How We Eloped in Grand Teton National Park:
Our Complete Wedding Story
When we first got engaged in June of 2025, I remember thinking, “Oh yeah. I actually have to plan a wedding now.” I am not the girl who has had her wedding planned since she was fifteen. It was so crazy because I always pictured myself spending the rest of my life with someone, I just apparently skipped the actual wedding part in my mind lol so naturally when it came time to think about actual wedding plans, my brain went blank. My fiance at the time (soon to be husband) had brought up the idea of an elopement and he suggested Jackson Hole, WY. We had taken a trip out there together back in 2021 and absolutely loved it so once we did a little research, it was settled! We had the absolute best day and I would recommend doing this to anyone. Whether you’re on the fence about an elopement or wondering the process and what it takes, follow along as I deep dive into our planning process, our wedding day, and the moments that made it so special.
A little back story on Grand Teton National Park, back in 2021 we took our first trip together as a couple out to Jackson Hole, WY and did a backpacking trip in Grand Teton National Park. It was my first time backpacking and it was also my first time out to Wyoming. It was absolutely beautiful! I remember being blown away by the mountains and loving every part of that trip. Fun fact: my engagement ring is from Jackson Hole. It was my husband's mother’s ring that she purchased when they were out west for a family trip around 15 years ago. So you can imagine that when my husband mentioned Grand Teton National Park, I thought it made perfect sense and fit our dynamic as a couple perfectly. We are very outdoorsy and love backpacking/hiking and we also wanted to do something different because we are at that age of all of our friends getting married in the Midwest. Why not mix it up! Not to mention our wedding was nearly half the cost and half the planning and stress. Win for me!
Why We Chose Grand Teton National Park
Planning our Grand Teton Elopement
When getting married at Grand Teton National Park, there are a few things you need to know upfront.
You can not just get married anywhere in the park. There are specific ceremony site locations that you must choose from.
The ceremony sites are first come first served so have your application filled out and at the ready for when they open the portal to submit your application.
Make sure you list your top 3 choices, in order, on your application. You may not get your first choice but if you don’t list more than one choice, your application won’t be approved.
Pay your deposit before you submit your application. This can be done anytime before submitting the application. The NPS will verify your payment.
Mountain weather can be unpredictable! Just make sure you have a backup plan if needed. Unfortunately, there is no rescheduling or rain dates on ceremony sites.
Grand Teton National Park has a handful of ceremony site locations. They have them all listed on their website with information and pictures. The website can be found here: Weddings and Commitment Ceremonies - Grand Teton National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
The National Park Service will send you an email with your site information and you will have 7 days to sign the permit and send it back. Then you have secured your ceremony site!
Next is to plan the rest of your wedding day. Finding vendors, travel and lodging, and making a guest list (if any), are the next big items. I recommend booking vendors as early as possible. Especially if you are getting married in the summer months out there. The busiest months of the year are June, July, and August. I was reaching out for quotes in the fall of 2025 from various vendors and then once we got our official ceremony site and date (in December), I was able to book everything else. Our wedding date was set for Friday June 19th, 2026 at 3:00pm.
Our Wedding Day Story
The Ceremony
When we got to the ceremony site, Glacier View Turnout, I stayed in the car because I didn’t want to be seen until I was ready to walk down the “aisle”. I trusted my husband to pick out a good spot (since this spot was near a public viewing area) and I could see all of our guests starting to arrive. My dad walks over to help me get out of the car when I see the look on his face and it looks like something is wrong. He looks at me and goes, “Hey, um. How many more people do you have coming to this thing?”. I turn and follow his gaze to the large coach bus that had just pulled into the parking lot. My immediate thought was, “Of course this would happen”. So then I’m sitting in the car and debating whether or not to wait or walk but we had no idea how long they were going to be there and we only had the ceremony site for an hour. I waited for everyone to file out of the bus and get to the public viewing area and then I got out of the car and just went for it.
Everything was all good until the tourists realized what was going on. Then suddenly our ceremony seemed to be better than the view of the Teton’s themselves. I can not make this up. Suddenly these tourists were everywhere with their cameras and our poor officiant was just trying to get through our 8 minute ceremony with all of these additional people gathering around as well. Not to mention as they were leaving, the bus gave us a solid “honk” of the horn. But despite the tourist situation, everything was perfect. We had great weather! Sunny and 75. We were able to take group photos with everyone out there and the views were stunning. We decided to do traditional vows for the ceremony but we wrote our own personal vows that we shared later on our honeymoon.
