How to Elope in Asheville, NC

Elopements in Asheville, NC are definitely some of my favorites! We may not have the same scenery as out west, but we do have some epic mountains, lakes, waterfalls, fields with the mountains in the distance, & so much more. This guide for elopements in Asheville, NC has everything you need to know for eloping in & around Asheville. As an Asheville elopement photographer, part of my job is to help my couples plan the most epic & adventurous elopements in North Carolina!

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Not sure where to start with planning? No worries! When working with me, the only thing you need to narrow down before booking is a date & some ideas of what you want your day to look like! Here are some of the things I’ll help you with when planning your elopement.

• Vendor suggestions for cakes, makeup, florals, etc.

• Location suggestions & personal scouting. If in our search we discover a location I’ve never been to before, I will drive out to check it out before your big day & send you photos so you’re able to picture yourself there!

• I’ll research any permit requirements or other regulation info that may be applicable to your specific location.

• Personalized timeline. Even smaller elopements & weddings need a timeline to keep the day running smoothly.

• Gear help! While many of my couples are seasoned backpackers, a lot of them aren’t! And that’s totally okay! I’ll be here to help you with any gear suggestions & give you a packing list to make sure you have everything you need for your elopement.

• Activity suggestions. – Who says an elopement has to be a short ceremony & some photos and that’s it? The best part about eloping is that you get to do whatever you want on your wedding day! Whether you want to do a sunrise hike, visit your favorite pizza shop in your wedding attire, or even go on a hot air balloon ride, I’m here for it. It’s your day, so make it a fun one!

• So much more!

Eloping in Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is a cute city that has a little bit of everything. It’s a great home base for adventure seekers & tourists who want to experience the outdoors while still being able to enjoy city life. Whether you want to go rock climbing, hike to a waterfall, or spend some time shopping around downtown, Asheville and the surrounding area has it all.

Marriage Licenses in Buncombe County, North Carolina

Asheville is located within Buncombe County in North Carolina. Both parties must be present at the Buncombe County Register of Deeds Office & pay a $60 fee for the marriage license. Valid photo ID & social security cards are required to receive the license. Before visiting the Register of Deeds office, you must first complete the marriage license application. This can be done online. After you’ve received your marriage license, it’s valid for 60 days and can be used anywhere in North Carolina.

North Carolina requires that all ceremonies be conducted by a recognized officiant. Something important to note is that North Carolina does NOT recognize online ordained ministers as valid. If you want a friend or family member to perform your ceremony, one way around this is to have a civil ceremony at the courthouse & then have your friend or family member perform your ceremony at your elopement.

If you’re hiring a recognized officiant for your elopement day, you’ll also need two witnesses to sign the marriage license. Luckily, as your photographer, I’m able to be one of those witnesses! If you don’t want to invite anyone else, or if you can’t find someone to be your second witness, I am more than happy to help find someone. After your elopement ceremony you’ll have 10 days to return the marriage license to the Register of Deeds Office. Most officiants offer this as part of their services.

Learn more about marriage licenses in Asheville

Where to apply for your marriage license in Asheville: 205 College St, Asheville, NC 28801

Officiants in Asheville

One of the vendor suggestions I always give is for officiants in Asheville. It’s so important to find someone you mesh with & will be able to tell a little snippit of your love story through your ceremony. A lot of times couples save booking their officiant for last but it’s honestly one of the most important aspects of planning your ceremony!

Leave No Trace in Asheville

If you’re not familiar with LNT, here’s the gist. The land we use and enjoy can only continue to be enjoyed if we take the precautions to take care of it. There are many activities (wedding related & not) that can harm the land & eventually destroy its beauty. This is why as guests to public land, we are asked to Leave No Trace. This means no littering, not straying from the trails, getting permits when required, & to be considerate of others who are also enjoying the scenery.

