Grand Teton National Park Small Wedding Adventure

Grand Teton National Park, located in northwestern Wyoming, is known for its stunning mountain landscapes, diverse wildlife, and pristine alpine lakes. The park covers more than 300,000 acres and is home to the Teton Range, which includes the iconic Grand Teton peak. It’s the perfect small wedding and elopement location!

Why Grand Teton is a Great Elopement Location

Dramatic Landscape: The towering, jagged peaks of the Teton Range, expansive wildflower meadows, and crystal-clear lakes are an incredible backdrop for your wedding celebration! No matter what landscape you’re looking for, Grand Teton has it: alpine forests, rolling hills, blue lakes, incredible mountains, huge waterfalls, etc.

Privacy: While Grand Teton is a very popular National Park, there are ways to avoid the crowds! The park has plenty of spots where you can exchange vows in peace, whether near a lake, with impressive views of the various peaks, or among wildflower fields. Plus, if you get married at sunrise (like this couple did), you’re almost guaranteed to have the whole spot to yourselves!

Diverse Ceremony Locations: Whether you’re drawn to the shores of Jenny Lake, the panoramic views from Signal Mountain, or the rugged beauty of the Cascade Canyon, there are a variety of stunning spots within the park. Many of these locations are accessible, but there are also more remote areas that can be reached with a hike, offering an even more secluded experience. Grand Teton has designated ceremony locations, so make sure to check those out ahead of time (and we’re happy to help you choose).

Wildlife: Like all of the National Parks in the west, wildlife is abundant, including moose, elk, bison, and bald eagles. If you’re lucky, your ceremony might even be blessed with the presence of some of these incredible animals! Please always make sure to keep your distance.

All Four Seasons: You can get married in Grand Teton year-round! Spring brings wildflowers, summer offers green meadows and warm weather, autumn is gorgeous with the changing leaves, and winter transforms the park into a snowy wonderland. No matter the season, the park will provide a stunning environment for your elopement.

Activities: On your wedding day, or during your trip, there are plenty of adventurous activities to enjoy, such as hiking, paddle boarding on Jackson Lake, snowshoeing, or even skiing in the winter months. It’s the perfect spot for couples who want to incorporate adventure into their elopement experience!

Accessibility: Despite its remote feel, Grand Teton National Park is easily accessible from nearby Jackson, Wyoming, which has an airport (the only airport actually inside a National Park!!) and a variety of accommodations, making it convenient for travel.

Jackson Lake Lodge Getting Ready

H + N booked rooms/cabins for themselves and their guests at the iconic Jackson Lake Lodge inside Grand Teton National Park. It was the perfect way to have a private getting ready space! We began super early in the morning at one of the cabins, capturing N getting ready with his parents. Then, we parted ways and went inside the lodge to document H getting ready with her sisters and mom. We love when couples include their loved ones in their getting ready moments!

Colter Bay Swim Beach Elopement Ceremony Location

Colter Bay is located on the northeast side of Jackson Lake, at the north end of Grand Teton National Park. It’s a gorgeous lake with incredible views of Mount Moran and the north end of the Teton Range. This is one of our favorite designated elopement locations in the park!

The Colter Bay Swim Beach is available as a Reserved Site-Specific Ceremony Location available for groups of up to 40 guests between mid-May and mid-October. You can apply for a Special Use Permit here! This location is also available as a Small Dispersed Wedding Ceremony Location for groups of up to 12 people the rest of the year. 

Only one permit is allowed each day, and they only approve up to 30 permits in a year. Per the National Park website, “ceremony site permits are issued in the order of the date applications are received.” 

Ceremony Location Information

Restroom – There is a public bathroom with flush toilets and sinks. 

Site area – The grassy area is moderately level, but due to a high volume of visitors, it’s more dirt than grass. 

Site closures – This location is open year-round. 

Busyness – Colter Bay is usually very busy and the parking lot is full in the afternoon. Mornings and evenings are best. 

Bugs – During the morning and in the summer, there are a lot of mosquitoes by the lake. Make sure to bring plenty of bug spray!

Sunrise Elopement Portraits at Colter Bay

After a gorgeous sunrise ceremony at the Colter Bay Swim Beach, H + N opted to take some portraits along the trails and at the shore. While it was a very overcast morning, we had some gorgeous reflections and soft lighting! It was a beautiful and quiet morning.

