The Complete Hiking Wedding & Elopement Guide: How to Plan an Epic Hiking Wedding Day

The Ultimate Hiking
Wedding & Elopement Guide

how to plan an epic hiking wedding adventure

Thinking about getting married on a hike or hiking on your wedding day and have no idea how to plan it? If the answer is yes- then you’ve definitely stumbled on the right blog post to help you get started! Couples who love hiking and the outdoors typically can’t imagine a wedding day where they aren’t doing something adventurous- and now you don’t have too!

This hiking wedding & elopement guide is filled with the best locations for a hiking wedding, hiking wedding inspiration, and a step by step guide on how to plan the perfect hiking wedding. I’ve recently updated this guide for the 2023-2024 elopement season, making it the ULTIMATE guide to help with all your future hiking elopement planning.

KEEP SCROLLING IF YOU WANT TO LEARN EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
on how to plan a hiking wedding!

Related: Interested in a hiking wedding in Washington? Check out my Washington Elopement Guide here!

What is a Hiking Wedding?

A hiking wedding is when a couple includes hiking on their wedding day and turns their day into an adventurous experience. Here are some examples of how couples hike on their wedding:

1. A couple hikes out to a location to say their vows just the two of them

2. A couple has their ceremony with family then goes off on a hike just the two of them after

3. A couple hikes with family (usually a more accessible hike) and has their ceremony with everyone at the viewpoint/vista

4. A couple hikes out at sunrise, says their vows, explores, then hikes back and has their formal ceremony later in the afternoon

What do you mean by the term
‘hiking elopement’ or ‘adventure elopement’?

Throughout this blog post and other pages on my website- I use the term elopement A LOT. That’s because I specialize in photographing adventure elopements! A hiking wedding actually qualifies under the term ‘adventure elopement’ but some people don’t know what an adventure elopement is- so I wanted to explain it quickly because it is a relatively new concept (within the past 5 years) to the wedding industry!

An adventure elopement a type of wedding that involves an adventurous experience on their day. Instead of following a traditional wedding format, couples design a day that is custom to their relationship, filling it with intentional things that will make them happy and only including the people and things they love most. An adventure elopement is a very intimate wedding day, sometimes including close friends and family up to 25 guests, or it can just be couple with no guests involved. Every adventure elopement is different, which is why it is hard to describe in a few sentences, but it’s about bringing the focus back to you and your spouse on your wedding day and turning it into an exciting experience. If you want to learn more about adventure elopements, read more about them here.

So a hiking wedding qualifies as an adventure elopement because you are choosing to incorporate hiking on your wedding day because you love hiking, nature, epic scenery, the outdoors etc. and want to include this epic experience into the way you get married! So now that we’ve broken down what a hiking wedding is, let’s talk about how to plan one!

The Best Hiking
Wedding Locations

so where can you have a hiking wedding?

Here are the top 15 best locations for a hiking wedding or elopement:

1. Mount Rainier National Park, WA
2. San Juan Mountains, CO
3. Grand Teton National Park, WY
4. Kenai Fjords NP, AK
5. Glacier National Park, MT
6. North Cascades, WA
7. Olympic National Park, WA
8. Bend, OR
9. Mammoth Lakes, CA
10. Sedona, AZ
11. Bryce Canyon, UT
12. Havasupai Falls, AZ
13. Kauai, HI
14. Joshua Tree, CA
15. Death Valley National Park, NV

Hiking Wedding Step 1.
Choose Your Location

When planning a hiking wedding, the first thing you need to decide is your general location! Your location will effect a bunch of other wedding decisions, so it’s important to figure this out first.

When choosing a hiking wedding location, here are some things to think about:

Hiking Level

Interested in a 5 mile long hike, where you change into your wedding gear at the top? Or would you prefer a short walk that is right off the road but still has the most beautiful view? Each location has different levels of hikes and accessibility. Some locations are known for more challenging hikes while other parks and lands have easier and accessible viewpoints.

Types of Scenery

Think about what type of nature & scenery is your favorite. Here are some ideas to get you started

• Red Rocks

• Coastal cliffs & ocean

• Alpine lake with mountains

• Forests

• Rolling green hills & meadows

• Wildflowers

• Canyons

• 360 Degree Mountains

• Beaches

• Waterfalls

• Oceans

• Lakes

Popularity of Location

Popularity of a location will effect how crowded it might be. A good rule of thumb is the more accessible a location, the more popular it will be. This is a good thing to think about if you want it to just be the two of you on your day or if you’re okay with sharing your spot with others. Want to learn more about avoiding elopement crowds? Check out this blog post about avoiding crowds during your elopement.

research different elopement
& hiking locations:

Here’s some advice on how to research and find general locations for your hiking wedding: start by narrowing down your location by state or country, Pinterest and Google are your friends here. The best way to search is by typing ‘best hiking views in the U.S.’ or ‘best hiking wedding location list’ or ‘best x scenery in the U.S.’ (aka red rocks or lakes or mountains etc.)

