Post Summary: If you've been looking for the perfect place to elope in the western U.S., I have to tell you how epic Montana is! Maybe you want to elope in the middle of the mountains, in front of a stunning lake, or right by a glistening glacier - Montana has it all. Below is a guide to the 32 best places to elope in Montana in 2023!
Alright friends, we’ve made it out of the Pacific Northwest (for now) – and we’re movin’ onto Montana!! I’m absolutely in LOVE with this amazing state that’s home to Yellowstone + Glacier National Parks, the stunning Bighorn Mountains, hot springs galore, and scenic views basicallyyyy everywhere you look. That’s why, if you’re a couple looking for your perfect elopement destination I want to encourage you to consider eloping in Montana! I’ve put together this comprehensive guide to the 32 best places to elope in Montana in 2023 to help you navigate through alllll the most beautiful places in the state – because trust me, there are plenty.
Whether you’re dreaming of saying your vows in front of an alpine lake with mountains reflecting in the water, or in the forest after relaxing in a nearby hot spring, orrrr making it official after wrapping up a glorious hike in the mountains, Montana has SO dang much to offer. I can’t wait for you to look into all of these beautiful locations, and to find the one that’s right for your Montana adventure elopement. As always, happy exploring!
The Ultimate “How to Elope in Montana” Checklist
Before I present my massive list of locations to you, I wanted to give you a quick checklist that I thought would be helpful as you plan your Montana elopement. Here’s a simple list of the basic steps to follow for how to elope in Montana, and THEN we’ll dive right into the epic locations I’ve got for ya!
1. Pick a date around the best time to visit
When it comes to picking your Montana elopement date, I highlyyy recommend choosing a date around the seasons + weather. Once you have your eyes on a few locations on the list below, look up what the best time of year is to visit each location: research what weather conditions are like, what trail/road closures could potentially happen, when views are the best, and when there are the least crowds. This will ensure you pick a location + date + time of day that helps you avoid crowds as much as possible, see the epic landscapes in all their glory, and be comfortable with + prepared for the weather conditions!
2. Choose your location(s)
Here’s the hard part: nailing down your final location(s). And I purposefully added an “s” onto there because yes, you can totally visit multiple locations for your elopement! I love when couples choose one location for their ceremony (where weddings are permitted), one location for their couples portraits, and maybe another location for a first look, a bonus hike, or a fun activity. It’s really great having that variety not only in your elopement photos, but also in the vibe of the day. You can go from hiking a mountain to swimming in an alpine lake to getting some R&R in a hot spring in the middle of the forest!
3. Hire your Montana elopement photographer + other vendors
Now that you have your heart set on a location + a date (or a season/month), it’s time to reach out to vendors! I recommend reaching out to your dream Montana elopement photographer first, as photographers tend to book up very quickly + far in advance. And if you REALLY have your heart set on one specific photographer, narrow your date down to a season or month, and choose your final date based on when your photographer is available! Once you’ve done that, see if your photog can recommend other vendors to you so you can create the perfect team to help make your day come to life.
4. Book your lodging
Next up: book your lodging! Find an Airbnb, VRBO, hotel, lodge, resort, campground, whatever floats your boat – and make sure it’s somewhere you can be super comfy, relaxed, and where you’ll have space to celebrate, whether you want to stay by yourselves or with a few of your fave guests.
If you’re considering eloping in Glacier National Park, I added a bunch of great places to stay near the park in this Glacier National Park elopement guide, including lodges, Airbnb’s, & campgrounds!
5. Apply for a Special Use Permit
Don’t forget to apply for a Special Use Permit if your elopement location requires one – especially for Glacier National Park, since they take wedding reservations pretty far in advance! For each location on the list below, I included what permit you need, if any, so you can start looking into that application ASAP.
6. Apply for a Montana marriage license
Along those same lines, make sure you get your Montana marriage license, too! You can head to this section of my Glacier National Park elopement guide to learn about Montana’s marriage laws + the process of getting your license!
7. Schedule your activities
We’re getting closer to the big day – woohoo! It’s time to plan out all the activities you want to incorporate into your elopement, such as horseback riding, helicopter tours, white water rafting, ziplining, having a picnic lunch, etc. It’s important to plan these as far in advance as possible to make sure you can include everything you want to into your timeline with plenty of time to get to each location + activity.
8. Do last-minute prep + research
Finally, make sure you do plenty of last-minute prep when the day is getting closer! Look into current weather conditions, any unexpected road + trail closures, highway statuses, and prepare for any emergency scenarios that could come up. The last thing we want to happen is for us to get to your elopement location, only to find that weather or construction caused a closure that we didn’t know about – that is the beauty of backup plans!
