Updated for 2026
So, you’re thinking about eloping in Alaska.
I might be a little biased because I live here, but Alaska is kind of ridiculous when it comes to elopements.
You can say your vows on a glacier, take a bush plane into the middle of nowhere, hike into the mountains, kayak across a lake, spend the afternoon on a boat, fly around Denali, or bring your family somewhere beautiful that requires almost no hiking at all.
And you absolutely do not need to know exactly what you want yet.
Most couples don’t come to me saying:
“We’d like to get married at this exact location at 6:43 p.m. after a 2.7-mile hike.”
Usually it’s more like:
We know we want mountains.
Maybe a glacier?
We want it to feel private.
Our parents might come.
We definitely do not want to hike ten miles.
Perfect. We can work with that.
Planning an Alaska elopement can feel overwhelming at first because there are SO many possibilities. Alaska also comes with a few logistics you probably don’t have to think about when planning a wedding back home.
Weather. Access. Permits. Rental cars. Helicopters. Huge driving distances. Daylight that refuses to go away in June. Glaciers that are significantly colder than wherever you started your morning.
That’s exactly why I put this guide together.
Whether you’re already dreaming about a Knik Glacier elopement, looking at Hatcher Pass, considering Seward or Homer, or genuinely have no clue where to begin, this guide will help you narrow it down.
And if you get halfway through and decide you’d rather have someone help you figure all of this out, that’s a huge part of what we do.
Planning an Alaska Elopement? Jump to What You Need
- Why Elope in Alaska?
- How to Elope in Alaska in 8 Steps
- How to Legally Get Married in Alaska
- Best Places to Elope in Alaska
- How to Choose Your Alaska Elopement Location
- Best Time of Year to Elope in Alaska
- Alaska Elopement Weather + What to Expect
- Alaska Elopement Activities & Adventure Ideas
- Glacier, Helicopter & Bush Plane Elopements in Alaska
- How Much Does an Alaska Elopement Cost?
- What to Wear & Pack for an Alaska Elopement
- How to Include Family in Your Alaska Elopement
- Alaska Elopement Timeline Examples
- Alaska Elopement Permits + Leave No Trace
- Where to Stay + Getting Around for Your Alaska Elopement
- Is an Alaska Elopement Right for You?
- Alaska Elopement FAQs
- How We Help You Plan Your Alaska Elopement
01. Why Elope in Alaska?
If you’re already sold on Alaska, I probably don’t need to convince you.
But there are a few reasons I think Alaska works especially well for elopements.
You can build an actual experience around your wedding
This is probably the biggest one for me.
Your elopement does not have to be a 15-minute ceremony followed by four hours of taking photos.
Please do not do that to yourselves.
Go DO something.
Take a helicopter to a glacier. Make pancakes together at your cabin. Go fishing. Have a picnic. Paddle across a lake. Take your family to dinner. Read letters from people you love. Roast s’mores. Fly somewhere in a bush plane. Stop at a brewery. Hire a private chef. Go for a hike.
Your photos become so much more meaningful when they’re documenting things you actually experienced together.
Instead of me trying to manufacture 900 different poses, I get to photograph your actual wedding day.
That is always going to feel better.
Alaska gives you a ridiculous amount of variety
Mountains?
Obviously.
Glaciers?
We have a few.
Ocean?
Yep.
Turquoise lakes, waterfalls, tundra, forests, wildflowers, snowy peaks, beaches, coastal towns and giant stretches of wilderness?
Also yes.
Depending on where you elope, we can sometimes combine completely different landscapes within the same wedding experience.
Adventure does NOT have to mean a giant hike
This is something I want more couples to know.
You do not have to hike eight miles uphill in wedding clothes to qualify for an adventurous elopement.
If hiking is genuinely your thing, AMAZING. Let’s hike.
But adventure can also look like taking a helicopter onto a glacier, flying in a bush plane, kayaking, going fishing, taking a boat into a fjord, driving a mountain road or exploring several beautiful places that require very little hiking.
There are also incredible Alaska elopement locations that can work if you’re bringing parents, grandparents, kids or anyone who isn’t interested in scrambling up a mountain.
Your wedding can actually feel like your relationship
One of the things I love most about elopements is that there aren’t many rules unless you decide there should be.
Your wedding can be playful. Quiet. Adventurous. Romantic. Family-centered. Food-centered. A little weird.
You can have a giant cake for four people if you want.
You can wear hiking boots under your wedding dress.
You can eat pizza after landing on a glacier.
I genuinely do not care whether something is “wedding-y” enough.
