However, there are many who would rather travel to a foreign nation and stay in a more humble and distant retreat. Elopement today still often refers to the latter usage, despite the fact that the former was the original one. The ceremony is small and private, taking place outside of town with just the bride and husband.
Eloping couples always have the same initial question: “Where do we elope?” Choose a fantastic elopement location by considering the type of experience you want to have and the type of landscape you both appreciate. We feature so many elopements from all around the world that we figured it would be beneficial to make a list of the best places to elope.
At any of our breathtakingly beautiful suggested elopement spots, we know you and your future spouse will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience. From hidden caves to Rocky Mountain black sand beaches, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the world’s best elopement destinations. To avoid the crowds, we recommend using one of the elopement services listed on our site.
Iceland
Alternatively, some people may long for a simpler life in a faraway foreign country. While both senses are still used today, “elope” typically means “to run away” or “to leave quickly and secretly” in current parlance. Wedding guests are limited to the happy couple and perhaps some close relatives, and the ceremony is held somewhere else than the couple’s regular hangout.
The most common enquiry from would-be fugitives is, “Where do we elope?” In selecting your choice, keep in mind the type of adventure you’re seeking and the scenery you and your travel companion(s) would appreciate the most. Since we’ve covered so many elopements in different parts of the world, we decided it was only fair to highlight the best spots for doing so.
In any of the stunning spots we suggest, we know you and your partner will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime elopement. From hidden coves and black sand beaches to breathtaking waterfalls in the Alps, we’ve compiled a list of the best places to elope. You can avoid the crowds by consulting with an elopement service provider featured on our site.
Isle Of Skye
Outdoor enthusiasts will also find the Isle of Skye to be a terrific travel location. Scotland is home to some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery, but the Isle of Skye is something out of a fairy tale. The beautiful highlands are dotted with unusual rock formations. The Old Man of Storr is the most well-known sight on Trotternish, and the northern peninsula is mostly composed of basalt rock. The combination of the azure sea, shell-strewn beaches, and cascading waterfalls creates a beautiful setting for a wedding.
Santorini, Greece
The turquoise domes of Santorini’s churches are a must-see on any trip to Greece. The plethora of whitewashed cottages that fall down the lip of the ancient volcanic crater, along with the turquoise sea and magnificent sunsets, make it a popular wedding venue. Not only are there beautiful beaches with black, red, and white sand in the vicinity, but the high quality of light makes it an ideal spot for wedding photography. Before the sun goes down in the Aegean, Santorini is the perfect place to tie the knot and spend the night in a five-star hotel.
Harbour Island, Bahamas
One of the most dreamy wedding locations is a beach with beautiful pink sand. The pink sands and clear blue water of Harbour Island in the Bahamas make for a stunning wedding venue. This three-mile stretch of beach, consistently named among the top five most beautiful in the world, can accommodate a large number of tourists without feeling crowded. A married couple can find quaint cottages here ideal for a romantic getaway or honeymoon.
Maui
One of the most romantic venues conceivable is a wedding on a beautiful pink sand beach. The pink sands and clear blue water of Harbour Island in the Bahamas make for a picture-perfect wedding venue. This beach, which is three miles long, is consistently voted among the top five most beautiful in the world, so there’s plenty of room for tourists. In this area, you will find cosy cottages ideal for a honeymoon or a relaxing getaway for a married couple.
Greenough, Montana
Montana is a great place to get away from it all with your significant other if you both enjoy spending time in nature. Newlyweds and their guests can enjoy ultra-luxury vacation villas and upscale glamping at the Resort at Paws Up. The hotel offers an elopement package that includes a private ceremony, carriage ride, Champagne dinner, couple’s massage, and wedding cake. Following the ceremony, guests at this remote retreat can take part in a variety of activities, including fly fishing for world-class cutthroat trout, horseback riding for an hour, a day, or even a week, and in-room spa treatments.
Grand Cayman
The sparkling champagne colour of the sand and the striking beauty of the Casuarina and palm tree lines make Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman a popular tourist destination. There are a number of hotels conveniently located adjacent to the stunning ocean. U.S. News Travel named it the best beach in the world due to its plenty of activities for couples to enjoy together and its romantic atmosphere and breathtaking scenery. At Stingray City, you may go windsurfing, parasailing, and snorkelling with gentle stingrays.
Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
Neuschwanstein, one of Germany’s most beautiful castles, was constructed in the Romanesque Revival style during the 19th century. Weddings atop a Bavarian mountaintop overlooking the Alpine landscape at sunset are as romantic as they come. One can experience a modern-day fairy tale if they visit this castle, as it is said to have inspired both the Sleeping Beauty Castle and the Cinderella Castle at Disneyland and Disney World. It also offers wedding packages, some of which include a Bavarian horse-drawn carriage trip down the valley followed by a candlelit meal.
