How to Elope with Family
Eloping with family | How to Plan an Elopement with Family
(Updated for 2025)
This is so exciting and the absolute best choice for a fully connective and adventurous elopement day. You are super stoked, ready to go, but maybe you haven’t decided what to tell family or how to involve them. As we are always saying, every elopement looks different.
The options are endless and while the subject of this blog is to dive deep into eloping with family, eloping in general is the best way to have a wedding day that is fully about you and your partner’s love and relationship. Choosing to elope is a big step, but do not compromise on this special experience you have decided to have in any way.
In this blog we will explore ways to include your family while eloping and ways to help your family feel loved and included even if you want an elopement day with just the two of you.
Before we totally dive in let’s answer this question first:
Can You Elope with Family?
Heck yeah you can have your family at your elopement! Now, it is important to know that where you can elope with guests may be restricted to specific locations. This is true for all public access areas, regardless if it’s a national park, bureau of land management, or any other publicly designated space.
There are some areas, although rare and few between, where you can have groups up to 50 people, so be sure that you know the area that has captured your heart can accommodate all of your loved ones. If you aren’t sure, reach out to the park, locals, or your photographer who is familiar with the area (Meet us here!).
While some areas allow larger groups, navigating fragile spaces can be tricky. We recommend keeping guest lists to 10-15 maximum for more location options and an stress-free day focused celebrating your love. If a bigger gathering is your vision, consider renting a private space for the ceremony, then heading elsewhere for intimate moments with just your partner or a small group. We 100% think the most important part of the entire elopement day is meeting your vision for the experience you’re looking to capture.
Should you elope with Family?
Can and should are two very different questions, but equally important. We have seen family elopements go really well and we have seen family elopements not go so well. What makes it go well you ask…?
- Inviting small amounts of people, truly only invite the people you feel like absolutely MUST be there.
- Not inviting people if you think they could cause stress, be argumentative, make it about them or be unwilling to participate or be supportive.
We firmly believe eloping is a sacred space and way to get married. You are being very intentional with how you get married; that needs to coincide with being intentional with who you invite.
It is 100% more than okay to get married with just you two and no guests. Every family is different and for some people inviting family may be a no-brainer and for others it could be very hard to have family present. The reality is….
No one deserves a place or opinion for your wedding day.
I’m not sure where within culture it became so normalized for weddings to be a group event, but honestly it’s a lucky invite. This is a sacred place where you’re setting roots and foundation to start marriage. For some people that may look traditional and others not. No one is given a birthright to attend, help plan or have an opinion concerning your day. It’s given, if desired. Marriage is about two people at the end of the day.
Trust yourself and your choices
You know what’s best for you at the end of the day. Trust yourself and stand by the choices you’re making. You’re responsible for your own happiness and memories.
Ways to Include your Family at Your Elopement
Let’s chat about bringing family! Eloping is personal and emotive! When it comes to sharing vows (Looking for advice on writing your own vows?), many couples share private vows first, then join loved ones for the ceremony. There are plenty of ways to balance intimate moments and family time during your elopement.
If your friends and family are essential to your journey, don’t compromise on having them at your elopement! Setting expectations early is key. Before inviting guests, consider how the headcount may affect your ceremony location; some spots have restrictions, higher permit fees, or limits on group size. Keep this in mind as you plan. Check out these creative ways past couples have included their loved ones:
Have a Family Member Officiate Your Elopement
Unless you marry at the courthouse beforehand or in a similar fashion prior to your elopement day, you’ll likely need an officiant (except in a few states WI, CO, DC, PA, ME, NV), so be sure to check the marriage laws in your state for any specific requirements!. Example: Emily + Andrew eloped in Sedona, Arizona with their closest family + friends. They decided to have Andrew’s best friend, that actually introduced them, officiate their ceremony. It was lovely to see how their friend personalized the ceremony with meaningful touches.
Have a Family be Your Witnesses
In most states you need two witnesses to be present at and to sign your marriage license. Having a family member at your elopement sign the paperwork can offer a special moment for them and can also be meaningful to you as the couple.
Involve Your Family in Your Elopement Planning
If you’re eloping with family, having someone watch your child or pet (check out our blog on eloping with your dogs!), it can be a huge help. This keeps them involved while giving you and your partner time to connect. Loved ones can also hold flowers, be a ring bearer, give a toast, or help keep everyone on time and orderly.
Or another example, could be to ask your guest to play an instrument. Cassie asked her dad to play a song on his guitar during their private dinner celebration, creating a perfect, leaving not a dry eye in the room. We also used a recording of his performance as background music for their elopement video!
Dining with your family at you elopement
Everyone loves food, right? If you want a private ceremony but still involve family, consider having a breakfast or brunch with them before your adventure, or a BBQ or chef prepared dinner afterward. One fun idea we’ve seen is having family prepare dinner while the couple is out adventuring, giving everyone a chance to bond and contribute to the celebration. No matter what, this can be a great time to hang out together and enjoy each other’s company.