The question I care about is:
Does this feel like the two of you?
If you’re having trouble picturing how all of these pieces actually come together, I put together a whole post about what your Alaska elopement day could actually look like, with ideas for building a day that feels like more than just a photoshoot.
02. How to Elope in Alaska in 8 Steps
If your current plan is basically “Alaska” and nothing else, start here.
Step 1: Decide what you want the day to feel like
Before choosing a location, think about the experience.
Do you want it to feel adventurous? Peaceful? Romantic? Private? Playful? Family-centered? Luxurious? Like one giant date day?
You can choose more than one.
The feeling is actually more useful to me than having a Pinterest board with 200 random locations on it.
Step 2: Choose your general area of Alaska
Alaska is enormous.
An elopement around Palmer and Hatcher Pass is a completely different trip from an elopement in Seward, Homer, Denali or Juneau.
You don’t have to choose the exact ceremony location yet.
Start with a region that offers the landscapes and experiences you want.
Step 3: Choose your season
The month you choose affects almost everything.
Accessibility, daylight, temperatures, road conditions, crowds, snow, fall color, available tours and, yes, mosquitoes.
We’ll get into all of that later.
Step 4: Hire your Alaska elopement photographer
I would actually do this before locking yourselves into one exact ceremony spot.
A photographer who knows Alaska can help you compare locations, light, access, travel time, permits, weather concerns and what realistically fits into the day.
That’s a huge part of what I help couples with.
You don’t need to plan the whole wedding and then hand me the itinerary.
Please don’t.
Let me help.
Step 5: Apply for your Alaska marriage license
You do not have to live in Alaska to get married here.
There is a three-business-day waiting period, though, so this is something you want to plan before the wedding morning.
Step 6: Decide what you actually want to do
This is where the wedding starts becoming yours.
Maybe you want one big adventure.
Maybe you want three little activities.
Maybe your perfect day involves exchanging vows, wandering somewhere beautiful and eating an unreasonable amount of pasta afterward.
All valid.
Step 7: Figure out permits and logistics
Depending on the location, group size and activities, permits or permissions may be required.
Different parks and land managers have different rules.
We research the actual location rather than making assumptions.
Step 8: Have a backup plan, then accept that Alaska is Alaska
Clouds roll in.
Mountains disappear.
Wind happens.
Rain happens.
Flights occasionally can’t go.
A road might still have snow when you thought it wouldn’t.
That’s why we build flexibility into the plan.
Some of the most beautiful days aren’t the perfectly sunny ones anyway.
03. How to Legally Get Married in Alaska
Thankfully, the legal part of getting married in Alaska is fairly simple.
Do you have to live in Alaska to get married here?
No.
Both Alaska residents and nonresidents can apply for an Alaska marriage license.
How much does an Alaska marriage license cost?
The current marriage license application fee is $60.
Is there a waiting period?
Yes.
Alaska has a three-business-day waiting period after the completed application is received.
That means I would not recommend flying into Alaska the night before your wedding and planning to sort everything out the next morning.
Give yourselves some breathing room.
How long is the license valid?
Once issued and picked up, the marriage license is valid for 90 days.
Do you need a witness?
Yes.
Alaska currently requires one witness who is at least 18 years old.
Where do you get the license?
Applications can be handled through Alaska Vital Records offices or Alaska courts. Depending on how you’re applying, there are also requirements for identification, signatures and having the application sworn before an appropriate official or notary.
Because marriage laws, fees and procedures can change, always check Alaska’s current official marriage license instructions before your trip.
Official Alaska Marriage License Information
04. Best Places to Elope in Alaska
Okay.
The fun part.
Where should you actually elope in Alaska?
There isn’t one best Alaska elopement location.
There’s a best location for the experience you want.
A couple whose grandparents are attending needs something completely different from a couple whose dream wedding involves crampons and a helicopter.
Quick Alaska Elopement Location Guide
| IF YOU WANT… | START LOOKING AT… |
|---|---|
| Glacier + helicopter | Knik Glacier |
| Mountains + easier access | Hatcher Pass |
| Glacier experience along the road system | Matanuska Glacier |
| Mountains + lake | Eklutna Lake |
| Ocean + mountains | Seward |
| Boats + glaciers | Whittier |
| Fishing + coastal Alaska | Homer |
| Flightseeing + Denali | Talkeetna |
| Convenient airport access | Anchorage / Chugach |
| Mountain town + nice lodging | Girdwood |
| Huge wilderness landscapes | Denali |
| Southeast Alaska | Juneau |
Now let’s actually talk about them.
