All you need to know about having an elopement at Avalanche Lake , feat. Annie & Som’s beautiful Glacier National Park Montana Photos.
If you dream of an adventure elopement with mountains, beautiful open fields and crystal-clear lakes, there’s nothing like Glacier National Park. Found in the north of Montana, it offers a whole lot of everything and then some! Exploring the Going-to-the-Sun Road is also super special, and of course, there are plenty of ways to personalize your day to make it your own, just like Annie & Som!
Annie & Som decided to elope to Glacier National Park after they’d already taken care of the legal stuff at home. They booked a super cool little cabin in Whitefish, Montana, not far from the park, and spent the day exploring everything from Avalanche Lake to some of my favorite pullouts.
Keep reading for more information about how to Elope to Glacier National Park, and to check out Annie & Som’s beautiful day.
ELOPE AT GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
Legal or Symbolic Ceremony
One of the first things to decide when planning How to Elope to Glacier National Park is whether or not you’d like to have a legal or symbolic ceremony. This is absolutely a personal choice! Many couples choose to get legally married on a different day so that they can craft their elopement to really suit them, without worrying about any legalities. For others, it’s really important that their elopement day and legal wedding day align and fall on the same day.
Getting Legally Married in Glacier National Park
If you choose to get legally married in Glacier National Park, you’ll need to start by getting a Montana Marriage license from any of the state’s county clerk offices. It costs $53, which needs to be paid in cash. There’s no waiting period so you can make it official as soon as you want, but it will expire after 180 days. To have a legal ceremony in Montana, you’ll need to have the ceremony performed by an authorized wedding officiant and have two witnesses.
Glacier National Park Permits
Whether or not you decide to have a legal or symbolic elopement ceremony, you will need a Special Use Permit to Elope at Glacier National Park. This is so the National Park Service can safely monitor activities and ensure the park, including its scenery and wildlife, isn’t being put under unnecessary stress and is protected for future generations to come. Thankfully, getting a permit is super simple! You can download Glacier National Park’s Special Use Permit Application here, where you’ll be prompted to fill in information like exact locations, times, and your photographer’s contact information. Once complete, submit your form along with the $125 processing fee, and wait for your valid permit. Any good Glacier National Park Elopement Photographer will even be able to help you with this process.
Glacier National Park Elopement Locations
Glacier is one of my absolute favorite national parks, and there are way too many amazing locations to list in one blog post! Also, I have a few secret spots that I like to keep especially for my clients. That said, I still wanted to give you a few ideas of some amazing Glacier National Park Elopement Locations!
Avalanche Lake
Avalanche Lake is the beautiful Glacier National Park Elopement Location featured in Annie & Som’s photos, and it’s not hard to see why they chose it. Getting to Avalanche Lake involves a 6-mile out-and-back trail, but it’s well worth it for the views of Bearhat Mountain. On calm days the reflection of the mountains makes it even more special.
Lake McDonald
Lake McDonald is famous for its colorful pebbles, and the open beachfront makes for a perfect ceremony spot if you’re planning an elopement. Or, if you’d like to invite a few of your closest friends and family, the nearby amphitheater in Apgar is a popular Glacier wedding location.
Going-to-the-Sun Road
Okay, so Going-to-the-Sun Road hardly counts as a ‘location’ as such, but one of the best things to do is to work your way up the Going-to-the-Sun Road and stop at some of the beautiful pullouts and just see what you find. At the right time of year, you can find fields filled with wildflowers just along the edge of the road, or just patches of beautiful light that will make for epic photos.
Are you planning to Elope to Glacier National Park? I’d love to help you plan and document your epic day. Just get in touch!
Did you love Annie & Som’s Glacier Elopement and Avalanche Lake Portraits? Let them know in the comments below!