Some ways that you may not even realize are considered littering when eloping are using live flowers where they are restricted or using “biodegradable” confetti. The flowers could have pests (bugs) that could harm the ecosystem. & the “biodegradable” confetti still takes a looooooong time to actually disintegrate. And no, it won’t disappear after the first rain storm. Or the second. Or even the third. Claiming that confetti is “eco-friendly” or “biodegradable” is just a marketing scheme.

It’s extremely important to stay on marked trails, especially at higher elevations. I know it might look cool out in a grassy clearing or near a mossy rock, but there are reasons to stay on the trail. Walking on surfaces that aren’t durable can cause erosion of the land & impacts it in a way that ruins its beauty. When you step off trail, you’re destroying plants that could take years to recover. If you’re wondering what the outcome of walking off trail looks like, go hike Black Balsam & you’ll see.

Permits might seem like a hassle or unneeded expense when planning your elopement, but they do have an important purpose. In order to obtain a wedding ceremony permit whether through the National Park System, or the National Forest, a ranger will have to view & approve your request. This ensures that we are following the rules & that future couples can also enjoy their elopements on national forest land. The permits are significantly cheaper than booking a wedding venue & the money goes towards the park.

One aspect of LNT that a lot of people don’t realize, is to be considerate of others. In an elopement setting, this means not forcing other park guests to move for your ceremony or photos. The land is for everyone to enjoy. But don’t worry, if there’s a person in the background of your photo, most likely I can just photoshop them out!

Where to Elope in Asheville, NC & the Best Adventure Elopement Locations

Asheville and the surrounding area has some pretty amazing places to elope! There’s waterfalls, mountaintops with 360 views, breweries, forests, & so much more. The best part about eloping is that you can plan to visit multiple locations on your wedding day! As an Asheville elopement photographer, I know of so many different & unique locations that the average tourist probably doesn’t know. Some of the most beautiful locations are off the beaten path.

Pisgah National Forest Elopements

Pisgah National Forest spans over 500,000 acres. There are loads of trails to explore whether you want an easy hike or a more difficult one. Having an elopement here does come with some restrictions.

There are certain locations that the forest service has asked photographers & couples to avoid whenever possible due to over crowding. Personally, I will only do an elopement at these locations on a weekday when there are far less people visiting them. To avoid the crowds even more, I’d highly suggest a sunrise session. The lighting is perfect during sunrise as well.

Blue Ridge Parkway Elopements

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a road that spans from the Smoky Mountains all the way up to the Shenandoahs in Virginia. There are tons of pull offs & view points along the road that make the perfect backdrop to an elopement in Asheville, North Carolina. There’s also a number of short hikes right off the parkway that have the most beautiful views.

The parkway does have some restrictions & requirements. The most important being that a permit is required for your ceremony location. Permits cost $100 & are non-refundable, even if the weather prevents you from being able to get to the location for your ceremony. Although there are some locations where ceremonies are not permitted along the parkway, photographs are allowed at these locations. Many couples will pay for a permit to have their ceremony at a viewpoint & then hike to the locations such as Rough Ridge, Craggy Gardens Pinnacle Trail, or Graveyard Fields for their portraits.

Group sizes must be 25 people or less (including vendors) & there are some locations where you must have an even smaller amount of guests. Permits are not given during the entire month of October or any holiday weekend due to overcrowding on those dates.

As with most locations for elopements, week days at sunrise are the best time for your portraits & ceremony due to lighting & the fact that there are less people visiting the Parkway during that time.

Asheville Airbnbs & Venue Elopements

When people think about adventure elopements they picture epic landscapes or unique landmarks. But sometimes it’s just nice to elope at a cute airbnb or venue & spend the rest of the week or weekend exploring those locations on your own time.

One reason to have an airbnb elopement in Asheville, North Carolina is so that you can have whatever props or decorations that you’d like. When you elope in the wilderness, you’re not able to have an extravagant archway or picnic with chairs and a table. But when you rent an airbnb or small venue, the options are endless.

