Family-Friendly Ideas, DIY Tips, and Ways to Make Your Day Unforgettable for Everyone

Getting married in Glacier isn’t just about saying “I do” in a stunning place—it’s about choosing connection, adventure, and intention. If you’re eloping with kids, your wedding day can be just as magical for them as it is for you. Here’s how to craft a day that includes the whole family and leaves everyone feeling loved, involved, and inspired.

How to Include Your Kids in Every Part of Your Elopement Day

Whether they’re toddling around or fully grown, your kids are a meaningful part of your story—and they deserve to be included in this new chapter.

If you’re eloping with kids, you’re not just getting married—you’re making memories as a family. Here’s how to involve them from start to finish in ways that are fun, meaningful, and actually helpful.

Make It a Hands-On Family Adventure

The magic of eloping in a place like Glacier National Park is that it invites everyone—even your kids—into wonder, connection, and simple joy. Here’s how to turn your wedding into a family memory-maker they’ll never forget.

Make Your Bouquet Together

Before your wedding, Pick up fresh flowers from the Kalispell Farmers Market, Lakeside Farmers Market, or call over to Cranky Goose Hill Farms in Lakeside, and build your bouquet and boutonnières as a family the night before. Make sure to bring along a spool of ribbon or twine, Floral tape or wire and a couple stick pins and safety pins.

Pro tip: You can grab it all for under $15 at Hobby Lobby. Watch this easy DIY video tutorial for making your own boutonnière and bouquet.

Let the kids help pick flowers, create their own minis, or design a crown. Then…

Assign the Kids as the “Petal Police”

Give your kids the job of watching for any fallen petals while hiking or standing on the lakeshore. It’s a fun and meaningful way to introduce Leave No Trace principles—plus, it keeps everyone engaged.

[Link to: My Guide to Leave No Trace in Glacier (Coming Soon)]

🫐 Pick Wild Berries & Make ‘Wedding Pie’

If your elopement falls mid-July to early August, you might find wild huckleberries in season. Try foraging outside the park in legal spots near Hungry Horse or Essex for a fun family activity. Be careful though, you may be competing with the bears!

Huckleberries typically ripen mid-July through August and can often be found along sunny hillsides and old logging roads outside the park. Always confirm it’s legal and safe to forage in the area (inside Glacier, it’s illegal to pick berries in quantity, but outside the park, many areas allow it for personal use).

Try these local spots (call ahead to confirm seasonal access):

• Huckleberry Patch – Hungry Horse (you-pick options vary)
• McGough Mountain near West Glacier (unofficial but known for wild hucks)
• National Forest lands near Essex or Polebridge (free foraging with caution)

Even if you just find a handful, making pie or jam together becomes a sweet and intentional part of your elopement weekend. You can also pick some up at the Farmers Market or swing by The Huckleberry Patch for fresh berries.

Need more berries? Try Montana-grown Honeyberries; they’re in the honeysuckle family and cultivated in the Flathead valley. Big Sky Honeyberries has a U-pick farm open late-June through early August.

Then bake a pie together the night before at your BnB. The delicious dessert then becomes your personal post-wedding treat—with a story and memories baked in.

Read more about hucks here: A Social History of Wild Huckleberry Harvesting in the Pacific Northwest

Pro tip: Don’t forget spray whipped cream. It’s a kid-pleaser and the photos will be hilarious.

Meal Prep With Meaning

The night before, make sandwiches and trail snacks together. Kids love helping with simple tasks, and it gives them ownership in the day. Plus—it’s a huge help. Pack everything in a cooler or daypack and have a celebratory post-ceremony picnic.

Wedding Day: Getting Ready Together

Let your kids be part of the wedding morning fun! They can:

• Pack snacks or trail gear for the day
• Zip up dresses or tie shoes
• Help you brush your hair or hand over the vow books
• Be your hype squad with hugs and giggles
• Make signs, hand-drawn vow cards, or flower crowns

These small, natural moments are rich with meaning and make for sweet, candid photos. Consider having a “first look” moment with just your children.

📷 Give Them a Camera

Give your kids a disposable camera to capture the day from their point of view. It’s a small gesture that gives them big responsibility—and the photos you get back are often hilarious, moving, and wildly honest. Disposable cameras are great because they’re truly point-and-shoot, no focus or adjustments needed.

Bonus? Your photographer (hi, me!) won’t mind one bit. I’ll even take the film to be developed and scanned for you—because I truly love seeing your day through their eyes.

Let Them Lead the Ceremony

Involve Adult Kids in the Ceremony

Got grown children? Have them officiate. There’s something incredibly powerful about being married by someone who’s shared so much of your life already.