Las Vegas
Those who assume that Sin City is only a seedy place to get married quickly should reconsider their beliefs. Even if you’re not looking for Elvis impersonators or a drive-through chapel, Las Vegas is still a great wedding destination thanks to its abundance of excellent dining options, thrilling activities just off the Strip, and beautiful backdrops for your special day. Particularly well-liked are the Neon Museum and Seven Magic Mountains. To elope in Sin City, one need not be a night owl, but this trait can come in handy.
Washington, D.C.
From the many memorials and monuments to the many world-class museums, our nation’s capital is plenty of picturesque and historically significant settings for a romantic getaway. (Also, if you want to get married without an officiant, you can do so in Washington, DC, as it is one of the few states that recognises self-uniting weddings.) After the wedding, you and your new spouse should head to one of Virginia’s many honeymoon destinations.
Bora Bora
The French Polynesian archipelago sits in the South Pacific between Australia and South America. Due to its white sand beaches and bungalows sitting just above the crystal clear waters, this small group of islands has long been a favourite honeymoon location, and it is also a perfect elopement choice for those seeking the classic tropical island wedding. Take a boat to a private beach as this happy couple did to exchange vows in true Polynesian fashion.
Palm Springs
If you’re looking for a destination to elope where the weather is always pleasant, you may find all that and more in Palm Springs. This Southern California desert town is perfect for carefree couples who don’t mind incorporating bright colours into their elopement decorations and, who knows, maybe even leaping into a pool post-ceremony in their clothes.
Joshua Tree
Victoria Abraham and Chris Malone had their plans for a celestial-themed Manhattan wedding thwarted by COVID, so they eloped to the most remote area conceivable. Two hours inland from Los Angeles in Southern California is Joshua Tree National Park, which the couple chose for their party because of its otherworldly Mojave Desert setting. Abraham says that the park’s strange appearance is due to the rock formations, Joshua trees, and the way the sun changes the colours of the park at different times of day. Incredibly, the atmosphere here is one of peace and tranquilly.
Promise Ridge
Hidden in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, not far from Stroudsburg, is Promise Ridge, an ideal elopement destination for city dwellers from Philadelphia and New York. Local celebrant Alisa Tongg now provides a beautiful roofed pavillion for her small wedding ceremonies.
Chugach Mountains
According to Abbi Hearn of The Hearnes Adventure Photography, the “wild and untamed” atmosphere of Alaska makes it a popular destination for elopements. Many of our couples choose to have their weddings on glaciers in the Chugach Mountains because of the breathtaking scenery. The fact that glaciers change every season and sometimes even every week adds a great touch to a significant wedding day, as what we see or experience will always feel new and unique to the exact time and place.
Big Sur
The central California coast, with its misty seashore cliffs and towering redwood trees, makes for a picturesque backdrop for a West Coast elopement. Carmel-by-the-Sea is the perfect destination to spend your honeymoon following an outdoor ceremony because of its charming streets, Spanish-inspired architecture, and luxurious cottage-style accommodations.
New River Gorge National Park
The newest national park in the USA is located in West Virginia and is called New River Gorge. Among the many adventure activities available in the gorge are white water rafting and rock climbing. However, the New River Gorge Bridge is the third highest in the United States, therefore eloping couples from the East Coast are increasingly making the trek to the area to get married in front of the bridge. (You can reserve a stroll across the bridge and walk all 3,030 feet before or after the ceremony.) Even though Fayetteville is closer, the General Lewis Inn in Lewisburg is a beautiful destination to spend your wedding night.
Dunluce Castle
What could conjure up the feeling of a fairy tale more than a landscape of rolling green hills, sheer cliffs, and abandoned castles? If this sounds like the plot of your love story, you could think about having an Irish elopement. The northern area is home to stunning scenery, including the historic Dunluce Castle on the scenic Causeway Coast.
Tulum
Because COVID wouldn’t allow Vanessa Aguirre and her now-husband Jake to elope under a waterfall in Bali, the couple went to this well-known spot on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, which is home to clear Caribbean waters. Although the town’s closeness to magnificent beaches and diving cenotes, as well as its stylish hotels and burgeoning health culture, make it a favourite destination for the influencer set, the town’s ability to provide a romantic backdrop for private weddings in the warm weather remains unchanged.