Getting Ready at Your Elopement with Family
Traditional wedding moments like the mother of the bride helping with the dress or the father walking her down the aisle can still be included in your elopement with family, even if you don’t want them present for the ceremony itself or they’re no longer around.
There are many meaningful ways to honor these traditions. For example, Mom can help with your hair or dress before the ceremony, and you can share a first look with Dad. A groom’s mom could adjust his tie, or Dad could offer a few words of advice. And even without a traditional aisle, someone can walk you to your ceremony space. We’ve even seen a groom who honored his late mother by bringing a chair for her and a reading she loved, allowing her to be there in spirit.
A great example of family getting ready together is Troy + Samantha’s elopement in Puerto Rico. They all stayed at the same Airbnb and spent the morning helping each other with hair, makeup, and dresses before their sunrise ceremony. It was a relaxed and intimate day, filled with meaningful moments, like Samantha helping her daughters into their flower dresses, just one beautiful way to share the day with loved ones.
The key here is time! Having enough time not to rush family and moments together is so important!
Bring Your Close Family on Your Entire Elopement Adventure!
Eloping doesn’t mean you can’t have loved ones there if you want them to be part of the day. It’s all about what you want for your love and your celebration. If you want your closest friends and family with you while you stand on a cliff with the grandest view, go for it! Just make sure to plan carefully considering everyone’s hiking comfort level and choose a location and trail that suits your group. Share trail details with them ahead of time so everyone is prepared for the adventure!
Including family when they are not there in person for your elopement
Facetime/Phone Call Your Family on Your Elopement Day
If you want to keep things private but still involve loved ones, hop on a call! Face-timing from a mountaintop in your wedding clothes will make their day is a great way to tell the family you eloped. If video isn’t an option, just call and say, “You’re the first to know, we’re officially married!” Snap a selfie or let your photographer take a photo to text them, so they’re part of your special moment in real time.
Tips for a Family-Inclusive Elopement
100% Make sure your family understands Leave No Trace principles before the big day! Don’t worry, we provide a detailed guide for couples and a simple one-page brochure for guests. Here are some other top tips to keep your family prepared for your elopement!
- Plan to shuttle, you want as little cars as possible at the trailhead.
- Give them a packing list: sunscreen, water, snacks, etc. Being prepared is key.
- They must have the right shoes to get to the location you are eloping at.
- If you are off roading or boating, know who in the group is prone to motion sickness.
- Let your family know ahead of time of any expenses they may incur, such as purchasing any type of pass.
Our second major tip would be to set expectations and boundaries up front with your guests during the planning stage. For a lot of couples’ families or guests, they’ve never done anything like this or been anywhere like you may be taking them. It is important to make sure they understand what will be happening, how to best prepare and expectations day of. Communicating can help your guests not take over your elopement day.
The Most Family Friendly Elopement Destinations
What makes an elopement location family-friendly? Look for easily accessible ceremony spots with minimal guest count restrictions in a location that can handle the foot traffic. It is also important to consider permit rules and regulations to make sure it can accommodate your group size and elopement vision.
Here are our favorite adventurous locations + full guides to help you find the best spot for your elopement with family. Be sure to dive into each to help you narrow down your favorites.
We like this location for family elopements because no permits are required, there are a lot of family-friendly locations, and the town offers a lot of family inclusive activities. We recommend eloping here with no more than 15 people.
While permits are required, they are easily obtainable and reasonable. Just a short drive from the Palm Springs airport the ceremony locations are easily accessible. We recommend eloping here with no more than 20 people.
The coastal areas of Olympic National Park
Olympic as a whole is a fantastic place to elope and very diverse. You can elope with guests in other areas than the beaches, but the beaches offer the most space. We recommend no more than 15 people here.
The Oregon Coast is unique in that you can have up to 50 people without needing a permit, and some locations would be reasonable to do that, during off-season when the beaches are not busy. We recommend no more than 25 just to keep things manageable; lots of the parking areas are small!
This is where we call home and say it’s the most bang for your buck as far as views and accessibility in WA, especially for an elopement with guests. However, due to wilderness rules and fragile meadows, we recommend eloping with no more than 12 people total here. T
Moab is one of our favorite places on earth for red rock and adventure, but this place is actually pretty family friendly for an elopement. Within the National Parks we would recommend 10 people max in total, at the state park we would recommend 15 people max total. On BLM land it truly depends which location you may be considering, some we would recommend no guests and others we may say up to 10 people.
Page is unique and quiet, which can be the best! You could elope here with your family on a weekend house boat rental on Lake Powell or go off roading to a remote unique destination. In this area, I would recommend 12-15 people max.