Need Help Planning your Hiking Wedding?

Looking for assistance with planning your hiking wedding or elopement? That’s where I come in! As an adventure elopement photographer, I help all my couples with scouting locations, permit info planning, and I design a customized adventure elopement guide for their day. If you’re interested in hiring an elopement photographer who can help you with all of this, fill out my contact form below to get in touch!

Hiking Wedding Step 2.
Find Your Date

Once you choose your general elopement location, the next step is to pick the date/time of year you want to get married. While traditional weddings tend to choose dates based off of venue availability, hiking elopements and weddings tend to plan their date around best weather and climate for the location you choose!

Different locations have a variety of climates/weather at different times of year, so this is something to look into. Mountainous locations are best in the summer/early fall- while desert and red rock locations are a bit too hot that time of year and tend to be best in the spring and fall. It’s also important to consider what qualifies as too hot/too cold for you- as every person is different! Once you have your location, it’s best to research the best time of year to visit that area and plan around then!

Love the look of this coastal elopement? Check out my Oregon Coast Elopement Guide here to learn more about how to get married on the Oregon Coast!

Hiking Wedding Step 3. Find Ceremony Location & Obtain Permits

The third step in planning a hiking wedding is to figure out your ceremony location and obtain proper permits for that area! National Parks, State Parks, and National Forests require permits to get married on their land- so it’s important to apply for these permits sooner rather than later! Some parks also have designated ceremony locations, which can vary by the amount of guests you have coming. Every area has different rules/regulations, so make sure to look into this!

If the thought of doing this all by yourself is overwhelming, I recommend hiring an elopement photographer who is experienced in elopements and can help make sure you get all the proper permits and find the perfect ceremony location. I know I talked about this earlier, but feel free to fill out my contact form here if you want help planning an epic hiking wedding!

Related: Thinking about a Hiking wedding at Mt. Rainier National Park? Explore my Mt. Rainier Elopement Guide Here

Hiking Wedding Step 4. Choose your
Wedding Activities

While hiking will be a big part of your wedding day, there are a bunch of different things you can do along with hiking! Whether you’re wedding includes family & friends, or if it is just the two of you, here are some other ideas of things to do during your hiking elopement:

Hiking Wedding Ideas:

Backpacking Trip

Sunrise Hike

Family Catered Dinner/Celebration

Overnight Camping at a Fire Lookout

Kayaking

Family Hike/Picnic/Adventures

Biking

Off-Roading Adventure

Campfire & S’mores

Hot Tub/ Pool Session

Outdoor Picnic

Chill at a A-Frame Cabin

Paddle-boarding, Jet Skiing, Swimming

Skiing, Snowboarding, & Snowshoeing

Morning Yoga

Hire a Private Chef to cook for you

Stargazing

Adventure with your dog/pets

Helicopter Tour

Hiking Wedding Step 5. Find Local Vendors & Lodging:

Now that we have some more details locked in for your day, it’s time to find local vendors and book lodging for your elopement! The most common types of vendors for hiking weddings are: Photographer, Florist, Officiant, Hair and Makeup Artist, Videographer, Baker, Caterer, and Planner. You don’t need to include all of these, but pick the ones you think are most important!

ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER ADVICE:

Although this is listed as step 5, you can hire vendors whenever you feel is best. If you are really set on a specific date, I would reach out to vendors sooner rather than later. My first recommendation would be to hire your photographer as soon as possible! Hiring an elopement photographer first can save you a lot of time and effort because elopement photographers (including myself) help with all the things mentioned in the steps above! So when looking at elopement photographers, make sure you pick someone who actually helps with planning and is experienced in elopements!

For my elopement couples, I help them find locations, get permits, choose other vendors, think of activities, find lodging, create a timeline, and SO much more. So if you’re looking for a photographer who will not only capture your day but also guide you through the planning process- learn more about my process below:

Hiking Wedding Step 6. Guests

Friends and family are an important consideration for a hiking wedding. If you can’t imagine getting married without your closest friends and family, then you should include them! If you want to learn more about the different ways to physically include your family in your hiking wedding, read this blog post all about it here.

If you want to have friends and families at your ceremony, you might want to think about having your ceremony in a more accessible location, and then hiking and exploring with your significant other afterwards.

There are so many other ways to include your family and friends in your elopement.

How to include Guests During your Hiking Wedding:

1. Facetime family while you are getting ready for your elopement

2. Have a separate ceremony at a more accessible location and then hike with your partner alone before/after

3. Elope just the two of you and have a big party/celebration when you get home

4. Have a traditional wedding ceremony and then during your honeymoon, say your vows on a hike

5. Bring just a handful of your closest friends and family to your hiking wedding

the most important thing is planning your hiking wedding around what will make you happiest.

Hiking Wedding Step 7.
Create a Timeline

Depending on the location you choose for your elopement, there is so much more to your day than just the ceremony. I know I mentioned this earlier, but hiking weddings are about turning your whole day into an experience- and there are so many ways to do that.

