Believe it or not there’s some pretty awesome ways to include your kids in your elopement, no matter how old or young! The great thing about elopements is there are no rules. You and your family can choose what works best for you and skip on the things that don’t work or you don’t like. So, take a minute to hang out with us and read our ideas on how to include your kids in your elopement.
Give them a special job to do
Giving your kiddos a special job, like keeping something safe for the day, walking you to the altar, or being a flower child. It shows them they are also important on this big day. Remember, this day can also be about your kiddos as well as you and your new spouse! Especially if you’re blending two families. If you do have your kids to take the role as a flower child please remember the LNT Principles.
Let them help you get ready
We LOVE this idea! Have your child brush your hair and then you brush yours. You can also have your child zip or button your dress, or tie your tie and button your jacket. They might not finish the task, but these moments of getting ready will make great memories, and photos! Be sure to plan ahead and make extra time in your schedule for these special moments. We all know the stress that occurs when small children are present. They want to do everything at their own pace, and that is usually a lot slower than what we’d like. Ha!
Get Them Something Special
We all know that kids LOVE getting gifts! Help them make your wedding day a day to remember by getting them a small memento to remember the day by! Carly gifted her step-daughter the sweetest little surprise necklace that had the most perfect inscription on it! When Jordynn opened up her gift, her smile said it all! We’ll let you see for yourself!
Let your kids pronounce you ‘married’!
This is a super cute one no matter how old. Even a babbling baby pronouncing you married will be a memory you will NEVER forget! If you have more than one kiddo pronounce you, they could even take turns saying each word in the sentence! How fun! There’s so many variations you can do with this one!
Do a first look as a family//kids in elopement
By now most people know what the “first look” is. This is the same idea, just add the kids! You could do this before, or after your first look with your partner, OR do it all at once where everyone sees each other for the first time together. Your kids will love seeing everyone dressed up and will feel special being included in a huge moment of the day.
Have them sign your marriage license!
Some states are self-solemnizing. What does that mean? It means that you two are your own witnesses and that you don’t even need an officiant. There are actually 9 states that you can do this in, believe it or not! Even if your kiddo can barely write, this will be such a fun memory to look back on in 10 years, or when they are ready to get married themselves!
Include your kids in your elopement ceremony
Encourage each of your kids to write a letter or vows to the family. Ask the kids to write down some feelings to share during the ceremony portion of your elopement. If they are too young to express all of their feelings, have them draw a picture. Also something to consider is writing vows from you and your spouse to the children. Including vows to the kids is showing them you’re not only making a commitment to each other, but also to the whole family.
Share the unity ceremony with your kids in your elopement
A unity ceremony is typically done at a traditional ceremony. If you want to do a unity ceremony, definitely consider involving the kids, especially if you’re blending families. There are plenty of options to have a unique unity ceremony at your elopement. The Knot has a great article for unity ceremony alternatives. Bryt and I locked locks together! This could easily be done with kiddos!
Bring Your Nanny
The hustle and bustle of an elopement day can be a little, well, busy. Carly + Paul brought along the kiddos’ nanny to ensure they were well taken care of during their portraits + to get a little time for themselves that night! What better idea than to fly out their nanny so that they could do that?! Plus the kiddos will feel so much better knowing the person that is watching them is a familiar face!
We hope you enjoyed reading about how to include your kids in your elopement! We know this special day is about becoming a family + we hope that these tips helped you figure out how to make the day just as special for them! If you are stuck on where to elope with your kiddos, click here for a list of our top 20 places to elope!
XOXO,
Sam + Bryt