Hatcher Pass Elopements
Hatcher Pass is one of the first places I’d look if you want the classic Alaska mountain feel without needing to build the entire wedding around a helicopter.
You have mountains, alpine lakes, tundra, old mining buildings, winding roads and tons of variety.
Hatcher Pass is especially good for couples who want:
- mountain views
- multiple landscapes
- easy-access and hiking options
- picnics
- fall colors
- family attending
- an adventure that can be as relaxed or active as you want
Alex’s Take
One of my favorite things about Hatcher Pass is that you don’t have to commit to one level of adventure.
We can walk a few minutes and get beautiful views, or hike, explore around Summit Lake, incorporate the historic mining area or move between a couple completely different landscapes.
If your parents want to attend the ceremony but you want a private adventure afterward, Hatcher Pass can work really well for that.
Late August into early September can also be ridiculously pretty when the tundra starts changing.
But Alaska fall moves FAST.
This is not Vermont.
We don’t get three leisurely months of orange leaves. You blink and winter is standing behind you.
Knik Glacier Elopements
If your Alaska Pinterest board is approximately 70% blue ice and helicopters, Knik Glacier needs to be on your list.
Part of what makes a Knik Glacier elopement so fun is that getting there is part of the wedding experience.
You’re not just teleporting to a pretty place for photographs.
You’re flying over the Knik River Valley, mountains and massive Alaska landscapes before landing somewhere that feels completely unreal.
Knik Glacier is especially good for:
- glacier elopements
- helicopter elopements
- couples who want a huge adventure without a huge hike
- dramatic landscapes
- intimate ceremonies
- combining multiple landing locations when available
Alex’s Take
This is exactly the kind of experience I mean when I say your elopement should feel like more than a photoshoot.
You’re already doing something incredible.
I don’t have to stand there inventing something for you to do every 30 seconds because you’re literally flying through Alaska together.
Also, bring layers.
You can leave beautiful weather in the valley and step out somewhere significantly colder.
Glacier does, in fact, mean ice. 😂
Matanuska Glacier + Glacier View Elopements
The Matanuska Glacier area is a great option if you want glacier scenery while staying along Alaska’s road system.
The drive itself is gorgeous, which means we can turn the day into more of a road-trip-style elopement instead of treating your ceremony location as the only part that matters.
This area is especially good for guided glacier adventures, mountain cabins, scenic drives and couples staying around Palmer or Glacier View.
If actually walking on the glacier is important to you, we’ll need to plan around current access and guided experiences rather than assuming we can wander onto the ice ourselves.
Eklutna Lake Elopements
Eklutna is especially fun if you want mountains and water without building your entire day around a huge excursion.
You could exchange vows near the lake, explore, kayak or have a picnic.
It’s also worth considering if family accessibility matters or if you’d rather save your biggest adventure for another part of the day.
Anchorage + Chugach State Park Elopements
You do not need to drive six hours away from Anchorage to find beautiful scenery.
Anchorage gives you access to mountains, trails, overlooks and coastal landscapes while keeping you close to the airport, lodging and restaurants.
That makes it particularly useful for shorter trips and weddings with guests.
Girdwood + Turnagain Arm Elopements
Girdwood is one of my favorite options for couples who want nature without feeling completely disconnected from civilization.
You have mountains, dense green landscapes, waterfalls and the scenery along Turnagain Arm.
Then you can go back to comfortable lodging and have a great dinner.
I am a big fan of adventure followed by food.
Seward + Kenai Fjords Elopements
If you want mountains meeting the ocean, look at Seward.
You can build an entire Alaska experience around this area with boat tours, wildlife, glaciers, coastal views, hiking and kayaking.
A Seward elopement could easily become a multi-day experience.
You might exchange vows along the coast one day, then spend another day taking a boat into Kenai Fjords or exploring together.
Weddings taking place within Kenai Fjords National Park require a Special Use Permit, so we’ll want to determine exactly where the ceremony is happening before assuming anything about permits.
Homer + Kachemak Bay Elopements
Homer feels completely different from the Mat-Su Valley.
You get ocean, mountains across the bay, fishing, beaches, boats and a quirky little Alaska-town feel.
If you’re the couple who hears “we could go fishing on our wedding day” and immediately gets excited, Homer deserves serious consideration.
Whittier + Prince William Sound Elopements
Whittier is tiny, slightly strange and surrounded by ridiculous scenery.
Which feels very Alaska.
It’s an amazing jumping-off point for Prince William Sound if you’re interested in boats, glaciers, waterfalls and ocean scenery.