Colter Bay Brunch Picnic in Grand Teton

While we were taking portraits and letting H + N enjoy being newly married, their families were at the picnic area setting up a yummy breakfast complete with coffee and local pastries! They decorated the table with a custom sign (approved by the National Park) and bug spray cans (haha). H + N signed their marriage license and fueled up on delicious treats and plenty of coffee/tea. We took some family portraits before saying our goodbyes to head out on a hiking adventure!

Hiking to Hidden Falls

We opted to take the boat ride across Jenny Lake to hike Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. Jenny Lake Boating is the company that’s positioned near the south end of the lake. From here, you can purchase a one-way or round-trip ticket across to the west side. The boat runs every 10-15 minutes. Since we arrived around mid-morning, it was pretty busy and we had to wait for about 45 minutes. Plan ahead and build in extra time if you want to take the boat! Even though we had to wait, taking the boat eliminated 4 miles overall, so we could focus on seeing Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point without having to do extra hiking in wedding attire.

H + N wanted to include a hiking adventure on their elopement day because hiking is something they love doing together! This trail was perfect because we got to see an epic waterfall, an overlook of Jenny Lake, and we ventured a bit further to get incredible mountain/canyon views. It was a busy trail, but we still had a blast! As always, please make sure to practice Leave No Trace by respecting other hikers and wildlife, and picking up any trash.

Picnic at Inspiration Point

At Inspiration Point, we took some fun mid-day portraits and set up a picnic on the rocks. The weather was so lovely, even though it was a bit windy! H + N brought sandwiches and drinks to enjoy together. Be careful of all the chipmunks, and PLEASE do not feed them! Unfortunately, they’re used to be fed by hikers, so they are relentless.

Hiking Adventure Elopement

Hiking elopements are so unique and tons of fun! If hiking is important to you, I promise it isn’t super hard to incorporate into your elopement adventure. We’re down for a short 1 mile trail with no elevation gain, or a difficult 10+ mile backpacking trail! It’s your day, and we want to help you create the most perfect true-to-you day ❤️

Jenny Lake Boat Ride

After you finish hiking, you can take the Jenny Lake Boat Shuttle back to the other side of the lake (if you purchased a round-trip ticket). You’ll likely have to wait here, but thankfully, there are seats! H + N had packed these bright blue ponchos to have their “The Office” moment, but the ponchos proved to be more than just a good photo-op. The wind was so bad, and since we were in the back of the boat, the spray from the waves soaked H + N! Thankfully, the ponchos protected their wedding attire. Once we got back to the dock, we said goodbye for a few hours to backup our photos/videos and nap. H + N went back to their room to nap and regroup before their sunset reception at Jackson Lake Lodge.

Jackson Lake Lodge Elopement Photos

Before H + N’s reception dinner at the lodge, we took some fun portraits in their second outfits! It’s so important to incorporate time for just you two on your elopement day, even if it’s 30 minutes here and there. This time gave them a chance to reconnect after getting ready and enjoy the views from the lodge.

Jackson Lake Lodge Small Wedding Reception

At Jackson Lake Lodge, there are three different restaurants: The Mural Room (fine dining with a view), Blue Heron Lounge (casual dining with wildlife viewing), and Pioneer Grill (informal 1950’s style diner). H + N had reserved The Mural Room for dinner and dessert! We got to eat with them and capture some dinner moments. Afterwards, we all went outside to watch the sunset and toast to their marriage!

Sunset in Grand Teton National Park

H + N really lucked out with both an incredible sunrise and sunset on their wedding day. Since the lodge hadn’t reserved a long table for H + N’s reception, we spontaneously decided to save toasts for sunset! Everyone had something prepped to share with H + N. We stayed outside for about 30 minutes talking about how wonderful these two are, and wishing them well on this new adventure as a married couple! Their family prayed over them, and it was such a beautiful way to end this sunrise to sunset Grand Teton elopement adventure.

Jackson Lake Elopement in Grand Teton National Park

Love what you see? Feel free to keep scrolling to check out more images from this incredible day! We’ve hand-picked some of our favorite photos to include. It was an amazing day full of beautiful moments!