Everything To Know To Elope In A National Park — Erika El Photography - Wedding and Elopement Photographer based in the North Carolina Mountains

A bride looks at her groom among fall foliage as they elope in a national park

Do you love the outdoors? Do you want to break free from tradition? Do you dream of a wedding day that’s low-stress and super intimate? If any of these sound like you, planning to elope in a national park could be the ultimate wedding day for you and your partner. As an elopement photographer based in the North Carolina mountains and traveling to outdoors destinations all over, these types of weddings are my specialty! I’d love to help you plan your dream day in nature and capture lasting memories of this amazing chapter of your life.

From proper permits to restrictions on florals and picking the right spot, here’s how everything you need to know about eloping in a national park.

What Permits Do I Need to Elope in a National Park?

If you’ve never been part of an outdoors elopement before, figuring out the permitting can be the toughest part. Here’s the Big Three you’ll need to nail down before being able to elope in a national park.

This is the most important part of planning to elope in a national park. You cannot get married in a park without a “special use” permit! Doing so could result in heavy fines or your wedding day getting shut down by a ranger before it even starts. Typically, you’ll apply for these online 4-6 weeks ahead of your wedding date. They can range between $50-500 depending on the park and location. While it may seem like a lot, remember, it’s way cheaper than a traditional venue! And you’re supporting the preservation of the parks we love.
Just like any other wedding, you’ll need a marriage license from the state you are getting married in. Every state has different rules, so you’ll need to look up the laws for the state you are getting married in ahead of time. Some states have a 1-6 day waiting period from the time you pick up the license to the time it’s valid, so keep that in mind when you’re planning your travel as well. You don’t want to arrive in a new state the day before your wedding, pick up your marriage license and find out it isn’t valid for 3 more days! You don’t want to pick it up too early either - in some states, marriage licenses expire after anywhere from 10 days to a year. You can look these rules up by state, or check a resource like Wedding Wire’s list of marriage license laws. In most cases, you’ll be able to return the license by mail afterwards.
The requirements for witnesses or an officiant will be different in every single state. This US Marriage Laws website is a great resource for checking the witnesses requirement in the state you wish to elope in! Many states require 1-2 witnesses to sign your marriage certificate (we can serve that purpose for you, or you can ask fellow hikers along the way!), but others like Hawaii and Florida don’t require witnesses at all.
There are some states though, that don’t require an officiant or a witness at all! These are called self-solemnizing states, which means just you and your partner are able to legally perform the solemnization of your marriage, no officiant required! These states include Colorado, California, DC, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. You will likely need to pick up a self-solemnizing license when you go to pick up your marriage license if you’re going this route.
Even after you’ve purchased a special use permit, you’ll still need to pay entry to get into the park. Park entry fees are usually around $25-35 per car, but you can buy an annual America the Beautiful pass at the gate or online, which gets you unlimited visits to any park for $80 a year! Remember, if you’re having guests at your elopement, they’ll have to pay entry fees per car as well. Don’t worry about us though, we’re card-carrying members of the national parks and are ready to go at a moment’s notice!

How to Have a Stress Free Wedding Day

How to Plan Your National Park Elopement

There’s no right or wrong way to plan your elopement. But starting the process can be daunting, so we can help! Your elopement can be ultra-intimate where we just capture photos of the two of you, or you can have a whole micro wedding with a special group of friends and family! The choice is up to you. Here are a few more things to think about.

Timing

When it comes to choosing a time for your elopement, the biggest thing you want is to find good light and avoid crowds. You can read a more in-depth guide I wrote on the best time of day for wedding photos, but I typically recommend a sunrise ceremony. Some parks that aren’t open 24/7 have early entry or late exit fees where they will allow people who are there for media or event purposes to pay a fee to get into the park before gates open or stay afterwards - which means you get the whole national park to yourself! Can you imagine how peaceful and special that would be?

Location

Some parks have a designated special permit area inside the park that you’ll have exclusive access to. While this will never be the park’s most famous features (for example, Yellowstone isn’t going to shut visitors out of Old Faithful!), having this designated space does limit the crowds in the background of your photos and gives you intimacy for your ceremony. Always call and talk to a representative at the park ahead of time to find out details on where your permit allows! Even if your permit is for a specific area, we can still explore other trails to take photos together in any spot you’d like. I’ve even spent full days after a sunrise ceremony snapping portraits of couples as they adventure around the park!

Décor

Did you know many national parks do NOT allow live florals inside the park? This is to protect the native plants and animals they are preserving from toxic or invasive species. While it may initially feel like a bummer, we understand why preserving our parks is important as a Leave No Trace Aware Photographer. And there are actually some really incredible alternatives! I wrote a whole blog post about floral options in the Blue Ridge Mountains, who adhere to these restrictions - many of these vendors are online and can work for any wedding anywhere! You can also reach out to a local florist and ask for a dried arrangement, which is permitted in some parks with limitations on florals.

Another fun idea is a bespoke picnic for your day! It’s a great way to embrace nature with minimal setup that can all be done by a single vendor. Plus - we need delicious snacks anyways! You can see an example of an intimate wedding picnic in this beautiful Lake Adler North Carolina elopement.

Attire

The variety of attire for these kinds of elopements vary as much as the couples do. Some choose this type of wedding day because they want something unconventional altogether, so their wedding attire reflects that. Others who are hiking a ways to their ceremony spot wear hiking gear to the summit and then find a secluded spot to change into their attire at the top. Many of our couples pack hiking boots and backpacks too! If you still want the classic white dress, the biggest thing to consider is whether you’ll be able to move freely enough in it to get to where you want your ceremony to be. I’ll be sharing a full guide to choosing an elopement dress soon, so stay tuned! You can also head to my Pinterest page for some inspiration.

Officiant

Just like in a traditional wedding, you can hire any officiant you want – a pastor, a friend, or a total stranger. If you’re still hung up on this detail though, we can help! My husband Jake is actually an ordained wedding officiant! We know intimacy is priority for many couples who elope in a national park, so having Jake there as the officiant limits the number of people you’re bringing along since he can pull double duty and shoot before/after the ceremony as well!

Still need some national park elopement inspo?
Check out some of the elopement guides on my site!

How To Find National Park Elopement Vendors

Just ask! Because these types of weddings are so unique, there are wedding vendors out there who specialize in taking the guesswork out of eloping in a national park. Having experienced vendors is so important when it comes to your day. Just because you are eloping doesn’t mean you have to forgo the wedding day details that make the day a little more special and celebratory! Even if I don’t know someone personally in your elopement location, I have a large network to lead me to trustworthy vendors to help with your search - because let’s be honest, Google can be a little overwhelming. I can help you find things like florals, hair and makeup, professional picnic planners and even planners like The Slow Cult, who designed the North Cascades elopements in the photos below! We can help you find the spot that will photograph the best, connect you with other nature-focused elopement vendors, and keep you on task with all the permitting you’ll need to pull off your dream day.

Regardless of the type of wedding day you want, it’s absolutely possible to elope in a national park and have the wedding of your dreams. National park elopements are a unique, intimate way to connect both with your spouse and the nature you love. They also happen to be my favorite kind of wedding, and I’d love to help you plan and capture yours!