You want to elope, but you also have kids? Great news: this is more common than you think (and it turns out tiny humans are pretty into tiny weddings). Here’s how you can make yours perfect.

LONG BEACH, WASHINGTON | Long Beach is exactly what it sounds like: a long, glorious, uncrowded stretch of Washington coastline. The oceanfront Adrift Hotel sits right on it, with a modern rooftop restaurant and enough beach to keep the kids occupied for the entire afternoon. Say your vows on the sand, have dinner upstairs, and call it a day.

SEAVIEW, WASHINGTON | The Shelburne Hotel has anchored Seaview, Wash., since 1896, featuring stained glass, old wood, and interiors so intricate your kids will spend the entire check-in asking if a princess lives here. Exchange vows in the garden, which is exactly as whimsical as it sounds, and then spend the rest of the day exploring the grounds, playing games, and enjoying life on cozy coastal time.

ASTORIA, OREGON | Astoria sits where the Columbia River meets the Pacific, which sounds dramatic because it is. Victorian houses, a waterfront trolley kids will absolutely lose it over, and sea lions who are genuinely unbothered by the fact that you are getting married nearby. Stay at the Bowline Hotel right on the water, elope on the dock, and let your children spend the rest of the trip retelling the part about the sea lions, which they will remember long after everything else fades.

A family elopement is not a consolation prize. We repeat: a family elopement is NOT a consolation prize. It’s a wedding where the guest list is exactly who you wanted, nobody has to make small talk with that aunt for three hours, and the kids are part of the story (instead of sitting in the back wondering when cake happens).

The PNW coast has the scenery. You just bring the people who actually matter.