If the thought of spending your wedding day on the water sounds better than hiking up a mountain, look here.
Denali Elopements
Denali is iconic for a reason.
But here’s something I want you to know before you plan your entire wedding around one photograph:
You are not guaranteed to see Denali.
The mountain does whatever it wants.
Clouds happen.
And if you make seeing the mountain your one requirement for having a good wedding day, that’s a lot of pressure to put on Alaska weather.
The surrounding landscape is incredible either way.
Denali is an amazing option for couples who want huge wilderness landscapes, wildlife and that very distinctly Alaskan feeling.
Talkeetna Elopements
Talkeetna gives you small-town Alaska plus access to some incredible flightseeing.
I admittedly have a soft spot for it because Josh proposed to me during a Denali flightseeing and glacier adventure.
That experience is part of why I understand the appeal of making the adventure itself part of a major life moment.
Talkeetna could be a great fit if you want to explore a quirky Alaska town, go flightseeing, potentially land on a glacier and stay somewhere cozy afterward.
Juneau Elopements
Juneau is a completely different Alaska experience.
You can’t simply drive there from Anchorage, but you get mountains, ocean, rainforest and glacier access packed into one area.
This can be particularly interesting if you’re already coming to Alaska by cruise or want your entire trip centered around Southeast Alaska.
Best Alaska Elopement Locations Without Hiking
If you don’t like hiking, you are still allowed to elope in Alaska.
I promise.
Start with:
- Knik Glacier by helicopter
- easy-access areas of Hatcher Pass
- Eklutna Lake
- Turnagain Arm
- Girdwood
- scenic flightseeing
- boat-based experiences in Seward or Whittier
- accessible coastal locations
Best Alaska Elopement Locations for Family
If parents, grandparents or kids are coming, I’d start with locations where we have easier access and room to work around everyone’s comfort level.
Consider:
- Hatcher Pass
- Eklutna Lake
- Anchorage-area locations
- Girdwood
- accessible areas around Seward
- Homer
We can also split your day so family attends the ceremony and celebration, then the two of you head out for your own adventure afterward.
Best Places to Elope Near Anchorage
If you’re flying into Anchorage and don’t want to spend your entire trip driving across Alaska, you still have a ton of options.
Depending on how far you’re comfortable traveling, I’d look at:
- Chugach State Park
- Eklutna Lake
- Girdwood
- Turnagain Arm
- Palmer
- Hatcher Pass
- Knik-area helicopter experiences
- Glacier View
05. How to Choose Your Alaska Elopement Location
Instead of asking:
“What’s the prettiest place?”
Ask these questions.
1. What scenery matters most?
Pick your top one or two.
Mountains? Glacier? Ocean? Lake? Forest? Snow? Fall tundra?
You don’t need all seven.
2. How adventurous do you actually want to be?
Be honest.
If neither of you likes hiking, your wedding day is probably not the time to suddenly become backpackers because Instagram convinced you that’s what eloping is supposed to look like.
3. Is anyone coming with you?
Two people and twelve people create very different location requirements.
4. How private do you want it to feel?
Some beautiful places are popular because they’re easily accessible.
If privacy matters a lot, we may need to go farther, go earlier, choose a quieter day or use transportation that gets us away from the busiest areas.
5. What activity sounds the most fun?
Want to fish?
Homer might move up the list.
Want a glacier?
Look at Knik or Matanuska.
Want a boat?
Seward or Whittier.
Want accessible mountains?
Hatcher Pass.
I prefer choosing the experience first and the exact ceremony spot second.
**And if hiking ability or accessibility is part of the equation, remember that an adventure elopement can look different for every body. You do not have to hike ten miles into the mountains for your day to count as adventurous.**
06. Best Time of Year to Elope in Alaska
There is no universally perfect month.
There are just different flavors of Alaska.
May
Later May can be beautiful and the days are already getting very long.
Higher elevations may still have snow and some lower areas can be muddy while everything thaws.
June
June gives you extremely long days.
This is awesome if you want a big adventure.
It also means you’ll probably be photographing “sunset” at an hour your body believes should be bedtime.
July
July is one of the easiest months for access and summer activities.
You’ll get long days, green landscapes and lots of options.
You’ll also meet Alaska’s unofficial state bird:
the mosquito.
Okay, it’s not actually the state bird.
But sometimes it feels like it.
August
If you ask me personally?
I LOVE August.
You still have great access and plenty of daylight, but we start getting better evening light instead of the sun staying aggressively awake forever.
Toward the end of August, fall color can start appearing.
