Jackson Hole, Wyoming Elopement Guide
How to Have an Adventure Wedding in Grand Teton National Park
Hi! We’re The Hearnes, adventure wedding photographers who live on the road and specialize in intimate weddings and elopements - you can see our travel schedule here! Not sure what that means? No worries, we’re here to explain it to ya! You can read more about elopements here. We aren’t just photographers — we’re here to walk you through the whole process! After over 5 years of traveling around the world (and mainly the Western US), we have extensive knowledge and experience in a lot of amazing destinations.
We’ve created these introductory guides for everyone, but they’re only a taste of what we really have to offer! After booking with us, our couples have access to Elopement and Intimate Wedding Specific Guides, an Adventure Session Guide, and in-depth location guides similar to this one but with much more information (think location names + google maps pins, specific vendors, links to adventures and lodging, our personal travel guide for the region, and so much more. Here are some other guides we’ve created:
How to Elope in Moab, Utah
HOW TO ELOPE IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK [COMING SOON!]
HOW TO ELOPE IN ALASKA [COMING SOON!]
What to Know About Jackson Hole + Grand Teton National Park
You’ll hear a lot of names for this region and it can get a bit confusing, so to clarify: Jackson, Wyoming is a small-ish (10,000 population) town located on the southern side of Grand Teton National Park. The town is located in Jackson Hole Valley, and the home of a world-class ski resort named Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. We most often hear it referred to the town/region as “Jackson Hole.”
Grand Teton National Park is huge, but the main attraction is the Teton mountain range, which is featured in most photos on this page! The tallest mountain in the middle of range is called the Grand Teton! There are a lot of amazing hikes within the park and in the National Forest land surrounding it (mentioned below) and Jackson is a great town to use as your “home base” for your elopement. Also fun note — the Jackson airport is by far our favorite airport we’ve ever flown to…it’s like a gorgeous lodge with epic mountain views and they sometimes even hand you mimosas as you arrive!
You do need a permit to have your ceremony within the park, so depending on the ceremony location we choose, you can get your permit here.
Best Seasons to Elope in The Tetons
Jackson Hole is beautiful in pretty much every season, but our very favorites are Fall and Summer. Spring is typically pretty muddy and can be really cold. Winter is absolutely gorgeous, but you have to be tough in cold weather! The snowy photos from Cat + Shaw’s adventure session were in mid-December and it was a crisp 0 degrees F outside at sunrise!
Summer (June-August) in Grand Teton NP is so nice! There is typically still snow on the mountains up high, and the wild flowers come in as early as June. Jen and Amanda’s elopement was in late June and we had the most beautiful yellow flowers all around. The weather is typically predictable and warm during the day with cooler nights. Summer is the most popular time for hiking/NP crowds, but it’s easy to get away and find secluded places.
Fall (September-October) is really beautiful, the weather is a bit cooler and the trees turn colors starting in September. The crowds begin to slow down and the park becomes more peaceful. The temps begin to drop in October and the first big snow of the season could happen as early as September, but is often in October. Ski season usually begins in November.
Sample Timelines for Grand Teton National Park Elopements
In our elopement specific guide we send over sample timelines to help our couples visualize their day and plan everything out with us. Our location-specific guides go even more in depth, giving multiple choices for 6-Hour to Multi-Day timelines with specific sunrise/sunset times and seasonal considerations for their location. Here is one example timeline for a Grand Teton Elopement:
8 Hours | 7am sunrise/7:30pm sunset
6:30am Meet up at secret location 1, change in our camper
6:50-8:00am First look + portraits at sunrise
8:15 Head back to secret location 2
8:45 Arrive back at secret location 2, freshen up for ceremony
9:00 Morning ceremony at secret location 2
9:30-10:30 Catered brunch at secret location 2
- break
3:30pm Meet back up at secret location 3
3:30-7:00 Hike secret location 3 stopping for portraits along the way
7:00-7:30 Sunset portraits in the secret location 4 depending on when we finish the hike!
*exact location names edited out to save them specifically for our booked couples!
Easily Accessible Views in The Tetons + Hikes in Grand Teton National Park
One of the best things about planning an elopement in Grand Teton National Park is how accessible some of the best views are! We have an extensive list of epic overlooks that are just minutes from the car — places you won’t find looking through a park map as well as some official but underrated locations. That being said, there are some really amazing hikes in the Jackson Hole area, and we have a list of favorites we send to every booked couple ranging from less than a mile to 6+ miles!
Adventures + Activities in Jackson Hole
In addition to favorite hikes and overlooks, we send every couple a list of epic adventures offered in the Jackson Hole area that would be amazing for their adventure wedding, whether they’ve decided to elope with no guests or have an intimate wedding with up to 30 guests.
Additional Information Provided in Our Private Guides:
Local & Traveling Vendors We Reccomend | Recommended Jackson-Speicifc Accessories | Lodging + Travel Logistics for Jackson Hole | Our Favorite Jackson Eats + Activities
Whether you’re interested in working with us or not, we sure hope this guide has been helpful in planning an adventure wedding in Jackson Hole! We absolutely love Grand Teton National Park and are so psyched to adventure with our amazing couples out there this year. If you’re interested in eloping with us in Jackson, feel free to reach out via our contact form!