Getting Ready
My husband and I had booked an Airbnb in Victor, ID. It’s much cheaper than staying on the Wyoming side and only about an hour from the park. We had my maid of honor, her boyfriend, and my husband's brother (our officiant) staying with us. It was super fun having a few people staying with us. I remember waking up and feeling rested, excited, but also oddly calm. We had a group breakfast at our Airbnb with some additional people in our group. We had about 30 people total out there with us which included both family and a few friends. Breakfast was really good and we had plenty of time to chat and get ready for the day. Thank goodness we had steamed my dress the night before because it took us about almost 2 hours to steam the entire thing! My mom and I were the only ones getting our hair and makeup done so that didn’t take long. I kicked my husband out of the Airbnb at this time because I didn’t want him to see me before the ceremony. We had some lunch before I got to put on my dress and leave for the ceremony. I remember feeling like an absolute queen in my wedding dress. My hair and makeup were both perfect. I loved it so much! As we were getting ready to leave, I was starting to get a little nervous but that calmness was still there too. I got in the car with my maid of honor and off we went to the ceremony site! Not to mention with the best playlist.
Portrait Adventure
After the ceremony, my husband and I went to three additional locations in the National Park to take the rest of our wedding pictures. We went to String Lake where we found a cute pedestrian bridge over the water that took gorgeous pictures. We then went to Cathedral Turnout and took some pictures on the road. These actually turned out awesome! We also did some detail shots here too. The last spot we stopped at was Jenny Lake. We were able to get to one of the lookouts and take some pictures with the water in the background. It was such a beautiful blue! I absolutely loved how these turned out and was so excited to see how they turned out. We had to do a little bit of hiking but nothing crazy. We only had our photographer booked for 3 hours to do the ceremony and the additional pictures so we were trying to make the most of our time. Our photographer was great and the pictures turned out fantastic. After we took the rest of our pictures, we hopped in the car and made our way back to Victor for our mini-reception.
Celebrating After the Ceremony
We decided we wanted to have dinner after our ceremony just so people could all gather together and so we could thank everyone for coming. I had booked HighPoint Cider in Victor and it was the perfect spot for us. It was just the right amount of people for the space and because the weather was so nice, we had yard games outside and were able to have the garage door open too! The owners were so great to work with. We had such a great time! The catering I found was out of Dory’s Cafe in Driggs, ID which is just down the road from Victor. The caterer helped me plan the menu and the food was fantastic! We didn’t want anything super formal so this worked out perfectly for us and everyone loved it.
Our Favorite Moments
It’s hard to pick a few favorite moments to highlight simply because the whole day truly was perfect. Some of the ones that stick out to me are being able to have a group breakfast to start the day. It was so fun getting to hang out with everyone before the craziness of the day. I truly loved our ceremony (despite the tourist situation) because it was short but meaningful. Another favorite moment was when my husband and I were driving to the reception. It was so nice to have some time with just the two of us. I highly recommend taking a few minutes away from everyone on your wedding day to just be with your partner.
What Surprised Us
What surprised me most was the fact that I didn’t cry a single time! If you know me, I love to cry at happy moments. I’m an emotional gal, what can I say! But I think there was just so much joy that I truly didn’t feel like crying. Another thing that surprised us was how relaxed our timeline for the day was. I didn’t feel rushed at all in any way when I felt like I had this expectation that I was going to feel rushed. It was amazing. My husband felt the same way.
Advice for Couples Planning a Grand Teton Elopement
Some advice if you are thinking about getting married in the Tetons:
Make sure you submit your application as soon as the portal opens to submit. It is a very popular park to get married at and the sites book up really quickly!
If you don’t want (most) of the general public around for your ceremony, plan around sunrise or sunset. These times will make great pictures too!
Account for travel time between locations for ceremony/pictures. Especially if you’re booking your photographer by the hour.
Dress for changing weather. The mountains can be unpredictable.
Wear comfortable shoes! You never know what kind of terrain you will be walking on for pictures.
Hire a local photographer that is familiar with the park and knows the good photo spots.
Respect Leave no Trace principles at the park. There’s no arch, no chairs, no setup. And if you do bring anything, make sure to leave with it.
Park Rangers will most likely be near the ceremony site during the ceremony. So just be aware of that.
Don’t overpack your schedule. Give yourself time to breathe!
Vendor List
Flowers: MD Nursery
Reception: High Point Cider
Catering: Dory’s Cafe
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a permit to elope in Grand Teton National Park?
Yes! You can apply on the National Park website.
Can guests attend?
Yes guests can attend! Make sure to check the guest count at each specific site because some sites allow more people than others.
What time of year is best?
This is totally up to you! There will be less crowds in the Spring and Fall months, but the weather is definitely something to take into consideration.
How much does a Grand Teton elopement cost?
The ceremony site was $200.
What should you wear?
Whatever you want! It can be as formal or as informal as you’d like.
Where should you stay?
Jackson Hole, WY has plenty of options for hotels/lodging. Victor, ID across the Idaho Pass is also a great place to stay (and usually cheaper too) if you’re ok with the drive.
Final Thoughts
This day was everything I could’ve asked for and so much more. I would choose to do this a million times over and I honestly don’t know if I would change much at all! Eloping was the right choice for us mainly for budgetary reasons (which sounds crazy) but with everything we spent on our wedding day and then our entire honeymoon trip afterwards, we probably still paid under what we would have on a traditional wedding back home. It was a day I will never forget and now I have amazing pictures to be able to look back on. If you’re considering a National Park elopement, let this be your sign to say yes!