September
Early September can be incredible.
Cooler temperatures. Fall tundra. Softer light. Fewer summer crowds.
The tradeoff is that things become less predictable.
Snow can start appearing at elevation and that gorgeous fall window moves quickly.
October + November
These can be awkward transition months.
You may have snow.
You may have brown landscape.
You may have ice.
You may somehow have all three.
If you have a very specific vision, I usually prefer a more predictable season.
December through March
Winter Alaska is beautiful.
Snow-covered mountains, frozen landscapes, cozy cabins and long dark skies create an entirely different experience.
You also have the possibility of seeing the northern lights.
Possibility.
Not guarantee.
Winter requires more respect for temperature, road conditions and limited daylight, but it can be amazing when you actually embrace the season instead of trying to pretend it’s July.
April
Breakup season.
A magical time when snow turns into mud.
I’m kidding.
Kind of.
If you’re choosing Alaska specifically for an outdoor elopement, April usually wouldn’t be my first recommendation unless there’s a specific reason you love that time of year.
My Favorite Time for an Alaska Elopement
If you gave me complete freedom to choose?
Late August into early September.
You have a really nice combination of accessibility, better light, cooler weather and the possibility of fall colors.
But your best month depends on what you actually want to experience.
07. Alaska Elopement Weather + What to Expect
Here is perhaps the most important Alaska planning tip in this entire guide:
You cannot bully the weather into cooperating.
You can check five apps.
You can refresh them every seven minutes.
Alaska does not care.
Weather can change quickly, particularly around mountains, coastlines and glaciers.
It can be sunny at your cabin and raining where we’re headed.
It can be comfortable in Palmer and freezing after a helicopter landing.
A mountain can disappear behind clouds and reappear an hour later.
The solution isn’t obsessing over the forecast.
The solution is being prepared.
Bring layers.
Bring rain gear.
Wear footwear that can get dirty.
Give the timeline some breathing room.
And please don’t assume rain means bad photographs.
My own wedding day in Ireland absolutely poured. At some point we basically threw the umbrellas aside and accepted that we were getting soaked.
Those memories are part of the story.
I would rather photograph you actually enjoying a rainy wedding day than spend four hours watching you mourn the weather app.
08. Alaska Elopement Activities & Adventure Ideas
This is one of my favorite parts of planning because this is where an elopement becomes a wedding experience instead of just a ceremony.
Here are a few ideas:
- Take a helicopter onto a glacier
- Fly somewhere in a bush plane
- Go flightseeing around Denali
- Kayak across a lake
- Paddle a canoe
- Take a boat into Prince William Sound
- Go whale watching
- Go fishing
- Fly fish together
- Hike
- Have a picnic
- Make breakfast at your cabin
- Hire a private chef
- Roast s’mores
- Have a campfire where allowed
- Pop champagne
- Read letters from family
- Exchange private vows
- Take a scenic road trip
- Stop at a brewery
- Look for wildlife
- Take a guided glacier tour
- Go snowshoeing
- Rent a beautiful cabin
- Soak in a hot tub afterward
- Cut your cake somewhere completely ridiculous
- Explore a small Alaska town
- Have dinner with family
- Stargaze
- Look for the northern lights in winter
Please do not attempt all 30.
I beg you.
This is still supposed to be fun.
Pick a few things that feel genuinely exciting.
09. Glacier, Helicopter & Bush Plane Elopements in Alaska
If you’re coming all the way to Alaska, there’s a decent chance one of these experiences is already in your head.
Alaska Glacier Elopements
Standing on a glacier is surreal.
The color, texture and sheer scale make it feel completely different from a normal wedding venue.
And here’s the nice part:
Adventure doesn’t necessarily mean physically difficult.
A helicopter landing can give you access to an incredible landscape without requiring an eight-mile hike.
What to know before a glacier elopement
Glaciers change constantly.
Weather affects flights.
Conditions determine where you can safely go.
Your pilot or glacier guide gets the final say.
This is not the part of your wedding where we decide we know better than the person whose job is keeping us from falling into a crevasse.
Warm layers and sturdy footwear matter.
Alaska Helicopter Elopements
A helicopter is more than transportation.
You get the flight itself, views from the air and access to places we simply cannot reach by road.
Depending on the operator and conditions, multiple landing areas may also be possible.
That means one adventure can give you several completely different landscapes.
Alaska Bush Plane Elopements
Bush planes are one of the most Alaska things you can build into your wedding.
They work especially well for couples who love aviation, remote places or simply want something a little different.