San Francisco City Hall
Courthouse nuptials are stereotyped as being unromantic and drab occasions held in cold government premises. False! That’s not how things work in San Francisco’s City Hall. Wedding photographer Sonya Cruel, who has worked there, concurs. For about $100, the city will let you get married in a beautiful Beaux Arts-style building complete with a grand staircase, rotunda, and gilded architectural details. The federal building is one of the most attractive in the United States, and its many amenities have made it a popular spot for out-of-town couples to elope.
Collective Vail
Weddings held in Colorado do not require an officiant because of the state’s “self solemnisation” law. Thanks to that loophole, running away to the mountains to elope is a breeze. Country singer Shelly Fairchild and recent bride Deborah DeLoach prove that Vail is twice as enjoyable when everyone joins in. Following the ceremony, guests can explore the ranch for picture ops and spend the night in some of the most plush glamping tents in the country.
Conclusion
In common usage, “elope” denotes “to flee away” or “to go quickly and covertly.” We have produced a list of the best spots to elope, from secluded coves and black sand beaches to gushing waterfalls in the Alps. Harbour Island, located in the Bahamas, is routinely ranked as one of the world’s top five most beautiful islands. In these picturesque cottages, newlyweds can enjoy a memorable honeymoon or romantic getaway. Ultra-luxurious vacation homes and sophisticated glamping are available for newlyweds and their guests.
Castles like Sleeping Beauty’s and Cinderella’s were supposedly motivated by Neuschwanstein. The French Polynesian islands have always been a popular choice for newlyweds. Elopements in Palm Springs are ideal for the spontaneous couple who doesn’t mind a splash of colour. An outdoor wedding followed by a honeymoon in Carmel-by-the-Sea is a dream come true. Alaska is a popular elopement location because of its “wild and untamed” vibe.
More and more East Coast couples are coming here to get married. Elopement hotspots include places like Vail, Tulum, and San Francisco City Hall. Because to Colorado’s “self-solemnisation statute,” couples can wed without an official present.
Content Summary
- We have produced a list of the best spots to elope, from secluded coves and black sand beaches to gushing waterfalls in the Alps.
- Harbour Island in the Bahamas is a beautiful location for a wedding because to its pink sands and crystal blue water.
- A wedding on a stunning pink sand beach is one of the most romantic settings imaginable.
- Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman is a famous vacation spot due to its beautiful champagne sand and dramatic Casuarina and palm tree lines.
- While it’s not necessary, being a night owl can be helpful if you’re planning to run away with your partner in Sin City.
- You and your new spouse can choose from a wide variety of romantic getaways in the Commonwealth of Virginia to celebrate your newlywed status.
- The couple wanted an out-of-this-world experience for their party, so they booked a campsite in Joshua Tree National Park, a Mojave Desert oasis located two hours inland from Los Angeles.
- Because of the spectacular backdrop, many of our couples opt to have their nuptials on glaciers in the Chugach Mountains.
- Eloping couples from the East Coast are increasingly making the journey to the area so that they can get married in front of the New River Gorge Bridge, which is the third highest in the United States. (sTulum Vanessa Aguirre and her now-husband Jake were unable to elope under a waterfall in Bali due to COVID, so they instead travelled to this famous location on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, which features crystal clear Caribbean waters.
- The Administration Building of the City of San Francisco
- Conventional wisdom holds that weddings celebrated in a courthouse are dull affairs, held in the sterile environs of the state’s administrative headquarters.
- The City of San Francisco does not operate that way.
- Conjoined Veil
- The “self solemnisation” provision in Colorado means that a wedding ceremony’s officiant is not necessary.
FAQs About Wedding Venue
Where Is The Easiest Place To Elope?
- Colorado.
- California.
- Montana.
- Washington State.
- Oregon.
Does It Matter Where You Elope?
Don’t worry about it if you want to have your elopement day in a state or country that requires witnesses, but you want to spend the day with just your love. Choose to have your elopement day wherever and however you want and deal with the legalities and logistics at home.
What Is An Elopement Risk?
Elopement is defined as a patient who leaves the hospital when doing so may present an imminent threat to the patient’s health or safety because of legal status or because the patient has been deemed too ill or impaired to make a reasoned decision to leave.
What Is A Quick Wedding Called?
Elopement refers to a marriage conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one’s place of residence together with one’s beloved to get married without parental approval.
How Do You Elope Fast?
- Check the Law.
- Book Your Travel and Find Your Vendors.
- Plan the Ceremony.
- Throw a Post-Elopement Party.
- Send Those Announcements.
- Do: Prepare Yourself for Family and Close Friends’ Reactions.
- Don’t: Forget to Take Care of All the Legal Details.
- Do: Hire a Local Planner, Photographer, and Videographer.
