Adventure Elopement with the Kids in the Adirondacks

If you’ve ever thought of eloping with your immediate little family, but still wanted it to be an adventure, you have come to the right place! There tends to be this notion that you can’t have an adventure elopement AND bring your kids, especially if they are younger, because it would be too much for them to handle. Well I am here to tell you that YOU CAN HAVE BOTH! It all comes down to making the right plans, and choosing the right location, which happens to be what this blog is about.

Maggie and Adem’s Hiking Elopement in the Adirondacks

Before you think you are far too fancy for a hiking elopement, let me set the scene for you. Maggie is a Leo (if you know, you know!). Maggie and Adem are a couple that have a hippie side, but are also the first to tell you that they have a strong bougie side as well and love to be fancy. We wanted to create an elopement that captured all of who they are, and was kid friendly for a 3 year old and an 11 year old.

Planning

These two live in Rochester, New York, and our goal was to find a location within a 5 hour driving radius. This gave them the ability to drive up on a Friday, elope on Saturday, and spend some family time together Sunday before driving back. We settled on the Adirondacks, as they had the scenery and mountain-tops we were hoping for! When we started the planning process we had to keep these main points in mind:

• Locations that can accommodate kids
• Locations that worked with Maggie’s stunning dress
• Locations that didn’t involve a lot of driving in between each stop, so as not to lose our 3 year old with a lot of time in between

Location

Jay, NY was the perfect location for home base, with the ceremony and photo locations both within a 20 minute driving radius of the Airbnb. We found an adorable Airbnb that came with the works and was a bit more private. For the ceremony, we found a stunning field filled with golden rods (they grow predominantly in August and September), set in front of an awe-inspiring mountainous backdrop. 

After the ceremony we drove to 15 

minutes to a lesser known trail near whiteface, that ends with 180 degree view of the Adirondack mountains sprawled in front of you. This is where we watched the sunset and got some stunning photos.

Distance to Jay from major Airports/ Cities:

Albany (ALB): 2 Hour Drive
Syracuse (SYR): 3 Hour and 45 Minute Drive
Rochester (ROC): 5 Hour Drive
Watertown (ART): 3 Hour Drive
NYC (JFK): 5 Hour Drive
Ottawa, Canada (YOW): 3 Hour and 20 Minute Drive
Montreal, Canada (YAW): 1 Hour and 45 Minute Drive

Activities

Their wedding day was all about family and making memories. Outside of hiking, we wanted to include some family fun! We started the day by baking rice krispie treats. This was such a fun (and tasty!)  activity for the whole family. 

Maggie also wanted to have some quality one-on-one time with her step-daughter, who loves yoga. So the next day we started the morning off with a little bit of yoga. I don’t know about you, but some yoga after a day of hiking just seems like the perfect way to wrap up a beautiful, heart-filled elopement weekend!

Timeline

For all of our couples, we create a timeline based on your vision and wants. You give us your vision and what’s important, and we plan the day for you. We make sure that there is plenty of time in between activities, that there are ample amount of meals scheduled in there (because we all know how important food is!), and to work around your kiddo’s sleep and feeding schedules. Here is the timeline we created for Maggie and Adem:

1:00 pm: Lunch and Rice Krispie treat making
2:30 pm: Getting ready and writing vows
4:15 pm: Leaving for ceremony
4:30 pm: Ceremony
5:00 pm: Intimate session
5:30 pm: Head out to trailhead
5:50 pm: Arrive at trailhead
6:00 pm: Hike 1.1 miles
6:30 pm: Arrive at summit and have a snack
7:00 pm: Photos
7:56 pm: Sunset
8:00 pm: Hike back to car and head to Airbnb

Next day:
9:00 am: Breakfast
10:30 am: Yoga

Gear we Provided

As part of working with us on your wedding day, we provide gear you may not have on hand, especially if you are more adventurous at heart than in real life haha! Here is a list of gear we provided so that our couple didn’t have to purchase it for just one day:

• Headlamps for everyone
• Lanterns for the blue hour photos
• Vow books
• Snacks 
• Hot tea at the summit (we carried all the gear to make it)

To get an idea of all the other gear we provide, and gear we strongly recommend you have, checkout our gear guide here! → Basic Gear for a Hiking Elopement

Is having an Adventure Elopement with your Kids right for you?

If you’re up for the adventure, the answer is abso-freaking-lutely! There is no reason you shouldn’t be able to have your whole family unit together during your celebration of love if that’s what you want! That being said, there is also nothing wrong with eloping without your kiddos, however my goal is really to show those interested that not only is it DOABLE, but it can be just as, if not more, special to include them.

Usually the biggest reason couples leave the kids behind is because the extra layer of planning, and the stress that comes with it, makes it a not-so-viable option. We get that, and that is exactly why we take that burden off your shoulders and do the planning for you.

Do your little ones absolutely NEED to keep their structured nap-time or all hell breaks loose? Are there dietary restrictions that require us to either bring the food or find a very specific restaurant (or are your kids just in that “we will only eat chicken nuggets” phase?) Do your kids easily get over stimulated with a lot of people around?

All the reasons above are why eloping is a perfect way to be able to accommodate your children’s needs in a way that is so difficult to do with a traditional wedding. These are also all types of scenarios we are used to handling and making sure we tackle in the planning process so you don’t have to stress about it.

So if any of this blog, or Maggie and Adem’s store resonated with you… let’s connect and have a chat! You lose nothing by asking questions and dipping your toes into the what-if of considering an adventure elopement with the your whole family unit <3

We LOVE elopements in the Adirondacks! One of our favorites is a fishing vow-renewal in the same area (but with a very different feel) as this one was taken. If you’d like more inspiration, check out our blog on this fishing-filled vow-renewal → Fishing Elopement in the Adirondacks