I’ve photographed a bush-plane elopement setup around the Knik area, and what I loved about it was how naturally the plane became part of the story.
You don’t need to awkwardly pose beside it for three hours.
Fly somewhere.
Explore.
Have a picnic.
Read vows.
Let the thing you’re actually doing create the photographs.
That’s my favorite way to work.
10. How Much Does an Alaska Elopement Cost?
There isn’t one useful answer to this because two Alaska elopements can look completely different.
One couple might rent a cabin, get married in Hatcher Pass and have dinner afterward.
Another might book a helicopter, private chef, florals, hair and makeup, luxury lodging and a second-day boat charter.
Neither one is more of an elopement than the other.
Common Alaska Elopement Expenses
Your budget might include:
- photography + planning
- flights to Alaska
- accommodations
- rental car
- wedding attire
- marriage license
- florals
- hair + makeup
- officiant
- food
- helicopter or flightseeing experiences
- boat charters
- guided activities
- permits
Alaska Elopement Photography Cost
Our Alaska elopement experiences currently begin at $4,200.
Our local Mat-Su options begin with four hours of coverage, while Alaska experiences requiring additional travel generally begin with longer coverage.
A Simple Alaska Elopement
Think:
Photography + planning
Flights
Rental car
Cabin
Marriage license
Wedding attire
Flowers
Dinner
Maybe you’re getting married in Hatcher Pass and spending the evening somewhere cozy.
You do not need to add every expensive Alaska activity imaginable to have an incredible wedding.
An Adventure Alaska Elopement
Maybe you add one bigger experience like:
A helicopter flight
Guided glacier experience
Kayaking
Fishing
Flightseeing
Boat excursion
Private chef
The activity becomes part of the wedding instead of something you’re doing purely for photographs.
A Multi-Day Alaska Elopement
Maybe you spend one day with family and another doing something huge together.
Or have your ceremony one day and take a boat, plane or helicopter somewhere the next.
This is where eloping gets really fun because we stop asking:
“How do we recreate a traditional wedding with fewer people?”
and start asking:
“If we had two days in Alaska to celebrate getting married, what would we actually want to do?”
That is a MUCH better question.
11. What to Wear & Pack for an Alaska Elopement
My general philosophy:
Function AND cute.
You do not need to dress like you’re climbing Everest.
But you also don’t want to spend your entire wedding miserable because your shoes have zero traction and you refused to bring a coat.
Alaska Elopement Packing List
Bring:
- wedding attire
- hiking or walking shoes
- warm layers
- rain jacket
- thermal layers when appropriate
- extra socks
- gloves + hat in colder conditions
- water
- snacks
- sunscreen
- bug spray
- hand warmers when appropriate
- small backpack
- vow books
- marriage license
- touch-up makeup
- clear umbrella
- medications
- portable phone charger
What Shoes Should You Wear?
Bring the boots.
Please.
You can always put pretty shoes on later if you want them for certain photos.
But hiking boots under a wedding dress?
Completely acceptable.
I would much rather have you comfortably running around together than watching you slowly sink into mud in stilettos.
12. How to Include Family in Your Alaska Elopement
Eloping does not mean you have to exclude everyone you love.
You are still allowed to have people there.
You are still allowed to want your mom there.
You are still allowed to have dinner with your family.
You are still allowed to have a ceremony and then disappear into the mountains together.
Ways to Include Family in Your Elopement
Family can:
- attend your ceremony
- help you get ready
- officiate when legally arranged
- give a reading
- write letters
- join you for breakfast
- join you for dinner
- FaceTime from home
- celebrate with you afterward
One of my favorite formats is:
Family ceremony + celebration
followed by:
A private adventure for the two of you.
That gives you both.
You don’t have to choose between meaningful time with family and having an intimate wedding experience together.
**Sometimes the hardest part isn’t deciding whether to include family, it’s figuring out how to have that conversation in the first place. If that’s where you’re stuck, I have a whole guide on how to tell your family you’re eloping.**
Want Alaska to feel adventurous without leaving your family behind?
This is exactly the kind of problem we help couples solve.
We can find an accessible ceremony location for everyone, then build something completely different for the two of you afterward.
13. Alaska Elopement Timeline Examples
One of the biggest misconceptions about elopements is:
“We only need two hours because there isn’t much happening.”
If nothing is happening, let’s fix that. 😂
We’re not trying to photograph a ceremony for eight hours.
We’re documenting your wedding day.
Example 4-Hour Alaska Elopement
3:00 PM Getting ready + details
3:45 PM First look
4:15 PM Explore / travel
5:00 PM Private vows
5:30 PM Picnic + champagne
6:15 PM Explore
7:00 PM Finish
This works well for one main area and a slower, simple experience.
