Bride and Groom Portraits in Grand Teton National Park

You do not need to be eloping or getting married in Grand Teton National Park to get some amazing bridal photos! Kellie and Janson were visiting to celebrate their 1st wedding anniversary and wanted to celebrate by getting all dressed up again and taking wedding photos. They loved their wedding day, but it rained and was busy and they just wanted more images to celebrate their love. Plus, you can not beat the views of the Teton mountains! You are able to do any kind of session in Grand Teton National Park: family, senior, engagement, and formals.

However, it is easy to elope here too! Grand Teton National Park is by far one of my most favorite locations for couples to elope to. This park has stunning views, pristine alpine lakes and an abundance of wildlife. There are several hikes to explore, outdoor activities to try and food to be eaten in Jackson. In this post I will walk you through some basics to know when planning on eloping at GTNP.

Grand Teton Wedding Permits

In order to have your elopement or wedding inside of the park you need to apply for a permit. YOu need to check dates and times and apply. There is an application fee. Information and rules can be found here.

Applications will be accepted no less than 30 days in advance for Reserved Site-Specific Ceremonies or Small Dispersed Ceremonies.

Reserved Site-Specific Ceremony Location Permits

There are 6 designated ceremony sites within Grand Teton National Park. Each ceremony site is limited to 60 ceremonies per year. Only one ceremony per day can be held at each location. The only exception is Colter Bay Swim Beach, which allows only 30 ceremonies per year.

You must have a start and end time when applying for your permit. Time slots are for up to 2-hours. To calculate your group size you must include vendors, guests, wedding party, children and yourselves.

Ceremony Locations:

1. Schwabacher Landing – Limit 25 people 
2. Mormon Row (North or South) – Limit 40 people (North) or 25 people (South)
3. Mountain View Turnout – Limit 25 people
4. Glacier View Turnout – Limit 25 people
5. Snake River Overlook – Limit 25 people
6. Colter Bay Swim Beach – Limit 40 people

Small Dispersed Ceremony Location Permits

You can apply to have your ceremony in remote areas of the park. However, when applying you must provide a location description with coordinates and/or a satellite view map of the requested location. Dispersed ceremony locations are limited to 12 people. These are my favorite kind of ceremonies!! Permits will be declined if it interferes with general visitor use or causes resource damage.

Prohibited locations include:

• The paved trails within and surrounding the Jenny Lake Visitor Plaza at South Jenny Lake, Jenny Lake Trail, and Jenny Lake Overlook
• Hidden Falls
• Inspiration Point
• String Lake
• Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve
• Concessioner land assignments
• Park partner facilities (e.g., Murie Ranch, Teton Science School)
• The Chapel of the Transfiguration
• Park cemeteries

Locations Outside of the Park to Consider

There are other great locations near Grand Teton National Park that have extraordinary views of the Tetons. Some of these locations still require permits but they aren’t as expensive and don’t have such an extensive process.

Wedding Tree

I love this site. It has a great view of the Tetons. This location is in Bridger-Teton National Forest which makes it dog friendly whereas Grand Teton National Park isn’t very dog friendly. The wedding tee is off of Gros Ventre Road .There is a small pullout parking lot on the right just before Lower Slide Lake and there is about a 5-minute walk and leads you to an old tree at the edge of a ridge overlooking the Tetons.

You must reserve the area for your wedding or elopement with a permit from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) – apply here. The wedding tree is first-come, first-served. Requests must be sent at least 30 days prior to the event date. Large or complex events may require more than 30 days to process. Requests must be submitted by the individuals getting married. A non-refundable processing fee of $200 is due at the signing of this Operating Plan.

Additionally, it is to note that the parking lot can only accommodate 5-7 cars. Always make sure to have a full tank of gas, water and food. Phone service is not guaranteed.

Table Mountain

Outside of the park you can find table mountain which is another incredible location to say your vows to each other. Table Mountain is located at Grand Targhee Resort. You can hike the 5.5 mile trail to the top of the mountain or take ski lift. You can expect to see sweeping views of the Tetons that will make you feel like you can reach out and touch them. This is a pretty busy area so you will want to make sure that you choose a weekday or off-season date if you are considering this location. I haven’t photographed this area yet and it’s on my bucket list!