Your wedding day is an entire story, not just the ceremony. It’s about the moments when you get ready and haven’t seen each other yet, it’s about the first look moment you saw each other for the first time. The in-between moments hiking & adventuring and the time you celebrated with family. All of your day deserves to be remembered, which is why it’s so important have a proper timeline and photography coverage. These photos you’ll look back on for the rest of your life and show everyone who couldn’t be there with you.

sample timeline for a sunrise hiking wedding:

4:00am: Meet at Trailhead

4:15am: Start Hiking Up

5:45am: Arrive at Top, start getting dressed

6:15am: Sunrise First Look

6:30am: Golden Hour Exploring & Photos

7:30am: Make Coffee, Eat Breakfast, Hangout

8:30am: Head to Second Location

9:45am: Vow Ceremony

10:15am: Photos & Adventuring

11:30am: Hike Back Down

1:00pm: Head back to Airbnb

1:30pm: Lunch, Hot Tub, Celebrate & Hangout

3:00pm: End Photography Coverage

Hiking Wedding Step 8:
Have an EPIC wedding day!

And that’s it! now it’s time to have the most epic and breath-taking wedding day possible!

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Hiking Elopement
Packages

Are you ready to start planning your hiking elopement? One of the next steps is to find an elopement photographer who can help you plan & capture your day! If you’re looking for a photographer who captures those authentic moments between the two of you on your day, I’m your girl! Here are my elopement photography packages for couples looking for someone to help them plan & photograph their adventurous wedding day!

What’s included in each package:

• Photography Coverage telling the story of your Elopement Day

• 90+ Page Elopement Planning Handbook

• Adventure Guide filled with customized elopement plans from ceremony  locations, where to stay, what to do, things to see, vendor recommendations personalized to your interests & needs

• Unlimited planning discussions & guidance

• Assistance with permits and marriage licenses

• A huge gallery of fully edited, high resolution photos for you to download with personal printing rights

• Option for me to be your ordained officiant and sign off on your marriage license if you want to have a ceremony with just the two of you

• No travel fees!

Packages Starting at $5000

The Best Hiking Wedding Dress Ideas:

If you’re looking to hike on your wedding day, you’re going to want a wedding dress that can keep up with the adventures! Whether you’re shopping online or trying on dresses at a boutique, here are some things to think about when picking a hiking wedding dress:

1. How easily can you move around in the dress? Can you sit down, walk up stairs, or be able to climb around in it comfortably?

2. How long is the train? Trains tend to catch nature in them such as rocks, leaves, sticks etc. so you don’t want a mega long trail catching on things!

3. Is the dress falling down when you move around in it? You want a dress that can keep up with your adventures that you’re not constantly adjusting!

4. Is the dress appropriate for the climate of your hiking wedding? Sleeves/thicker materials are great for colder climates, but not a good idea for hot desert locations. Make sure to consider material, sleeves, ‘flowy-ness’ for your elopement location.

5. Your dress doesn’t have to be white! Elopements are about getting married the way you want, so pick a dress you love and are comfortable in!

6. Are you okay with the dress getting dirty? If you’re paying thousands of dollars for a dress, makes sure you’re okay with it getting dirty outside! You don’t want to spend the day worried about it touching the ground, photos look better when you don’t have to stress about the dress and can hike around and have fun in it! And you can get it cleaned after :)

Here are some of my favorite wedding dress vendors:

Rue De Seine Bridal

BHLDN

Lovely Bride

Grace Loves Lace

Lovers Society

Dreamers & Lovers

ASOS Bridal

Top Hiking Wedding Boot Ideas:

It’s important to get a good pair of boots for your hiking wedding. Make sure to find a pair of boots that fit well, are comfortable, stylish/fit your style, and have good tread and can keep up on your hiking day. Here are my top recommendations for for hiking wedding boots:

1. Danner Mountain 600 Boots
   If you’re looking for high quality hiking boots that will last you years to come while also being stylish and comfortable- the Danner 600 boots are my personal favorites and are loved by millions of hikers for both men and women alike! Click here for the men’s version of these awesome boots.

2. Low Renegade
   High quality hiking boot that is multifunctional and will last long term for all your hiking adventures. This boot is a practical investment for anyone who wants a hiking wedding boot and more!

3. Dr. Martens
   If you’re not hiking far and looking for a more stylish shoe- Dr. Martens are super cute and comfortable while also protecting your foot from stepping on anything or stubbing your toe while adventuring! I wouldn’t suggest this shoe for hikes over 1 mile though! It’s important to break them in beforehand.

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Hey, I’m Amanda

I’m an adventurous travel elopement photographer who believes in experiencing all that life has to offer. I truly love connecting with my couples and capturing their relationship authentically and genuinely.

I truly believe your wedding day should ONLY be filled with things that will make you blissfully happy.

your wedding day should be as adventurous, as breathtaking, and unique as you want it to be.