Example 8-Hour Alaska Elopement
12:00 PM Getting ready at cabin
1:00 PM First look
1:30 PM Lunch + letters
2:30 PM Head toward adventure
3:30 PM Helicopter, boat or other activity
5:30 PM Ceremony
6:15 PM Explore
7:15 PM Picnic or dinner
8:00 PM Finish
Example Alaska Elopement With Family
10:00 AM Slow morning + getting ready
11:30 AM First look
12:00 PM Ceremony with family
1:00 PM Lunch + family photos
2:30 PM Family heads out
3:00 PM Private adventure
4:00 PM Kayak / hike / flightseeing
6:30 PM Private vows
7:00 PM Dinner or picnic
8:30 PM Evening portraits
9:00 PM Finish
Example Multi-Day Alaska Elopement
Day One
Getting ready
Family ceremony
Cake
Dinner
Time with everyone you love
Day Two
Slow breakfast
Helicopter flight
Glacier landing
Picnic
Private vows
Explore
Dinner together
There is absolutely no rule saying everything meaningful has to happen during one eight-hour block.
14. Alaska Elopement Permits + Leave No Trace
Not the sexiest section.
Very useful section.
Whether your Alaska wedding requires a permit depends on the exact location, land manager, group size, structures, commercial activity and what you’re planning to do.
Alaska State Parks Wedding Permits
For Alaska State Parks, weddings with fewer than 20 people and no structures generally do not require the wedding Special Park Use Permit.
Organized assemblies of 20 or more people do require one.
There are separate rules for commercial activity. Paid portrait photographers operating on Alaska State Park land are considered commercial operators and need the appropriate permit.
In other words, the fact that your tiny ceremony might not need a wedding permit does not automatically mean every person or activity involved is permit-free.
Denali National Park Wedding Permits
Denali has its own requirements.
Most ceremonies or events with groups larger than 12 require a Special Use Permit, and some smaller gatherings can require one depending on the circumstances and location.
Party size can also affect which ceremony locations are available.
Kenai Fjords National Park Wedding Permits
Weddings within Kenai Fjords National Park require a Special Use Permit.
The park recommends submitting the application at least two weeks in advance, and more time may be necessary for activities with greater impacts.
Leave No Trace
Whatever location you choose, we want it to look just as beautiful after your wedding.
That means:
- don’t pick wildflowers
- pack out everything you bring
- skip messy confetti
- respect wildlife
- use durable surfaces and established areas where appropriate
- follow fire restrictions
- don’t block trails
- respect other visitors
- follow the rules for your location
Leave memories.
Take photographs.
Do not leave 7,000 tiny pieces of plastic confetti in the tundra.
15. Where to Stay + Getting Around for Your Alaska Elopement
Alaska is BIG.
This seems obvious until you’re planning.
Google Maps may technically say you can visit three places in one day.
That doesn’t mean you should spend six hours of your wedding sitting in a rental car.
Flying Into Alaska
For most Southcentral Alaska elopements, Anchorage is the easiest major airport to fly into.
From there, you can build a trip around places like Palmer, Hatcher Pass, Eklutna, Girdwood, Turnagain Arm and Glacier View.
Other Alaska destinations may require significantly more driving, additional flights, ferries or other transportation.
Do You Need a Rental Car?
For most couples?
Yes.
Unless your transportation is built into your plans, I’d strongly recommend renting a car.
And consider what we’re actually doing before booking the smallest vehicle available.
Wedding clothes + luggage + hiking gear + food + Alaska road-trip gear can fill a car FAST.
Where Should You Stay?
I love when lodging becomes part of the wedding instead of just the place you sleep.
Look for:
- mountain views
- waterfront
- big windows
- good natural light
- a deck
- hot tub
- enough room to get ready
- a kitchen
- space for dinner or a private chef
- somewhere you’d actually enjoy spending time
You can make breakfast there.
Get ready together.
Read letters.
Have dinner.
End the night in a hot tub.
Your cabin can absolutely be part of your wedding story.
16. Is an Alaska Elopement Right for You?
I obviously think Alaska is an incredible place to get married.
But I’m also not going to tell every couple on earth that Alaska is their perfect wedding destination.
Alaska might be perfect for you if:
You’re okay with some unpredictability.
You care more about the experience than perfect decor.
Mountains, water, glaciers or wildlife make you extremely happy.
You’re willing to get your clothes a little dirty.
