Flower Girl Tips and Tricks

This past weekend EG was a flower girl for the first time.  While at the end of the day it went really well, there were a lot of little things that I might do a bit differently next time.  If you have a budding flower girl, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Go to the rehearsal.  We didn't attend the rehearsal.  It was an hours drive from our house, and took place during naptime for our little one.  However, in retrospect, it was really stressful on me not to know what she was supposed to do, and where she was supposed to be.  I also think it would have been a touch easier on her, though, honestly, she did wonderfully.

 2. Do snack first, then get dressed.  This is pretty basic, but a good rule of thumb to remember.  Most kids this age get a kick out of nakie time anyways, so it's nice to give them that time.  Then, it's easier to get them into the dress you need them to be in, since they've been hanging out eating for a bit.  Also, don't be afraid of hairspray and make-up.  Yup, there is Make-up on my non-quite-two-year-old. She ran right into her crib side chasing after her cousin that morning, and a HUGE bruise wouldn't have gone well with the outfit.... oh well, she didn't mind the 'lotion.'

3. Lots of Running around before ceremony/serious time.  Again, seems obvious, but sometimes its' hard to let them have that time.  Both EG and her cousin J enjoyed running, tag, and just hanging out before they needed to get lined up and ready.  We waited as long as possible to make them get serious and get organized. 

Running in the halls and playing tag around Aunt B, my sister.  It was cute, but it also let them have some fun, and relax a but before they needed to do anything to serious.

EG loves to play hide and seek now.  She says that we can't find her... Who's that?

Working Dad was also part of the wedding party, which made it a bit harder on me to get things going, since he left for the day around 11am, and we didn't have to get there until 2:30pm.  Then during the wedding he was obviously walking down the aisle when he was supposed to, and that meant I had to watch and coordinate everything for EG.  At the end of the day, they did great and it was nice to have them so adorably coordinated.

3. If possible, have other kids they know as part of the wedding party. There were two other kids in the wedding party, but EG didn't know dear Lily until the day of the wedding.  While it would have been nice to have them meet at the rehearsal, it worked out okay because she had Cousin J to play with and be comfortable with through the whole day.

4. Give them something to hold/hang on to.  This is really up to the bride/groom, but I really recommend giving them something to have in their hands.  It worked well to have EG hold onto Lily's hand as she walked down to the aisle, and the basket for the rest of the way.  Cousin J had a great sign (which was a tad bit large for a tiny two-year-old) but it gave him something to concentrate on.

Cousin J had this big sign to carry, and he did a REALLY great job getting it down the aisle.  He then went straight over to Mommy and Daddy and sat down.  I will admit that the Happy Tot Pumpkin/Chocolate cookies helped too!

Lily led the way down the aisle- worked brilliantly!

Lily was great with EG, she just led the way perfectly, and our girls matched so nicely.  She was a bit concerned about doing her duty to throw the flowers, but luckily EG let her drop her hand and she still made it down the aisle.  All those people, I was definitely concerned she would stop in the middle and worry- should have known she'd be a pro!  Love the groom at the end of the aisle.  He's such a wonderful addition to the family, and I can't wait until they start having kiddos (no pressure!).  I feel a little bad that I got in the photographer's shots, but I was really concerned she would stop and turn around!

She got to the end of the aisle, and dumped all her flowers and her basket upside down.  It was actually quite adorable.  And instead of coming to Mommy or Daddy, she ran straight back over to Lily to walk away.  I couldn't have planned it better even with a rehearsal!

 5. Remember to still enjoy the affair!  It can be really stressful to be trying to make sure that your kid does the right thing, and doesn't ruin the wedding. That feels like A LOT of pressure.  But remember, kids are kids.  They do unpredictable things, and as long as the couple gets married, the goal of the day is completed.  It's not often that everyone gets dressed-up fancy, there's a chance to dance a boogie and have a little fun, so try to get in some smiles!

 Would my doctor love this shot?  Heck no, but sometimes you just want the little to have a little fun!

Photo taking at the wedding, since we all looked so fancy as it was.  Cousin J wasn't being the easiest during these moments, but ironically he's totally much cuter than poor EG, who was just so, so so tired.  I'm glad we got this family shot though, it's not often my sister and I get together!

Pregnant belly bumps- we are both due in July, only a week apart from each other.  What fun it was to see each other, and get the chance for some sister shots too!