8 kids in close family...what do to with them all?!

Well... I had this problem, except I had WAY more children than you to incorporate. I am extremely close to my cousins and their children and helped raise most of them. In all it is about 12 (between 3-13) and about 5 (over 13 and under 21). I chose one child from each family to be in the wedding so that way each family had a child incorporated since I couldn't include all of them. It seemed to work out really well. You can definitely have 2 ring bearers though (one each to carry each ring). You can have two flower girls (the two youngest) and the 2 older girls (5-6) to carry your train down the aisle? As for the older boys, maybe you could make them Junior Groomsmen? That should take care of them... or any of them could be readers, or hand out programs?

Thank you for the ideas!

Will & Kate had 4 flower girls and 2 pages (boys).

You could have your 8 year old brother and his 9 year nephew be ushers - help guests get seated, make sure nonfamily doesn't sit where family does and hand out programs if you are doing programs.

You can have your 6 year old brother be your ring bearer.

You have your 5 year old niece be your flower girl.

Your 2 year old niece & 2 year old nephew can just walk the aisle holding hands since they are only 2 years old.

You can also buy one of those banners I see online that says "Here comes the bride" and you have his 6 year old niece hold that. If you get a big enough one to where two little ones can hold it then your 4 year old neice can hold on side of it with his 6 year old niece.

There are a few different ways you could do this =)

8 year old brother -- HOLDS YOUR RING

9 year old nephew -- USHER

6 year old brother --- HOLDS HIS RING

2 year old nephew --- HOLDS A BANNER "Here Comes The Bride"

5 year old niece -- FG or holds your train

2 year old niece -- FG

4 year old niece -- FG

6 year old niece -- FG or holds your train

OR

2 year old nephew --- walks with 2 year old niece

5 year old niece -- Flower Girl

2 year old niece -- walks with 2 year old nephew

4 year old niece -- Flower Girl

6 year old niece -- Holds the banner

8 year old brother -- HOLDS YOUR RING

9 year old nephew -- USHER

6 year old brother --- HOLDS HIS RING

Or again, 8 and 9 be ushers and then 6 year old is the only ring bearer.

Etc. Can be done... very easily... in different ways just gotta decide how you'd like it to be.

Here is the banner idea I'm talking about (just in case your wondering)...

You can google search to find places that sell them OR you can DIY which there are links available that show you how.

I think it would be VERY cute!

I have seen where all the kids walked down the aisle in matching dreses and suits with the girls carrying flowers, but when they got to the alter they went straight around the front and sat down with their parents. You could have an unlimited amount of kids if they did that. The problem with a large amount of children isn't how many walk down the aisle, it's having them stand through the entire service that is the problem!

P.S. --I love Kristina's idea with the banner.

I like that banner idea!

and I figured they would just walk down the isle and then maybe back up the sides to their parents. Cause none of them are going to be able to stand through the whole wedding. (:

Normally the only ones who stand during the whole wedding is the person marrying the bride & groom, the bride, the groom and the BMs and GM, MOH AND BM.

Flower Girls, Ring Bearers, etc all do sit after they have walked.

Could you have the 8 & 9 year olds pass out programs/bubbles/birdseed/etc?

We have a similar situation and this is how we broke it down:

My oldest 2 nephews (15 and 18) are ushers

My next nephew & FHs cousin (12 & 11) are Jr Ushers (passing out programs/bubbles)

My youngest nephew and FHs nephew (4 & 2) are ring bearers

My BFFs little girl and FHs nieces (2, 4, & 4) are Flower girls.

It seems like a lot, but I can't imagine this day without all of them.

When my husband and I got married 8 years ago, I had 4 grown children and their ladies, and a flower girl, and a friend and his wife in our wedding too. Yes it was large but we wanted to show unity among us all, like the children in your families. they can walk down the aisles as pairs , one can walk in with your mother, and another with husband's mother, to seat them, and others can carry banners, flags, etc... bring them all to their places on side of bride and other side of groom , we did boys on one side girls on other you can even do it by ages or heights, , during ceremony we had 8-10 separate candles on brass candlesticks set up on a side tabe with unity candle placed within a floralarrangement i created and as the bride and groom, my husband lit our candles and i lit the boys that stood on my side and he lit the girls candles that stood by his side and after a unity prayer husband and i lit unity candle candle together. lots of little fire lights but we integrated

Pass out the programs at the door

Ushers

Ring bearers

Flower girls

Junior Bridesmaid

Junior Groomsman

Older child do a reading

Carry a banner

I think it would be cute to have the kids come down the aisle in a big group - some holding banners that say "here comes the bride" and others waving flags or ringing bells.

Got any pets, let them walk them on leashes too. that would be cute too!

If you go with ages 6 and above, then you now have two 6-year olds, an 8-year old and a 9-year old. Plus, that is 2 children from each side of the family. A flower girl, two ring bearers, and a candle lighter.

I suggest leaving out anyone that isn't at least in kindergarten. Younger than that, they don't have the attention span, and will not remember participating if they were in it when they grow up. They won't have hurt feelings. While some think it is cute with small children, I just have visions of them crying all the way down the aisle, and ripped, stepped on wedding dresses, etc.