You want your wedding to feel different from a traditional venue wedding.
You like the idea of doing things together rather than posing all day.
You can roll with weather changes.
Alaska might test you a little if:
You need guaranteed sunshine.
You would be devastated if clouds covered one specific mountain.
You absolutely cannot tolerate being cold.
You don’t want your dress touching dirt.
You want complete control over every five minutes of the timeline.
You expect nature to behave according to Pinterest.
Alaska is unpredictable.
That’s part of why it’s fun.
You’re not coming here because you want a beige ballroom where every chair is exactly six inches apart.
**Still deciding whether eloping actually fits the two of you? I broke down some of the things couples don’t always realize when comparing an elopement vs. a traditional wedding.**
17. Alaska Elopement FAQs
Can you elope in Alaska if you live in another state?
Yes. You do not have to be an Alaska resident to get married here.
Is there a waiting period to get married in Alaska?
Yes. Alaska currently has a three-business-day waiting period after the completed marriage-license application is received.
Do you need witnesses to elope in Alaska?
Yes. Alaska currently requires one witness who is at least 18 years old.
How much is an Alaska marriage license?
The current application fee is $60.
When should we start planning?
Earlier is helpful, especially if you want a popular summer date, specific cabin, helicopter, boat or other activity.
But you do not necessarily need to have everything figured out a year and a half in advance.
What is the best month for an Alaska elopement?
For a lot of couples, I especially love late August into early September.
Your best month depends on what you want to see and do.
Can we get married on a glacier?
Yes.
Depending on where you’re eloping, you can incorporate helicopter landings or guided glacier experiences.
Do we have to hike?
No.
Please tell everyone who has ever told you otherwise.
Can our parents come?
Absolutely.
We’ll choose locations and build a timeline around the people coming.
What if it rains on our elopement day?
Most of the time?
We keep going.
We may adjust the plan when safety or transportation is involved, but rain by itself does not ruin an elopement.
Can we see the northern lights during our wedding?
Possibly during the darker part of the year.
But aurora is never guaranteed, so I would treat it as an amazing bonus rather than designing the entire success of your wedding around it.
Do we need an officiant?
Your ceremony needs to meet Alaska’s current requirements for solemnizing the marriage. There are several types of people who can legally perform marriages in Alaska, and couples can also look into Alaska’s marriage commissioner process when appropriate.
We’ll make sure you’re looking at the current rules while planning instead of relying on something you found on Pinterest three years ago.
Do we need a permit?
Maybe.
It depends on your exact location, group and activity.
That’s something we help research.
How much does an Alaska elopement photographer cost?
Our Alaska elopement experiences currently begin at $4,200 and include both photography and a significant amount of planning support.
Which leads me to…
18. How We Help You Plan Your Alaska Elopement
If you’ve made it all the way down here and you’re thinking:
Okay. Alaska sounds amazing, but I STILL don’t know exactly where we should go…
Good.
You don’t have to.
You don’t need a location before you reach out.
You don’t need a timeline.
You don’t need every activity figured out.
You don’t even necessarily need to know whether you want four hours, eight hours or multiple days.
You can come to me with:
“We want mountains, maybe a glacier, our parents are coming and we really like good food.”
That’s enough to start.
We’ll help you turn it into an actual day.
Our Alaska Elopement Experiences Include:
- personalized location recommendations
- custom timeline creation
- weather backup planning
- activity ideas
- trusted vendor recommendations
- permit + logistics guidance
- seasonal + lighting guidance
- outfit, packing + gear guidance
- planning support leading up to your wedding
- natural direction without turning the whole day into a photoshoot
- photography of the experience itself
- drone imagery when permitted and conditions allow
- your final high-resolution gallery
- album design
**And if your faith is an important part of your relationship, your elopement doesn’t have to leave that behind. I also put together some ideas for how to include faith in your elopement day in a way that feels meaningful to the two of you.**
Because at the end of all of this, I don’t actually care whether you managed to check 17 Alaska bucket-list activities off your list.
I care that you had time to look at each other.
That you laughed.
That you actually remember saying your vows.
That you didn’t spend the entire day worrying about what you were “supposed” to be doing.
And that the day felt like the two of you instead of something you put on for everyone else.
When you look at your photographs years from now, I don’t just want you to remember what Alaska looked like.
I want you to remember what it felt like to start your marriage here.
Ready to Start Dreaming Up Your Alaska Elopement?
You don’t have to have it figured out before you inquire.
Tell us what you know so far, even if that’s basically just:
“Alaska sounds cool.”
We’ll help you figure out the rest.
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