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Do I include the little ones on the wedding guest list?

This might seem like a silly question... When I give my caterer the number of people attending my wedding, do I include toddlers and baby's? I know most kids under two usually just share with parents if they eat at all. I know I sound really cheap right now but we are paying for most of the wedding ourselves and def need to find some places to pinch a few pennies.

Public Comments

1. ask for a child's plate for them
2. I think that if they will have theyre own meal, put them on. If they are under a certain age ask the parents,
3. Usually a venue will set out the number of chairs which equals the head count number you gave them. If additional chairs are requested, the caterer will then add those additional chairs to the head count and you will be charged accordingly. So, if someone has a chair, they have a head and are counted!! However, some caterers are reasonable and understand that a child does not eat a $50.00 dinner and they may offer a child's plate. But, don't count on it. You would be better off talking to your caterer to have an open line of communication so you both know what to expect (them to serve you and for you to pay for it).
4. If they are old enough to have their own meal (2+), let them. However, if they aren't, it is wasteful to give them a full plate if we know they won't eat it all or are not capable. Ask your caterer if they have a children's menu or child sized plate. If not, include the child within the parents plate.
5. All caterers handle this issue differently. Talk to the caterer, but don't just ask - negotiate a solution.
6. Ask the cater They will tell you They may not count or tell you to add an extra meal or two They may have a child meal they can give you YOu need to ask
7. The venue handling the reception we are planning is offering a free kid's meal (chicken tenders and fries) for any children under 6. We don't think more than 5 little ones will attend, as most guests are adult or teen.This is not being catered, however, but is at the venue. I would never count a child under 2 in any case. ................................................................................................................................................
8. Yes, the caterer is asking for a total head count, not the ages of those heads. Also, check with your caterer and ask if they offer a children's menu. Many do, but do not advertise nor offer it since they make more $ charging the same thing for children that they do for an adult. I saved a ton of money by asking my caterer if they offered a kids menu. I'm paying $24 for adults and $8 for children, I saved about $500 on catering costs that way. Along with that it actually offers foods kids will eat! My venue is doing my liquor and I asked about a children's beverage menu too, and I saved again. I'm paying $15 for adults and $5 for children. Babies I don't think you need to include, especially since many aren't on solid foods and really can eat off a parents plate. Toddlers are kind of a crap shoot.
9. For my wedding, we had several headcount lists. You have to find out how many high chairs or booster seats the venue has available. Where I got married, they only had 3 booster seats, and we had 8 or 9 infants attending, so we had to let those parents know to bring strollers or car seats. For toddlers and older kids, we let the venue know to put a chair at each table for the booster seats the parents were bringing. But you have to ask the caterer what age range they will serve a kids meal for. We didn't provide kids meals for kids under 3 at my wedding, but your caterer may have a different rule. Our meals were $50 per plate for adults and only $12 for the kids.
10. You may want to talk to the parents. Obviously infants won't be eating the dinner, but some toddlers might be on solid food while others will still get a bite or two from mom's plate. Better to call and ask, "Hi, will Jimmy need his own meal at the wedding? We weren't sure and wanted to check", than to over-order or under-order.