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Kid Exclusion From Weddings Stirs Up Heated Discussion After Influencer Shares Her Thoughts
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Kid Exclusion From Weddings Stirs Up Heated Discussion After Influencer Shares Her Thoughts

Kid Exclusion From Weddings Stirs Up Heated Discussion After Influencer Shares Her Thoughts“Absolutely Unacceptable”: Influencer Says Kids At Weddings Is A NoInfluencer Believes There Should Be No Kids At Weddings, Sparks A Discussion OnlineInfluencer Says Kids At Weddings Are 'Absolutely Unacceptable' And Many People Are MadFormer ‘Love Island’ Star Goes Viral With Her Polarizing Views On Kids At Weddings“Even If I Had My Own Children”: Influencer Believes Weddings Should Be A No-Kid Zone“Absolutely Unacceptable”: Influencer Splits Opinions With Her Views On Kids At WeddingsInfluencer Says Kids At Weddings Are Unacceptable, Starts A Heated DebateInfluencer Says Wedding Is No Place For Kids, Even If She Had Her Own
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For some, a wedding is a family affair, and by that, I mean the entire family, the young and the old included. But for others, some people are better left outside the guestlist, and that often means not inviting children.

A TV personality, content creator, and model, Olivia Jade Attwood Dack, revealed she was a firm believer of the “no children at weddings” policy when she came on Jamie Laing’s Private Parts Podcast. A snippet from their conversation went viral and caused quite a buzz among netizens, who shared varying opinions on the matter.

Some people believe that children should not be invited to weddings

Image credits: kapitilka/Envato elements (not the actual photo)

Former Love Island star Olivia Attwood split the internet into camps over whether or not kids should attend weddings

Image credits: oliviajade_attwood

She shared her views on a podcast, a snippet of which went viral, sparking a discussion

Image credits: jamielaing

Olivia: Kids at wedding thing for me is absolutely unacceptable.
Jamie: I agree.
Olivia: Unacceptable. Even if I had my own children, I wouldn’t invite them. I haven’t got a baby yet. So I don’t know that love that they talk about. But when I see, like the bride with this little thing hanging off her dress, its little grubby hands, like, I’m like, what the [hell]? You know, Vera Wang silk dress… You put your little grubby chicken finger hands all over it. No way. And if you imagine when you’re doing the vows, and you hear… aaaaa…. Jurassic Park. I’m like shut the [hell] up.

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The excerpt from the conversation was viewed more than 2.7 million times on TikTok

@jamielaing What Olivia Attwood thinks of Kids at Weddings . Episode of @Private Parts Podcast out tomorrow 🤣 #jamielaing #oliviaattwood ♬ original sound – jamie

Having a child-free wedding can lead to certain guests declining the invitation

Image credits: Mikhail Nilov/Pexels (not the actual photo)

The star of Season 3 of the British dating game show Love Island, Attwood, expressed her opinions for a podcast hosted by a fellow TV reality personality, Jamie Laing, who, back in 2011, was part of a different British show, Made in Chelsea.

Married to a professional soccer player, Bradley Dack, Olivia shared that she doesn’t have children herself. However, she believes that having a kid clinging on the bride’s dress or making noise during the vows is not ideal, to put it mildly.

The former Love Island star is seemingly not the only one in favor of—or at least not opposed to—a child-free wedding. According to a YouGov survey, roughly four-in-ten wedding invitees would approve of the happy couple asking them not to bring their little ones to the wedding; nearly as many, though, say they would disapprove of such a request.

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While the reasons for not inviting children—be it their “chicken finger hands”, the Jurassic Park-like sounds, or something else completely—differ from couple to couple, it’s important to remember that it’s their celebration, meaning that they call the shots; and that includes whether or not children should be present during their big day. Even if that might lead to some people not attending the wedding, which is something they have to take into consideration.

“If someone elects not to come because their children aren’t included, just remember they made a choice that was best for their family just as you did when you decided adults-only was the way to go,” Kate Turner, founder and creative director of Kate & Company, told The Knot magazine.

Many things have to be taken into consideration when the little ones are expected to attend the wedding

Image credits: Jeremy Wong/Pexels (not the actual photo)

The Know pointed out that there are quite a few things to take into consideration when it comes to a wedding with(out) children. First and foremost, that, as said before, it’s completely acceptable for the soon-to-be-wed to invite whoever they want, young or old, especially considering that they’re footing the bill. And it’s no secret that the bill for a wedding can be a rather impressive one.