How to Get to Montana
Traveling to Montana is super easy, thanks to the many international airports + multitude of smaller regional airports! If you’ll be flying into Montana, definitely rent a car so that you have all the freedom to explore wherever you want, whenever you want, without having to rely too much on public transportation – especially if you'll be out in the middle of nowhere with no actual access to public transportation.
There are 5 international airports in Montana:
- Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN)
- Glacier Park International Airport (FCA)
- Missoula International Airport (MSO)
- Billings Logan International Airport (BIL)
- Great Falls International Airport (GTF)
It also makes for a kickass road trip destination if you’re driving from somewhere like Washington, Oregon, California, Wyoming, etc. I highly recommend breaking up the trip if you’ll be driving, and spending the night in some cozy Airbnb’s along the way to make it even more enjoyable + memorable. Then, once you get to Montana, it’ll be time to tie the knot and explore the stunning state as much as you can!
35 Best Places to Elope in Montana in 2023
Now who’s ready to get to the locations?! Below are the 35 best places to elope in Montana in 2023, separated into different regions of the state. For each location, I’ve included a few things: what airport is closest + how long the drive is, the closest town, and what permit(s) you need. Can't wait to see which one(s) you pick!
Glacier National Park Elopement Locations
Because it’s a national park, every location inside of Glacier NP requires you to follow the same set of rules + restrictions. Please note, however, that not all of these locations are on the Glacier NP permitted wedding locations list – so some may be listed because they’re great spots for elopement portraits, and not necessarily your official, formal ceremony!
Closest airport: FCA
Drive time from airport: 30 minutes
Closest town: Coram
Permit(s) needed: Entry Pass, Special Use Permit, Vehicle Reservation
1. Going-to-the-Sun-Road
2. West Glacier – Lake McDonald
3. West Glacier – Avalanche Lake
4. East Glacier – St. Mary Lake
5. Many Glacier – Grinnell Lake
6. Many Glacier – Lake Josephine
7. Two Medicine
8. North Fork
If you’re considering eloping in this stunning park, do NOT miss out on my brand new , in-depth Glacier National Park Elopement Guide, which includes every piece of info you need to know!!
Bozeman Elopement Locations
9. Sage Lodge
Closest airport: BZN
Drive time from airport: 1 hour
Closest town: Merriman
Permit(s) needed: None
10. Fairy Lake
Closest airport: BZN
Drive time from airport: 1 hour
Closest town: Bridger
Permit(s) needed: Special Use Permit for groups of more than 75 people
11. Custer Gallatin National Forest
Closest airport: BZN
Drive time from airport: 2.5 hours (to the town of Red Lodge)
Closest town:
Permit(s) needed: Special Use Permit for groups of more than 75 people
12. Hyalite Canyon Reservoir
Closest airport: BZN
Drive time from airport: 50 minutes
Closest town: Patterson
Permit(s) needed: Permit may be required for groups of more than 75 people
13. Sacajawea Peak
Closest airport: BZN
Drive time from airport: 1 hour
Closest town: Bridger
Permit(s) needed: Special Use Permit for groups of more than 75 people
Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness (Shoshone National Forest) Elopement Locations
14. Monument Peak
Closest airport: BZN
Drive time from airport: 4 hours
Closest town: Mc Leod
Permit(s) needed: Permit may be required for groups of more than 75 people
Flathead National Forest Elopement Locations
15. Flathead Lake State Park
Closest airport: FCA
Drive time from airport: 35 minutes
Closest town: Bigfork
Permit(s) needed: Permit may be required for groups of more than 75 people
16. Hungry Horse Reservoir
Closest airport: FCA
Drive time from airport: 1 hour 15 minutes
Closest town: Hungry Horse
Permit(s) needed: Permit may be required for groups of more than 75 people
17. Mission Mountains
Closest airport: FCA
Drive time from airport: 1 hour 15 minutes (to the town of Condon)
Closest town: Condon
Permit(s) needed: Permit may be required for groups of more than 75 people
Kootenai National Forest Elopement Locations
18. Leigh Lake
Closest airport: FCA
Drive time from airport: 2 hours
Closest town: White Haven
Permit(s) needed: Permit may be required for groups of more than 75 people
19. Murphy Lake
Closest airport: FCA
Drive time from airport: 1 hour
Closest town: Fortine
Permit(s) needed: Permit may be required for groups of more than 75 people
20. Trapper Peak
Closest airport: FCA
Drive time from airport: 3.5 hours (to the town of Darby)
Closest town: Darby
Permit(s) needed: Permit may be required for groups of more than 75 people
