Yellowstone and other national parks are getting a lot of attention over the last five years – especially when it comes to couples getting married. Could it be the hit TV show, the fact that they just celebrated their 150th birthday, or the remnants of the pandemic where Yellowstone National Park saw record-breaking tourists visiting the park once they were allowed to open? Whatever it is, it’s easy to see the allure of a national park wedding. There are 63 parks across the country to choose from–each offering different experiences and views, endless amenities, and paved pathways making it accessible for most guests while still being in the beauty of nature. If you are an interested in national park wedding and elopement photography, and are wondering if adding it to your offerings is worth the trouble, read on for the pros and cons.

Preparing for National Park Wedding and Elopement Photography

My first national park elopement was back in 2018 when I got hired by an Oregon couple to document their micro-wedding in Joshua Tree National Park and since then I’ve been all over visiting 11 of the parks for weddings and elopements, with Yellowstone being the number one park.

I have been visiting Yellowstone since I was a child and never thought I would be trekking all over the park in some of the most beautiful and enigmatic locations for couples on their wedding day. After getting to document my first Yellowstone elopement in 2020, I started collecting locations on a detailed map of the park, noting everything, from time of day at a location to how many park visitors were there and time of year. It was this that allowed me to start to understand the park less as a tourist and more concerning weddings. This allowed me to start serving my Yellowstone couples on another level.

Though we, the photographer, are most often are not also the wedding planner or day-of-coordinator, when it comes to couples getting married in these national parks, planning assistance becomes indispensable. National park wedding and elopement photography, though gaining popularity, is still a fairly new concept and couples are struggling to plan not only a wedding but also navigate the intricate details of park permits, transportation, experiences, and more to make their national park wedding visions a reality. This is where elopement photographers really can come into play and serve their couples on that higher level.

Unlike typical wedding venues or high-in-demand destination wedding locations such as Italy or Iceland, most National Parks don’t come with an onsite officiant or preferred vendor lists.

Though I have worked with a handful of park-based wedding planners, more often than not a couple will only hire a photographer for their elopement or micro-wedding. Because of this, it is up to the couple’s photographer to truly know a national park or be able to research to help create something ultimately bespoke for their couple that is also doable and keeps within the regulations of the specific park.

Though Yellowstone used to require photographers to obtain a CUA, Commercial Use Authorization, which was an extensive and costly process, they have recently moved away from this and now only require couples to obtain a SUP, Special Use Permit, for elopements, which also doubles as the photographer’s photo permit.

Yellowstone is not only the next seemingly hot spot to get married but also one of the most visited parks in the United States. This means couples and their photographers will really need to pay close attention to the time of year the couple wants to get married and alternative locations within the park for the ceremony and photos to avoid being surrounded by literally hundreds of park visitors. This frequently happens at popular tourist locations such as Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic, and Mammoth Hot Springs.

Pros and Cons

So, is it worth all the trouble to get into national park wedding and elopement photography? Let’s dive into this.

1. National parks provide an outdoor experience for couples who want their elopement to be nature-based but not hike-heavy or extreme-adventure based.
2. Getting married in a national park allows couples to invite guests who may be ADA or need paved pathways to reach ceremony locations.
3. Each national park offers site-specific amenities and experiences that can help couples create a bespoke elopement or micro-wedding.
4. The SUP process is fairly simple and rather inexpensive in the grand scheme of wedding costs, allowing couples to focus their money and attention on experiences for their wedding.

However, things to consider when planning a national park-based elopement include:

1. You are getting married in a public place and can’t guarantee that park visitors won’t walk by, take your photos, or watch your ceremony.
2. National parks are 95% outdoors with minimal indoor spaces. If the weather turns, you have to be comfortable with a plan B.

3. Though the permit is inexpensive, couples most often don’t save money by opting to elope in a national park as other costs such as lodging, transportation, and photography end up costing in the end roughly the same amount as a traditional wedding.
4. Couples need to hire vendors who are well acquainted with the specific park and region and not just hire any photographer or vendor to avoid issues with park regulations.

Ultimately, call me biased, but I believe getting married in a national park is worth the planning. It offers couples endless opportunities and options to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience for their wedding day that is tailored to who they are all while being in some of the most stunning and diverse landscapes the United States has to offer.

Heather Woolery is a Northwest-based photojournalist known for her earthy, nostalgic approach to documenting weddings and elopements around the world with both digital and analog film. She is currently creating a series of digital guides for engaged couples launching in early 2025. Follow her on Instagram, YouTube, Patreon, and Pinterest.