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A 2023 study found that the average wedding cost in the US was $35,000 dollars, which marked an increase of $5,000 from the year before. Bearing in mind that inviting children might expand the guest list quite significantly, the financial aspect of it all alone can be enough for people to decide to have a child-free wedding.

Then there are also the headaches of how to keep them busy, well-behaved, and well-fed, as we all know that the little ones tend to get bored rather quickly, are known to run around at the worst possible times, and often refuse all food except chicken nuggets when it’s dinnertime. While all of this can be solved with the help of pre-arranged activities, a babysitter, and a kids’ menu, these might not be the hoops that the happy couple is willing to jump through.

Whether or not the soon-to-be-wed are willing to face said hoops depends on each particular couple, as there is no one right answer to the question when it comes to inviting children to weddings. That’s why netizens in the comments seemed to be split into camps regarding the matter, too.

Some people sided with Olivia

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Other netizens disagreed with her opinion

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Miglė Miliūtė

Miglė Miliūtė

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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A writer here at Bored Panda, I am a lover of good music, good food, and good company, which makes food-related topics and feel-good stories my favorite ones to cover. Passionate about traveling and concerts, I constantly seek occasions to visit places yet personally unexplored. I also enjoy spending free time outdoors, trying out different sports—even if I don’t look too graceful at it—or socializing over a cup of coffee.

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Miglė Miliūtė

Miglė Miliūtė

Writer, BoredPanda staff

A writer here at Bored Panda, I am a lover of good music, good food, and good company, which makes food-related topics and feel-good stories my favorite ones to cover. Passionate about traveling and concerts, I constantly seek occasions to visit places yet personally unexplored. I also enjoy spending free time outdoors, trying out different sports—even if I don’t look too graceful at it—or socializing over a cup of coffee.

Ilona Baliūnaitė

Ilona Baliūnaitė

Author, BoredPanda staff

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I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

Read less »

Ilona Baliūnaitė

Ilona Baliūnaitė

Author, BoredPanda staff

I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

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Fred L.
Community Member
7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“Absolutely Unacceptable” ... weird, I think the same about influencers. Not at weddings, in general.

Cosmikid
Community Member
7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can't imagine a more asinine attitude. So- no grandparents either, then. Let's just chop out the 60% of humanity that is inconvenient. Or- since we are celebrating LIFE with this wedding- welcome - ALL. We're all in it. No, you do not get to choose who is included in LIFE.

Libstak
Community Member
7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This, I have lots of fond memories of kids running around and giggling at weddings and them dancing? Oh my heart, so damn cute. In my own childhood I loved weddings, dance halls, parties it was a huge part of the family fun times. Treating kids like they are not good enough to be a part of special events drives me nuts, it's selfish, callous and does not make me think well of the hosts.

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Islandchild
Community Member
7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For ours, kids were welcome. A baby cried during the ceremony. Other kids fidgeted. One talked too loud. We did not care. At the reception, the kids ran around like lunatics, in an area away from the tables. They popped the balloons. They were, in general, kids. We were fine with it all. Our wedding was family friendly, laid back, fun. Others want a more formal event where kids wouldn't be happy, so shouldn't be there. Just have the wedding you want, invite who you want.

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Fred L.
Community Member
7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“Absolutely Unacceptable” ... weird, I think the same about influencers. Not at weddings, in general.

Cosmikid
Community Member
7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can't imagine a more asinine attitude. So- no grandparents either, then. Let's just chop out the 60% of humanity that is inconvenient. Or- since we are celebrating LIFE with this wedding- welcome - ALL. We're all in it. No, you do not get to choose who is included in LIFE.

Libstak
Community Member
7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This, I have lots of fond memories of kids running around and giggling at weddings and them dancing? Oh my heart, so damn cute. In my own childhood I loved weddings, dance halls, parties it was a huge part of the family fun times. Treating kids like they are not good enough to be a part of special events drives me nuts, it's selfish, callous and does not make me think well of the hosts.

Load More Replies...
Islandchild
Community Member
7 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For ours, kids were welcome. A baby cried during the ceremony. Other kids fidgeted. One talked too loud. We did not care. At the reception, the kids ran around like lunatics, in an area away from the tables. They popped the balloons. They were, in general, kids. We were fine with it all. Our wedding was family friendly, laid back, fun. Others want a more formal event where kids wouldn't be happy, so shouldn't be there. Just have the wedding you want, invite who you want.

Load More Comments
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