Timing with flower girls + photos pre ceremony - help!

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For our wedding, our flower girls got ready with us then hung out in their hotel room with their parents while we were doing pre-ceremony photos. This gave them time to relax so they wouldn't become restless.

I have the same dilemma with my 3 flower girls, plus their mother is a bridesmaid. I’m thinking I might exclude them from the bridal party photos, as they’re our nieces and will also be in the family photos after the ceremony. I agree with you that hours of pre-ceremony photography followed by the ceremony and reception is a lot to ask of young children.

View Quoted Comment I have thought about it overnight and I think we will just keep them home for as long as possible.
Both flower girls have one parent in the bridal party and the other parent who isn’t so it makes sense that they stay home for as long as possible.

God knows we already run the risk of havoc being wrecked by the little ones not wanting to walk down the aisle so we may as well do everything to minimize their restlessness 😂

View Quoted Comment I’m so with you!

I would have your flower girls show up at 4:30 just to play it safe. Little ones can be unpredictable and better to run less of a risk of them getting restless

View Quoted Comment Yeah I think we will do just that.

Daughter & SIL had four children in their wedding (siblings, ages 4, 6, 8 & 10). Their mother was a BM, but their dad was not in the wedding. Mom and the girls got their hair done in the morning (separately from the Bride, etc., because they were staying about 30 minutes away). The dad dropped the mom/BM off at the venue at 1, in time for first look & preceremony photos. He then took the kids to McDonalds for lunch and some time to run around and get some energy out. He brought the kids to the venue ~ 2:15, and the parents got them into their dresses/suits. As soon as the kids were ready, the photographer took pictures of the kids with the B&G, and I think they got some photos of their family of 6 as well. The ceremony began at 3:30 pm. The kids processed in, walking in front of the bride and her dad, but then entered the second row of seats and sat with their dad for the 30 minute ceremony. The kids were in the large group family photos and some of the wedding party photos that were taken during the cocktail hour. Overall, it worked out pretty well. The kids were involved plenty and there are wonderful pictures to document everything, but they weren't bouncing off the walls or overly tired before the ceremony. Even with that, the 4 yr old had a meltdown just before the bridal party was to be announced at the start of the reception. Her parents put her down on a lounge chair at the edge of the reception room and she slept through the entire reception until the parents were ready to take all the kids back to their hotel around 10 pm. Daughter was very concerned that if they'd all been with the wedding party from the start of things at 10:30 in the morning, both they and she would have been miserable.... Good luck!