Big Sky Elopement Locations
21. Ousel Falls
Closest airport: BZN
Drive time from airport: 1 hour
Closest town: Big Sky
Permit(s) needed: None
Whitefish Elopement Locations
22. Whitefish Lake Overlook
Closest airport: FCA
Drive time from airport: 25 minutes
Closest town: Whitefish
Permit(s) needed: Special Use Permit required for groups of more than 30 people
23. Whitefish Lake State Park
Closest airport: FCA
Drive time from airport: 25 minutes
Closest town: Whitefish
Permit(s) needed: Special Use Permit required for groups of more than 30 people
24. Lion Mountain Trail
Closest airport: FCA
Drive time from airport: 20 minutes
Closest town: Whitefish
Permit(s) needed: None
Lolo National Forest Elopement Locations
25. Blue Mountain
Closest airport: MSO
Drive time from airport: 1 hour
Closest town: Lolo
Permit(s) needed: Special Use Permit required for groups of more than 75 people
26. Primm Lake
Closest airport: MSO
Drive time from airport: 1 hour
Closest town: Miller
Permit(s) needed: Special Use Permit required for groups of more than 75 people
27. Jerry Johnson Hot Springs
Closest airport: MSO
Drive time from airport: 1.5 hours
Closest town: Lolo
Permit(s) needed: Special Use Permit required for groups of more than 75 people
Bitterroot National Forest Elopement Locations
28. Little Saint Joseph Peak
Closest airport: MSO
Drive time from airport: 35 minutes (to the town of Florence)
Closest town: Florence
Permit(s) needed: Noncommercial Group Use Permit required for groups of more than 75 people
29. Glen Lake
Closest airport: MSO
Drive time from airport: 45 minutes (to the town of Stevensville)
Closest town: Victor
Permit(s) needed: Noncommercial Group Use Permit required for groups of more than 75 people
Other Elopement Locations
30. Makoshika State Park
Closest airport: BIL
Drive time from airport: 3.5 hours
Closest town: Fallon
Permit(s) needed: Special Use Permit required for groups of more than 30 people
31. Bighorn Canyon
Closest airport: BIL
Drive time from airport: 1.5 hours
Closest town: St Xavier
Permit(s) needed: Special Use Permit
32. Paradise Valley
Closest airport: BIL
Drive time from airport: 2 hours
Closest town: Livingston
Permit(s) needed: None
Montana Elopement Photographer
That’s my cue – hey friend, I’m Katie!! I’m an adventure-loving, love-obsessed Montana elopement photographer who is SO ready to document your incredible elopement in Montana. I’m freaking in love with everything about Montana, from the glaciers to the mountains and everything in between, and I believe so wholeheartedly that it’s a phenomenal place to have your adventure elopement.
If you’re looking for a photographer who will be ready to help you find the perfect Montana elopement location, help you plan your ideal timeline, guide you through the process of getting your marriage license, and more – then I’m your gal.
Let’s get to know each other a little bit more here, and then you can reach out to me here when you’re ready to get this thing started – I can’t wait to help you bring your wildest Montana adventure elopement dreams to life!
Montana Elopement Packages + Pricing
Elopement Packages and Pricing for Montana
- 4 hours – 2 days of elopement photography coverage anywhere in Montana
- Your own personal elopement guide & consultant
- Unique and personalized location scouting
- Vendor recommendations
- Permit and marriage license assistance
- Hand-crafted elopement timeline
- Created just-for-you activity list
- Unlimited guides and resources
- 100+ page How to Elope Guidebook
- Optional complimentary officiant service
- Digital online gallery with full resolution image and printing rights
- Sneak peek images within 1 week
- Photographer travel fees covered anywhere in Montana
Starting at $6,500
More Northwest U.S. Elopement Locations
If you’re still unsure of where you want to elope, don’t worry! I’ve been working hard on creating TONS of elopement guides for couples in the northwest U.S., from Arizona to Oregon to Washington to California and more. Check out some of my all-time favorite elopement locations guides below, whether you want to elope in the sunny Arizona desert or the luscious forests of Oregon!
Best Places to Elope in Oregon
Best Places to Elope in California
Best Places to Elope in Yosemite
Best Places to Elope in Arizona
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READY TO PLAN YOUR DREAM ELOPEMENT?
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In order to make your dream elopement day happen, it's super important that we connect and that you feel comfortable with me! The best way to do this is to reach out and schedule a call so you can learn more about me and I can learn about you two so i can document what's real + the most important to you.