If they’re not ordained, we can structure it so they lead the ceremony while I (or another vendor) handle the legal part behind the scenes. It’s symbolic, meaningful, and still legally binding.

Let Little Ones “Run the Show”

If your kids are too young to officially officiate, they can still play a starring role:

• Have them walk you down the trail
• Invite them to read something or say a few words
• Blow bubbles at your first kiss
• Give them walkie-talkies to initiate “walking down the isle”

You can also make them your “ceremony tech team”—recording your vows on a phone or livestreaming to friends and family. Kids today are surprisingly tech-savvy—my own kid brother blows me away with what he can create on a phone camera. Their contributions might surprise and delight you.

Make the Ceremony About Everyone

If I’m officiating your elopement, and your kids are there with you, we’ll make space for them to really be part of it. One of my favorite ways?

During your ceremony, I turn to them and ask something like:

“Will you support your parent(s) as they begin this next chapter? Will you continue to bring your love, laughter, and joy into this family?”

And together, they respond with a bold:
“We will!” or “We do!”

Cue the goosebumps. It’s simple, sweet, and incredibly meaningful—for you and them. It tells your children, “You belong in this moment. We’re doing this together.”

🎶 Let Them Hold the Speaker for Your First Dance

There’s nothing like a spontaneous first dance in the mountains. Whether you’re slow dancing by the lake or spinning barefoot in a field of wildflowers, you don’t need a sound system—just a Bluetooth speaker and someone to hold it.

Let your kids be the DJ and hold up the speaker like they’re in an 80’s movie! They’ll feel important, included, and totally part of the moment as you dance together for the first time as a married couple.

Bonus: It’s adorable for photos—and often leads to a full-on family dance party right after.

Pro Tip: Make It a Family Adventure

Your elopement doesn’t have to be just a quick ceremony. Make it a weekend full of meaning:

• Stay up late for tailgate stargazing with hot cocoa and LED lanterns
• Have a picnic at a mountain lake (and let the kids set the “table”)
• Roast marshmallows together at your campsite after sunset
• Plan a “family first look” moment

For more tips on exploring Glacier to the fullest, check out My Ultimate Guide to Glacier National Park »

My favorite activity with kids: Skip Rocks by the Water

Glacier’s lakes and rivers are full of smooth skipping stones. Stop by Lake McDonald, Two Medicine Lake, or Bowman Lake and challenge each other to a skip-off. Kids of all ages can spend hours doing this, and it creates space for quiet connection and fun in between the big wedding moments.

Whatever you do, remember this: your wedding day is also part of their memory book. Let’s make it joyful, relaxed, and full of love—for all of you.

[🔭 Link to: Best Stargazing Spots in Glacier National Park (Coming Soon)]

🍦 Reward Them with Ice Cream

You’ve all earned it. Try one of these local favorites:

• Sweet Peaks in Whitefish, Kalispell, and Columbia Falls – small-batch, creative flavors
• Huckleberry Patch in Hungry Horse – classic Montana vibes and huck everything
• Eddie’s Café & Mercantile in Apgar Village – perfect for post-ceremony cones near Lake McDonald

🌱 Teach Leave No Trace (LNT) the Kid Way

Kids can be incredible stewards of the land—they just need a little guidance. Your wedding day is the perfect time to teach them how to care for wild places.

Here’s a fun way to frame it:

• “Take only picture, leave only footprints.”
• Don’t pick wildflowers, even for a bouquet
• Don’t squish bugs—they live here too!
• Stay on trails, even when the cool moss looks tempting
• Pack out all trash, even snack crumbs and juice boxes

You can even give your kids a “ranger badge” or sticker for being nature heroes—it makes it fun and reinforces a lifetime of respect for public lands.

What to Do with the Kids during Portrait Time?

Need a few quiet couple portraits without little hands tugging at your dress? Totally fair. Here are a few ways to keep your kids happy (and safe) while you sneak off for a moment together:

We can even plan your timeline so that your portraits happen during nap time or golden hour, when kids might be content to chill out for a bit. I do strongly recommend, however, that if any child in your party is under 6 years old, you bring an extra adult to babysit. This helps make sure everyone is safe and the day runs smooth, allowing you to focus your full attention (for a few minutes, at least) on each other.

Final Thoughts on Eloping with your Kids

Your elopement isn’t just about two people—it’s about your whole story and your new blended family. Including your kids turns the day into a shared adventure they’ll remember forever. From making pie and hiking trails to petal patrol and skipping rocks, these simple moments become the glue of lifelong family memories.

Planning to Elope in Glacier With Your Kids?