Eloping With Family - When Your Kids Are Your Wedding Party
The Heart of Shawna & Keith’s Family Elopement:
Being Witnessed By Their Lovely Kids
Photos by partner company Colorado Photographer Squad.
Shawna & Keith’s wedding is a great example of eloping with family where the kids are not only there, they are the wedding party too!
I was moved by the beauty of this crew. They had a magical day. Everyone was just being themselves and having a good time, which is the benefit of eloping with your most immediate family - you already live together, so there’s no reason to put on masks or airs.
The girls were very present and connected to their mom, plus clearly excited to be bridesmaids.
The littlest guy was the cutest spitfire, running around and getting into various shenanigans, which is another benefit of eloping with immediate family - there is no need for anyone to “behave perfectly” and it just added to the spontaneity of the day.
And his older brother was like a little old man wise beyond his young years - very earnest and helping with everything, plus he really registered what was going on and had strong, beautiful emotions at the conclusion of the ceremony, which you’ll see later in the photos.
If you are thinking about eloping with just your kids, you can have fun envisioning the roles they will play. In this case, we had an informal “processional” when we all walked ten minutes on the trail to get to the elopement spot. It was a combination of processional and mini adventure as we got to talk and laugh along the way, while the little guy explored the nooks and crannies of the lovely terrain. Then the ladies changed out of trail shoes to fancy shoes, and the boys got their boutonnières.
The oldest daughter was in charge of the wine box, which is a mini ceremony where we put the vow cards into the wine box with a bottle of wine and start a tradition that on every anniversary, the family will unseal the box, drink the wine (just parents of course) and re-read the vows. In this case, not only did we put Shawna & Keith’s vows in, but the kids got to write things too. We had the youngest son put the cards into the box, which was perfect timing because he was ready to play and run around about three quarters of the way through the ceremony and this gave him an intriguing job to focus on. Together, we blessed the wine box in the style of family’s spiritual preferences.
The eldest son was in charge of the rings and brought them to us when it was time.
Married!
Congratulations, Shawn & Keith, we love you!
At the ceremony’s conclusion, I presented Shawna & Keith to their kids as newlyweds - their children being the most meaningful kind of witnesses. And then, a celebratory photo shoot. My favorite part was when the little guy somehow got hold of one of the photographer’s cameras and starting shooting. Scroll all the way to the end to see the fabulous pics lol!
Shawna & Keith’s Testimonial
“I'm still in awe at how serene our wedding day was. From the moment that you and I spoke over the phone to the day of our ceremony, I had a constant feeling of calmness. We appreciated your guidance throughout the process and very much enjoyed the date nights and activities that you prepared. Those moments allowed us to take a deep breath and truly focus on each other, our relationship and our upcoming nuptials.
Our wedding day could not have gone any smoother! We were so grateful to have our children as part of the ceremony and I love that you helped make them feel included and an important part of the day. Sharee captured so many special moments and we will enjoy the photos for years and years to come. There were so many wonderful emotions as we were surrounded by the beautiful flatirons - it was perfect.
Thank you for such a touching ceremony and making our day so memorable. You and Sharee are such professionals with so much heart and we enjoyed sharing our day with you! I look forward to staying connected and love receiving your emails!” - Shawna & Keith
Colorado Elopement Package: Ceremonies With Lisa Elopement Packages
Photos by partner company Colorado Photographer Squad
To see other elopements at this location: Chautauqua Park Elopement Guide
Meet the officiants and photographers who I’m partnered with Here
If you want to know more about how your elopement will work…
Let’s Make It Happen
Hey it’s Lisa :) I’m an officiant, elopement expert and mountain girl at heart. I can’t wait to tell you all about these sweet mini adventures and how it all works.
Reach out using this handy form and I’ll send all the info to make your elopement day real, see if we’re a fit and hop on a call to lay out your dream day and package quote. Can’t wait to get to know you!
