Planning with Children

Hi I have a daughter who has the same characters as autistic but is not autistic because it was due to a brain injury she suffered from when she was 3 weeks old. So she is high functioning and is my bridesmaid she can only stand for a little bit so we are keeping a seat open so incase she needs it she can sit down my best friends son is Autistic and we are giving him one of those bubble things to help with his anxiety

We got married last weekend and I had my 17 year old non-verbal Autistic daughter as a bridesmaid. This is her (on the left) and my 18 year old stepdaughter walking together during the processional. We made a social story for her with lots pictures describing what will happen and expectations such as wearing her bridesmaids dress, holding flowers and taking pictures as well as sitting next to her PaPa and watching the ceremony quietly. I used google images and actual images to make the social story. I was able to bring her to the venue and let her walk around and get familiar with the surroundings 2 days before the Wedding which I feel helped a lot. When the day came my sister in law and niece helped her through the moments before the ceremony, during the ceremony and at the reception. I had a back up person who I trusted to be on standby should she need to go home. I purposely choose a venue close to our home for this reason and choose to have a cocktail reception to increase the chances of her being able to stay the whole time. I’ll admit things started off a little rocky but she acclimated after a short while and ended up having a great time. I definitely would not hesitate incorporating your twins. My daughter did things her way such as holding her flowers down and at times covering her ears but I expected these things. Keep your expectations real and have a back up plan or two just in case!

These are such beautiful ways to involve your children and I'm sure they made your weddings more special.

My son is autistic. He was 12 at the time of our wedding. We were cognizant of his sensory needs by allowing him to pick what he wore, what role he would play, and how involved he wanted to be. He wanted to be one of the groomsmen so we let him. My mom and dad also helped a lot with him to keep him on task for the day. We also didn't sweat the small stuff like when he literally ripped his tie off before walking down the aisle.