A   second wedding will be a great event for the groom. (Life is far from over!) It can also be sensitive for the new bride if she has never been married. Add kids from the past marriage to the mix, and the second wedding - let alone the second marriage - may test a groom's diplomacy skills to the utmost degree.

Who's getting remarried?

This article assumes that the groom is the one who's been previously married and may have children from the previous marriage. Of course, we recognize that there are many different manifestations of the "second marriage" as it could be your first and her second, or the second for both of you, with kids on your side or hers. We suppose there are many more iterations! GroomGroove.com believes most of the suggestions in this article will still apply. At the outset, GroomGroove.com suggests using your common sense, apply the lessons you learned from your first wedding (and marriage), and, above all other considerations, roll with what your new bride wishes.

The second ceremony

This new wedding should be a new day for a new beginning, with no reference to what came before. If you had a huge cathedral wedding the first time, you may want to consider doing something smaller and more intimate, or vice versa. Of course, there is really no facet of a second wedding that needs to be any different from the first. You may be getting married for the second time but this is your new wife's first go and she wants the exact same style of wedding you had when you first made your vows. Our advice: roll with it. Your new bride has to feel that every second of this wedding day belongs to her and not to any ghosts in the past. If your bride-to-be wants to wear a white poofy gown with a princess train, then that's exactly what she'll do. Got it?

Dealing with Kids at the wedding

Over a quarter of all marriages in the U.S. involve children from previous relationships and you can be sure that there is always the potential for some sort of friction. Even if your kids are old enough so that an ex-husband or wife need not attend (ed. - Bet you didn't think that possibility!) , there is going to be a delicate balancing act between involving the kids and making them feel that they're playing an important role in the event, and keeping your new bride happy and making sure there's plenty of focus on her and your new life together. GroomGroove.com hopes that you and your new bride have come to terms with how you and your children from a past relationship or her and her kids will factor into your life together. Children are one aspect of your life that should not be up for debate, and nor should hers, if she's a mother.  

Children participating in the wedding

Children can play important ancillary roles such as ring bearers or flower girls. If you have slightly older children involved, a young adult can act as a junior bridesmaid or groomsman. His tux or her dress should be the same as the older groomsmen. The kids will feel much more involved in this case than they otherwise would. Further, if you are having a religious ceremony where there will be readings, you can ask that your children to take an active part.

A great way to keep younger kids happy is to set up a "junior reception" complete with invitations to some of their friends and young relatives. You might find the kids will be so excited to host their own party that they won't even care much about the "adult ceremony."

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