Emily Atack's friends reaction to her banning children from her upcoming wedding to Alistair Garner has left her shocked, but should nearlyweds be allowed to ban children from weddings?17:39, 10 Jun 2026Emily Atack and her partner Alistair Garner have divided public opinion by banning children from their wedding. Though they have a child together, the actress and her fiance decided that they did not want to have children running around their three-day celebration in Spain.‌Speaking on the Romesh Ranganathan Show podcast, Emily shared that her friends surprised her with their reaction. "We're being kind to our friends and making sure that people don't have to worry too much about paying for lots of things, but we have said no kids at the wedding, no children."‌She added: "I'm surprised by how many people are happy about that. I thought I'd get a lot of people kicking off, but they're like, 'No, 'f**k those kids.'"‌But her decision has left fans divided. Some felt Emily and Alistair were being "selfish" by making their friends pick between spending time with their children and going to their wedding.‌One said it was "not a good move by any standards". Another asked: "And what travel thousands of miles away for a wedding and leave your kids in the UK with who?"A third said they have always chosen not to go to a wedding where their children aren't invited. They said: "Children are family and in the past anyone who has asked us to do this hasn't had our attendance. Very strange!"But, others felt it was the right decision, as children can get bored and a babysitter can be hired. One said it was the "correct" decision, whilst another added: "Her wedding, her choice. Get a babysitter for God's sake."‌A third suggested that if a friend chose not to go to the wedding because their child wasn't invited, then they were not as close as they thought. They said: "Kids are banned at my upcoming wedding too. We are spending £25k on our day, and don't want the crying and screaming of kids when they get tired at bored."We have given our guests 3 years notice of our wedding so if they can't find a baby sitter or save enough in that time to pay for one then clearly they are not as good friends as we thought they were."‌Emily and material scientist Alistair have been together since 2022. In December 2023, she announced that they were expecting a baby and in June 2024, Emily gave birth to their son Barney. Just over a year later, Emily and Alistair had gotten engaged.For Emily, planning the wedding has been nothing but plain sailing. She told Luxury London Magazine: "I think I've nailed it. We're getting married in September. I've very much enjoyed the planning process."Choosing napkins and stuff. I'm like, 'My God, my life is here!'" Sharing details of her plans, she told Hello! magazine : "It's going to be lovely. I've really enjoyed planning it. It's going to be three days of joy with all my favourite people; it’s going to be chaos."Article continues belowFor more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .