offend you.

I had an evening wedding in the NorthEast. Formal affair, loud music, drinking and dancing. I invited all the kids too. In the end, there were about 6 kids under the age of 10. We all had an absolute blast. Non stop dancing, good times. Honestly, I see weddings as family affairs. I come from a culture where dancing, loud music and good food and drinks is a constant and I don't really see why any of those things precludes the presence of children.

I understand that folks might want a night away from the kiddos, but I love the part of the night where a 3 year old busts out his best moonwalk. Or maybe that only happens at weddings in my family:)

@plantains: we had a bunch of three year old break dancers at our wedding. So much fun.

We had a black tie evening wedding in New England and had about 15 kids. It never crossed my mind to not invite them. Some of my favorite memories are of the kids having fun in their fancy duds.

I don't think we have many non-family weddings left. All of my friends have gotten married in the past few years. In my family it would cause huge drama if the kids weren't invited. We all live far apart, so weddings involve long distance travel and are treated like week long family reunions.

@oliviaoblivia: definitely the littles dancing at every wedding is such a highlight!

We had a pretty big formal wedding and didn't invite kids under 10. It was fine, even though one distant cousin of my husband just brought her baby and said 'I knew you wouldn't mind!' Lol. I honestly feel the same way now. Some weddings might be more appropriate for little kids but some aren't. Maybe I'm a jerk and I swear I love kids but I kind of hate when little kids take over the dance floor at a wedding. We had a band and wanted the adults to enjoy and dance! The few kids that were there joined in but were old enough to know it wasn't all about them. Also, I wouldn't bring my LO to a wedding like ours, even if that meant I couldn't go.

ETA: also in the Northeast

Interesting to hear the regional thing as a possible factor! Both the weddings I've been invited to with "no kids" are in the South. I've never been to one locally (So Cal) with a no kid rule. Maybe it is geographical?