Legit the most difficult part about choosing to elope can be dealing with the guilt or drama from excluding your family and friends. Well, feel guilt no more! There are TONS of ways to still include your closest peeps on your upcoming epic day! Here are 9 of our favorite ways:

1. Have your friends and family take part in some of the Pre-Wedding Day activities!

A great way to make your famjam feel like they are part of your special day is to allow them to take part in some of the pre wedding planning or festivities. A great example of this is helping to choose your dress/outfit/suit. Have your best friends come along to your dress fitting, or let em’ help pick out the quirky bowtie! Or even plan some bachelor/bachelorette/engagement parties so there’s ample time for them to get in on the celebrations.

2. Include Special Items or Things/Family Heirlooms in your Elopement Day

Having things with meaning can really add to your epic day. This could be anything from wearing your Momma’s earrings to stopping by the location your parents got married for a portrait. Still have your Grandma’s old wedding dress? Bring a piece of it, or dawn it on yourself! You could even have your first dance in a beautiful sweater your aunt made you. The options are endless! Including some things helps you still feel connected to those closest to you, and helps them to feel like they are part it, too.

3. Hire a videographer to do an awesome highlight reel of your magical day

One of the best ways to share your day is to have a beautiful film made that perfectly tells the story of your adventure elopement. Having a highlight reel is not only an awesome way to share with your loved ones, it’s also a way for you to relive the magical of the day your get married time and time again. Photos are definitely amazing, but nothing quite captures the emotions and epicness of your day like video.

4. Plan a Party to Celebrate with everyone at a Later Date

This is a great way to let everyone in on the celebrating. Some couples even opt to have a second little ceremony just before the party – because why not get married twice? This is a great option as well if you want to include some special people, but they aren’t able to travel because of mobility issues, or your loved ones are scattered all over the place. And to top it off, you could share the highlight reel or elopement video you had made at the party as a special showing!

5. Have your closest friends and family join you for your ceremony

Not sold on eloping with just the two of you? No prob! Elopements aren’t what they used to be. You can easily have 10-20 guests and still have a day that’s all about YOU. Choose a location for your ceremony where you can have your loved ones join, and then take off and do your own thing solo. There are no rules, and most of the time your family is just happy they were able to see the ceremony. But that’s just a tiny part of the whole day! You can still go on a helicopter/hot-air balloon ride, have an epic hike, explore the forest, have a seaside picnic, or anything your heart desires!

6. Have your closest friends and family join you for a small part of the day!

Not into having anyone else around for the ceremony? No problem. How about letting them in on the morning of? You could have a lovely brunch, or let them be part of the getting-ready process. It’s always nice to have someone tie or tie or zip up your dress, and whats more, you get some special moments together with people you love before you head on out for you awesome day with just the two of you. You could even have your whole day just the two of you, and then have an intimate dinner/reception with your family/friends at the end of it all.

7. Have family members write you letters

It’s not uncommon to still miss some of your closest loved ones on you epic elopement day. An awesome way to still feel their presence is to have family members write you letters you can read together day of, or have them send you videos they recorded just for your special day. You could even record a short video to share with them. With the powers of the internet these days, everything is instantaneous and it would take just a few minutes to record some “I love Yous” in your elopement get-up to send off to your parents!

8. Straight up skype or facetime!

I mean, why not? An awesome way for you and your loved ones to feel connected is to just plan a quick video chat. This way they can see you on your day, you can see them, and you can tell each other all the things! Or show them your chosen epic locale, your outfits, and send your love. With the wonders of tech, you could even livestream your ceremony with a cellphone as long as you’ve got signal!

9. Bring them Back A Gift from your Day

A final way to have your fam feel included is by thinking of them on your day, and getting them a little keepsake or gift. Having your elopement at a stunning vineyard? Bring back a few bottles of your favorite wine from the day to celebrate with your loved ones after the fact. Travelling to another country for your day? You’ll have plenty of time to pick out something thoughtful along your travels to let them know you were thinking of them. <3

Wondering where to elope?

Check out our other blog Here on Nova Scotia’s most Amazing Coastal/Ocean Locales!