A bride and groom stand on a rock holding hands as the bride's dress blows in the wind next to her in one of the best places to elope in the US

5 Best Places to Elope in the US

Comments Off on 5 Best Places to Elope in the US

Looking for the Best Places to Elope in the US?

We’ve traveled quite a bit and explored a decent amount of the United States which is why we’ve put together this Best Places to Elope in the US list. It can be really tough to choose just one location for your elopement when there are so many beautiful places in the US. In this blog, you’ll see our top 5 places to elope along with reasons why it’s on the list, the best time to visit, and fun activities you might want to include in your elopement experience.

Things to Consider When Looking for the Best Places to Elope

Scenery/Backdrop:

When you start talking about your elopement, it’s super important to take a second to pause and start dreaming. Close your eyes and picture where your elopement ceremony will take place. Are you standing next to a waterfall? Or on top of a sand dune? Maybe in a valley, with mountains surrounding you? Once you decide what type of landscape you’re most drawn to, everything else can start falling into place!

Time of Year & Weather

Now that you’ve decided on the type of landscape you are interested in, it’s time to start thinking about what the weather is like in that spot. Is it somewhere that gets really hot during certain months or maybe really cold? Are you ok if there is snow in your photos or would you rather fall foliage and colors? As you start narrowing down which temperatures and months you like best, you’ll be able to do some research to figure out when to visit the landscape you’re looking for.

Whether or not you’re inviting guests

This is a big one for some people! When you’re considering the best places to elope in the US, it’s important to consider if you are inviting guests or not. Some locations are not able to accommodate larger groups of people and some national parks limit the group size. If you do want to invite guests, consider having an elopement ceremony with everyone and then adventuring off on your own to say your vows in private.

Hiring Experienced Elopement Photographers 

That’s where we come in! We are elopement photographers who love having a hand in the planning process as well. We’ve visited a lot of the best places to elope in the US so we can offer our expertise and advice when it comes to deciding on a location for you. We offer assistance with location scouting (so we know exactly where we’re going and what it will look like), the permit process if necessary, recommending other vendors you might be interested in working with, accommodations, information regarding the marriage license, and other fun things to do while you’re in the area!

Best Places to Elope in the US: California

Ok, we might be a bit biased, but California is definitely one of the best places to elope in the US. It just has everything: beach, desert, mountains, forest, you name it, California has it! Another thing we love about California is that you can elope there year-round and find amazing weather in each season of the year!

Our favorite California locations for your elopement are listed below and if you want to read more about each of these spots, head over to our blog post about our favorite places in California to elope!

  1. Yosemite
  2. Big Sur
  3. Central Coast
  4. Eastern Sierras

Best Elopement Locations in the US: Alaska

Alaska is one of the best places to elope in the US for several reasons. First off are the views. Alaska boasts incredible views everywhere you look with towering mountain ranges, coastal beach ports, wildflowers galore, glaciers you can walk on and so much more. On top of having amazing views, Alaska is chock full of adventure activities to include in your elopement day. Helicopter flights, dog-sledding, ATV or Snowmobiling, Northern Lights, Fishing Charters, kayaking amongst giant chunks of glaciers, zip-lining through the forest. You name it, Alaska has got it!

Depending on what you want to include in your elopement day, Alaska can be visited at any time of the year. Most people stick to summertime when the days are long and all tours and activities are open for the tourist season. Others brave the cold and visit in the winter for a better chance at viewing the Northern Lights. We love Alaska in the fall with wild blueberries everywhere and fall colors in full swing.

Our favorite Alaska elopement locations are listed below and if you want to read more, head over to our Alaska Elopement Guide.

  1. Seward
  2. Hatcher Pass/Palmer (check out this 2-day helicopter elopement in Palmer)
  3. Girdwood
  4. Valdez

If you’re thinking you might know the best places to elope, or maybe don’t know how to decide, get in touch and we’ll help dial it in!

Best Places to Elope in the US: Montana

Montana is known as the “Last Best Place” and we couldn’t agree more! The natural beauty in Montana is hard to beat. It’s a large state filled with hidden remote and wild places, making it a great option for your elopement and earning one of the spots on our best places to elope in the US list.

Our favorite places in Montana to elope are listed below and you can read more about them here, in our Top 5 Best Places to Elope in Montana blog.

  1. Glacier National Park
  2. Bozeman
  3. Kootenai National Forest

Best Places to Elope in the United States: Wyoming

Wyoming is one of those states that surprises us every time we visit. There is so much to see and so much diversity which is why it makes our list of best places to elope in the US.

It’s also one of those states that is great to visit at all times of the year. Summertime is definitely when it will be most crowded, so consider eloping in Wyoming in the spring, fall, or winter to escape the tourists!

A few of our favorite places in Wyoming to elope are:

  1. Grand Teton National Park
  2. Yellowstone National Park
  3. Bridger-Teton National Forest

Best Elopement Locations in the US: Idaho

While Idaho might not be at the top of everyone’s list of best places to elope in the US, it definitely deserves a spot on ours! Idaho is full of hidden gems and is probably one of the least crowded places to have your elopement. 

Idaho is also one of those states that would be great for any elopement in any season. Spring, fall, and summer are probably the most popular times, but Idaho also has some great skiing and snowboarding if that’s what you want to do for your elopement! If you’re already convinced that Idaho is the place for your elopement, check out this blog on How to Elope in Idaho!

Our favorite locations in Idaho are:

  1. Coeur d’Alene
  2. Sawtooth Mountain Range
  3. McCall

United States Elopement Photography Packages and Info

In case you read all the way to the bottom and don’t know who we are, we’re Becky & Brian of Scenic Vows. We’re an elopement photography team (and Becky’s an officiant) living on the road in our converted Sprinter Van. We’ve visited all of these places and explored them in depth, giving us an insider’s perspective and we’re here to share those insights with you!

If you’re looking for more insight on some amazing places to elope we’d love to chat!

We offer several different elopement packages based on what you want to do for your elopement day. You can check those out here and if you’re not sure yet what you want to do, no worries! We’re here to help you figure that out. The best thing to do would be to head over to our contact page and fill out the form so we can set up a time to jump on a Zoom call and chat about it all!

ADD A COMMENT
   
Reply...
Throwing Out Commonplace Ceremonies For Outdoor Experiences

view elopement packages

Did you just breathe a sigh of relief? We see you. Go ahead, ask us how this works.

@scenicvows

We Leave No Trace, but there are some throwbacks on our feed.