Eloping with Family
How can we elope but still have our family involved?
Most of the couples I photograph ask me, can our family come? Can we have friends there? I totally see where they’re coming from! My family means everything to me and there’s no way I could have eloped without them. If you are really close with your family and friends and want to have them at your elopement, not only is it possible to bring them but it’s actually a ton of fun! Imagine having your family experience a beautiful national park wedding and super fun day with you! It will bring you all closer together and you’ll be able to share those memories forever. I’d say about half the couples I photograph bring family so it’s a common thing and something that more and more people are doing!
“We still want to go on an adventure with just us two to soak it all in.”
The best thing about all this is you can have both! You can do a beautiful sunrise hike with a breakfast picnic overlooking Zion all by yourself, say private vows together, and enjoy intimate moments together with your partner before meet up with everyone else. Then you could eat at an amazing Mexican restaurant with your family at the entrance of Zion, and then say your vows on top of a desert cliff with your family right there to tearfully congratulate you. You really can combine a private elopement and a wedding with your loved ones in the same day!
“My grandparents are coming and they need somewhere easily accessible, is that possible?”
Yes! There are beautiful places right off the side of paved roads that are easy for elderly and children to access. I have a whole list of spots that are perfect for families. Your whole family doesn’t have to hike up a mountain (unless they want to!) so we can cater your ceremony to include everyone who is there.
“Can we take family photos together in Zion so my parents can hang it in their house?”
Absolutely!! Family photos are encouraged and I get them at every elopement so you can have incredible scenery in your photos! And it’s a bonus because you don’t have to pay a photographer in your hometown to do it that year! Win win!
“Can we do fun activities together as a family/friends?”
Oh yeah! I was the manager of an offroad rental shop here by Zion for a while, and we did group offroading tours with families and they were a ton of fun! You can offroad on sand dunes, go horseback riding, cliff jumping, boating, go sandboarding/sledding on sand dunes (little kids love this!) and do tons of other fun activities! And this is just the Zion area, you could go white water rafting in Moab, or go skiing down a glacier in the Colorado mountains… there’s so many fun things you can do!
“I’m so glad we had our family and friends experience this day with us!”
A couple I planned an elopement for was able to share those amazing moments with her dad a few months before he died. She’s since posted those photos of her elopement day and tearfully remembered the joy she shared with her dad that day. Those moments are priceless and more valuable than you might realize. Every couple who has brought their family and friends have had a really fun time and have been glad they did it. If you’re close with your loved ones bring them along for your elopement!
