An interview with… Oxford Sitters

Over the last couple of years I have got to know Amy at the team from Oxford Sitters, and regularly recommend them to couples that are looking for a wedding creche in and around Oxfordshire.  As a parent, and a wedding planner, I know that keeping the youngest guests entertained during a wedding day can be a difficult concept to navigate. What do you do? Children’s activity packs at the wedding breakfast? Giant jenga at the drinks reception? But what about food, drink and leaving early to put them to bed? Well, don’t worry, Oxford Sitters have the answers to all those questions… and more!

I interviewed Amy to ask her all about the team, the services they offer and their advice if you’re considering a wedding creche.

 

Tell us a bit about you and the team

Jess and I met whilst working in Oxfordshire’s Children’s Centres. We supported families with young children in central Oxfordshire through play sessions and family outreach.

We became increasingly aware that Oxford is a transient place. Lots of families move here to work or study, with little family support and no opportunity to explore our beautiful city child free or have a well deserved evening out. We also noticed an increase of requests for sitters on community social media. As Mums ourselves, we wanted to provide a service that matched qualified, vetted childcare practitioners with individual families so they could build a relationship with a favourite sitter without the worry. We also introduced a meet and greet service for families so they could meet sitters prior to their evenings out, which was also a worry for parents. We are so lucky to have a team of absolutely fantastic childcare providers.

 

What services do you offer for weddings?

All of our wedding creche services are completely bespoke. They range from childcare for the bride herself to large creche services of up to 20 children.

Sometimes the creche will last for the whole wedding day, other times we come in for a few hours so guests can enjoy a sit down meal and the speeches.

We contact every parent prior to the big day to find out more about their child, allergies, routine patterns and what they enjoy doing most! We then use this information to plan the creche resources so children have their favourite toys and activities on the day – our aim is for the children to have more fun that the adults! We can also plan creche services around the wedding theme – Alice in Wonderland was a good one! We also offer evening babysitting services in hotel rooms or guest accommodation if guests want to put their children to bed and then relax for the wedding reception.

What advice would you offer for couples thinking about a having a wedding creche?

My advice would be to do it! All the feedback we receive is very much centred around how grateful guests are to have the creche at the venue, especially for the wedding breakfast and the evening. It often enables guests to attend weddings they would have otherwise been able to.

 

Is there anything that you’d love to do for a wedding that you haven’t yet?

We haven’t been invited to a royal wedding yet! In all honestly the love for us comes from knowing we have made the day extra special and easy for guests with children, we always feel so privileged to be part of peoples wedding plans.

 

What’s the most important lesson that the industry has taught you so far?

Communication with our families and sitters is the key to success, this enables us to understand what a family would like from their sitter and for us to always be able to make the perfect match. It also means our fabulous sitters have can get to know the children before the babysit or wedding event from the information the family provide.

 

What’s your all time favourite movie?

A favourite at our event creches is a late night showing of The Minions.

 

How can people find out more about what you do?

You can visit our website oxfordsitters.co.uk or feel free to email us for any enquiries [email protected]