Weddings are always joyous occasions, especially for the adults. Your parents and grandparents are delighted that you’re finally settling down with a great life partner, your mum gets to buy a new hat and you meet up with far-flung relatives for the first time in years…

One downside, however, is the fact that children can get bored and restless, which is unpleasant for them and trying for grown-ups. One option is a child-free wedding, but this doesn’t work for everyone, especially if you have people coming from far away. This is why, if there’s going to be quite a few children at your wedding, you need to organise some fun activities and attractions for them, so here’s a few ideas to get you thinking.

Organise a scavenger hunt

After what will feel like hours of sitting still and quiet during the ceremony, the kids will want to run riot for a while, so give them a mission. Scavenger hunts are ideal for this, as they run around for ages, but the chaos is organised. If you’re planning a Heaton House wedding in Cheshire, you’ll find the grounds ideal for hunting! Make it a wedding-themed hunt, with things like mini wedding cakes, buttonholes, bags of confetti and so on.

A special retreat with books and films

Sometimes it all gets too much and they need to rest and cool off for a while. A big (or small) tent with books and a TV screen, as well as blankets, pillows and bean bags is a great place for children to unwind and stay out of trouble.

A cake and biscuit decorating stand

All kids love to decorate cakes and biscuits, so set up a decoration station! Lay out pre-baked cupcakes and cookies, as well as pre-filled icing bags, tubs of sprinkles and (most importantly) aprons and chef hats and let them have at it! It’ll keep them amused for at least half an hour!

Activity packs for the reception

Place activity packs as wedding favours at each child’s table place. The packs should include small colouring books, crayons, disposable cameras, bubbles, small puzzles and maybe a couple of snacks to keep them going while food is served.

A craft corner

Another firm favourite, crafting keeps little hands occupied for ages, especially the younger children. Supply paper, pens, stickers, lolly sticks, fabrics and pipe cleaners (maybe leave out the paints!) and sit back and wait for the results.

A games area

It doesn’t matter if your wedding is indoors or outdoors – get a few robust games consoles, some board games, a swingball and croquet set or two and let them have some fun. Croquet is often played at weddings, so you’ll want to learn the rules if you haven’t played it before.

A dressing-up photo booth

No wedding is complete without a collection of daft photo booth snaps. All ages love these booths and they’re a brilliant way to take the pressure off the official photographer for a few minutes! Make sure there’s enough props – moustaches, wigs, oversized sunglasses, hats and feather boas.