How old should a flower girl be?

I just recently got engaged! We are both sooo excited, and havnt started the real planning yet but just throwing idea's around. I have an 8mo (future) niece, she is the only little girl on both sides of our family. We are planning an August 2008 wedding , so she will be two years old by then. Has anyone had flower girls this young? I understand she may not do exactly what she's supposed to which is fine, or get down the aisle in a straight line, haha, It's just important to me to include her because she is so special to us, what do you think??



and, if we have a flower girl, must we have a ring bearer? We have a shortage of small children in the family! haha

How old should a flower girl be?
Our flowergirl was our 18 month old niece and everyone thought we were INSANE for having a child that young, but I really wanted her to be part of the wedding ceremony. Her mom (my SIL) and I talked about it ahead of time and she said she thought her daughter's personality would be just fine and she wasn't worried about her crying or freaking out. In fact, when she took her to get her dress, my niece paraded around the store and twirled in the mirror so much that they asked her to be in a bridal fashion show!



She was great at the rehearsal, even though she took off running down the aisle towards her dad (one of the best men). She passed the BMs right out, so we decided to send her down the aisle first. On the wedding day, my SIL put her down on the aisle and said, "Walk nice to Daddy" and she paraded down the aisle just as cute as you please, smiling and waving to everyone. She was a total riot and everything worked out great for us.



You have to consider is her personality. If she's a pleasant, good natured kid, she should be fine. The rehearsal will give you a good indication of how she'll react. Also, it helps to have the child's parents near by - one at each end of the aisle. Most importantly, don't get tied to the idea of having her as a flower girl. If you go into it with the attitude that it's okay if she freaks out and doesn't want to do it, you won't be upset if it happens. Sometimes kids just have a bad day.



EDIT: Have someone the child trusts and likes at each end of the aisle - maybe a grandparent? Otherwise, if she's giving you a hard time, you can have the father escort her down the aisle. I'm not a big fan of the wagon idea. It might be cute, but I think a little inappropriate for a wedding. Plus it seems like it would be a pain in the backside - who wants to be carting a wagon around?
Reply:yeah that is find 2 years old is fine as long as she know how to drop the flowers i have been doing it since about that age i don't think it should be a problem inless she shy and it would be good for a ring bearer
Reply:A flowergirl should really be old enough to walk down the aisle without assistance from her parent, and be able to carrry the little basket of rose petals and distribute them freely along the bridal runner.



She should also be able to stand up next to the bridal attendants at the front of the Church quietly, without disrupting the wedding ceremony.



I was an Professional Wedding still photographer for over 20 years. I still photograph weddings occasionally. My biggest pet peeve as a photographer were children selected to be a part of the bridal party that were either too young or just misbehaved that would cry, run all over the altar area, and disrubt the beautiful wedding vows during the ceremony. Not to mention how many countless times they almost ruined my wedding photographs by not standing still!



While I realize these children I speak of may be your nieces and nephews and may be adorable, they really can take away from the attention which should ultimatley be on you and your husband on what should be one of the most memorable days of your life. Your Wedding Video will also be appreciated if the concentration is on the two of you. Editing a video can be extra difficult because one can't dub over your vows if a child is crying or carrying on.



If you chose to "nominate" your 8 month old niece , who will be 2 years old in August 08, to be your flowergirl, you may consider making sure that her mother is accompanying her down the aisle, and sitting very close up front to control her.



You should really have a ringboy to keep your bridal party balanced. Again, remember the ringboy will hold a pillow with your rings. You want to make sure he is old enough to not "run off with them" or lose them.



Just make sure your niece is included in the photos with you, nonetheless. In the end, the photos and video will be all you have to remember the memories when you "rewind" the events of the day. Pick a good photographer with a lot of experience, that is creative and very patient!



Congratulations to the both of you! I wish you the very best!
Reply:She'll need to be escorted, but otherwise there is no problem with it. Congratulations!
Reply:From around four years to 10 years. You don't have to have either a flower girl or ring bearer, we didn't. Don't use the baby.
Reply:As long as she can toddle or walk down the aisle w/a basket of flower petals (thrown, ideally), then she should be fine. If necessary, another member of the wedding party could escort her down the aisle. A ring bearer isn't a necessity, but would be a nice touch. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptuals.
Reply:a flower girl can be from the walking age to 12 years old, same for the ring bearer. congratulations! the best to both of you! they can actually be pre teens.
Reply:Best between the ages of 4-9/10
Reply:Do not have a flower girl if she is only 8months! A flower girl must be old enough to walk down an aisle by themself such as ages 2+. You do not need a flower girl if you dont have anyone over age 2. I am having a flower girl who is going to be 11 by then (she will wear a jr bridesmaid dress) and I will have no ringbearer. Ringbearers are pretty pointless cause no one has the child really carry rings anymore (cause the kid would loose or drop them). Usually the child carries a nice pillow down the aisle, and nothing is on the pillow! So I wont even bother having a ringbearer.
Reply:no, it should be fine.

just have her practice going up and down a long hall way with a basket of confetti a few weeks/months befoe the weding so she gets the idea of it.
Reply:If you choose her, you must be prepared for the very real possibility that she will not comply in any way, shape or form, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to convince a 2 year old to do anything she doesn't want to do-especially something like that. If you're ok with that, go for it, but I personally wouldn't ask any child under 5 or 6.
Reply:My son was a ring bearer at a little under 2. He wandered and got a little confused, but it was overall very cute. Oh, and they gave the REAL rings to the best man. The ones he carried were out of a gumball machine. Anyway, my point is that as long as you aren't stuck on the idea of a perfect wedding, go for it! She'll be beautiful. And no, you don't have to have a ringbearer just because you have a flower girl.
Reply:you can have one w/o the other- that is fine.

if there is a teenage boy in the family- he can be the ring bearer as well.

2 is too young for her to walk down the aisle by herself.

she should be escorted by the ring bearer or her mom. you can even have a ring bearer pull her down the aisle in a little wagon (this looks best at an outdoor wedding). she can toss petals out as she rides along. :D

hope this helps!
Reply:My friend had a flower girl that was two and the ring barrier pulled her in a little wagon. It was so cute.





Congratulations!
Reply:You might have to gauge if she can do it closer to the wedding. She should have the hang of walking by then- hopefully. Just tell her to walk to her daddy- she should sit down during the wedding though. You don't need both.

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