Another National Park that is fantastic with guest elopements! I would recommend a max of 20-25 people total here. This is a busy park so it is important to keep that in mind when planning the logistics around this, but there are some incredible permitted location options for ceremonies here with family.
Lost Dutchman State Park/Superstition Mountains
This State Park is located in Arizona just outside of Phoenix, making it very accessible from flying or from being within the city. I would recommend no more than 25 people in total here.
Here is the truly awesome thing about these locations and almost any other elopement location – if you have more people that the recommended maximum you can always rent a venue or private space to host your ceremony with your loved ones or a reception.
Suggested Family Elopement Packages
Remember, you don’t have to compromise on your dream adventure elopement just because you’re inviting guests! We recommend couples choose the sunrise/sunset or the two day package.
The sunrise/sunset option lets you enjoy half the day with just your partner on an adventure and the other half celebrating with family. Typically, it’s sunrise for the couple + sunset with the family. Here is an example timeline from a sunrise/sunset elopement day with family:
- Couple + Photo/Video meet at trailhead for sunrise hike
- Couple Changes + shares first look
- Private letter reading together
- Hike back out + drive to second location
- Board games at waterfall + breakfast snacks
- Hike to final location to walk through the Groves then break
- Photo/Video arrive for final getting ready and detail photos of arch mom set up
- Ceremony + Family photos
- Toasts + cake cutting
We also recommend the two-day elopement option depending on your location and plans! It’s perfect for larger groups that are harder to gather in remote spots, or if you want to explore a more secluded area, take on a bigger adventure, or celebrate in two different regions! Here is an example timeline of a multi-day elopement:
- Everyone meets up at camp near the boat launch the night before
- Sunrise, head to boat launch for back haul + to kayak to the camp/ceremony location
- Set up camp + get ready
- Ceremony, group photos + couple explores ledges for portraits
- Dinner at camp fire + sign marriage paperwork
- Next morning kayak back to cars + take family to the top of the mountain for photos overlooking camp
- Couple, photo + video off road to second location for camp
- Sunrise hike to location for ring exchange and private vows
This option is also really great if you want to do one day as an adventure elopement and one day as a traditional wedding at a venue like Reanna + Roxy did in Moab, holding their 70 person wedding at Red Earth Venue.
And with these real elopement stories and timelines above, here is a blog that goes over everything there is to know when it comes to elopement timelines!
What Does an Elopement with Family Look Like?
Watch this elopement video from a fall day in the Mt Baker area of WA state. This couple had about 12 people total and spent some of the day together, just them two, and some of the day with their guests in various locations in the mountains! This can give you a good idea of what the experience is like to elope and bring the family along!
Your Family Elopement Photographers!
Hey there! We’re Traci and Bill, a husband and wife team who eat, sleep, and breathe elopement photography and planning!
We travel all over the western US and beyond capturing love stories in beautiful landscapes while couples share breathtaking moments out in nature.
Nothing is more exciting to us than being a part of this intimate and adventurous space.
We can’t wait to hear more about what you’ve been envisioning and to help bring your elopement dreams to life!
Check out a recent review a couple left us from their elopement with family
“We had a tiny pandemic wedding at JTNP in Spring 2021 and Traci + Bill were absolutely incredible! I didn’t realize when we hired Traci for photography that she would also essentially handle all of the wedding planning for our day. Traci is extremely detail-oriented, organized, and professional, and her knowledge of the wedding day process and planning abilities made sure that our day went exactly the way that we had envisioned. Even though all we did was a ceremony in the national park with a private dinner afterwards (with a group of ~10 people), Traci still put together a schedule/itinerary and did an amazing job of keeping everybody on track to make sure that the day went smoothly. She and Bill did a scouting trip for ceremony sites for us the week beforehand (we had a permit for a general area in JTNP but hadn’t picked out a specific site), and they also stopped by our AirBnB the day before the wedding to scout out lighting for our portraits. They really invested a lot more of their time and energy into our day beyond the photography package that we had paid for. We also got our wedding photos back with very quick turnaround, and we absolutely love them. Beyond their professionalism and photography products, Traci and Bill are just genuinely wonderful people to spend time with and were a real joy to work with. If you’re looking for some incredible photography for your elopement or tiny wedding, I really can’t recommend them highly enough!” – Annelise’s elopement in Joshua Tree NP
We’d Love To Hear About Your Plan For Eloping With Your Family Along!
Check out the blogs below for real elopement story inspiration!
Meet your team!
Hi – it is Traci, Bill and Malachi
Over the years, we’ve helped hundreds of couples plan and document intentional, meaningful elopements in wild places.
Our blogs are where we share what we’ve learned—location guides, planning tips, real elopement stories, and advice to help you feel confident and inspired as you plan your own day.
Whether you’re just getting started or deep in the details, we’re here to support and inspire you. When you’re ready, reach out to book a free consult call and start planning your day with us.