These are just a few of the many different options for locations to elope in Asheville, North Carolina. Western North Carolina is known for its beautiful locations such as the Blue Ridge Parkway, Smoky Mountain National Park, & the Pisgah National Forest. In the Asheville area you can find mountains, old growth forests, waterfalls, open fields, & so many more amazing places to elope.

As an Asheville elopement photographer, part of my job is to help come up with a suggested location list based off of what you want the backdrop of your elopement to be. A lot of the best places aren’t in any book or blog online. When I send a location suggestion list, it includes the difficulty of the hike (if any), the elevation gain, how popular the location is, the best time of day to have your ceremony there, photos of the location as well as any other information I find to be pertinent for you to know. I always look forward to helping my couples throughout the planning process of their elopements in Asheville!

When to Elope in Asheville, NC

Asheville is a very popular tourist town. The weather can also be dicey at certain times of the year, Knowing when to elope in Asheville, NC is so important to ensuring you have less stress on your wedding day.

Autumn in Asheville

Fall in Asheville is by far the most beautiful time of year. This also means it’s the most busy time of year with thousands of visitors each day. If you’re going to plan an elopement in Asheville in the fall, make sure you do a sunrise hike up to a mountain with a view of the fall foliage. The weather is generally dry & mild which makes it perfect for elopements.

Winter in Asheville

The weather in the winter can be so unpredictable! But once we get our first ice or snow storm, you can expect the parkway to be shut down until March/April. This year the parkway didn’t close until around January, but in years past it’s closed in November. The good thing about winter elopements here, is that there are far less people & it’s very easy to find a private place for your ceremony. Just make sure to have a plan A, B, C, & D! I always suggest to my couples to rent a cute airbnb for their stay here that we can use in case of inclement weather for their elopement.

Spring in Asheville

If you’re a lover of spring wildflowers & budding greenery, late spring would be the time of year for you to get eloped. There are so many different mountaintops & even flower farms where you can get married surrounded by colorful flowers. It does rain quite often in the late spring here, so just be prepared to either have an indoor backup plan or bring your rain boots & umbrellas.

Summer in Asheville

Summer is the perfect time to elope if you want to have the classic lush green forests with the purple-ish pink rhododendron flowers blooming in your photos. It does rain a lot in the summer. Pisgah National Forest has almost enough rain each summer to be considered a temperate rain forest! I highly suggest being flexible when planning your summer elopement in Asheville, NC because it could be sunny in the morning and a full blown thunderstorm in the afternoon. When I book an elopement, I make sure to not have any other plans that day even if you only book me for a few hours. I’m always willing to push your timeline up or down to accommodate with the weather. Summers are also a very popular time of year for visitors so consider eloping on a weekday to avoid crowds.

Why You Should Elope on a Weekday

In case you didn’t notice earlier, I am a HUGE fan of weekday elopements. Most people aren’t going to take a week long trip to visit Asheville – they usually only plan to be here for a long weekend. That leaves Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays pretty open and available for couples to elope without having to wait for tourists to get out of the way of their photos or ceremony spot. Parking is a lot easier to find & the most popular locations will be more enjoyable since you won’t have to be surrounded by other people trying to get a photo at the same place as us. It’s also great because you’ll have an easier time finding a place to stay in Asheville. It’ll be much easier to find an affordable airbnb, campsite, or hotel to stay at during the week.

Planning your Elopement in Asheville, North Carolina

Eloping can help alleviate the stress of wedding planning significantly, but there’s still some important planning aspects you need to keep in mind with planning your elopement in Asheville, North Carolina.

First think about what your dream day would look like. What do you want to do with your partner? What type of location do you picture being the backdrop of your ceremony and photos? Once you’ve narrowed down these ideas & have booked me as your photographer, I’ll be here to help plan everything. I’ll help with permit requirement research, finding an officiant, helping you figure out what to pack, & help with anything else I can.

Elopement Gear Essentials

For your elopement you’re going to want to bring:

• a wedding dress/suit that is comfortable to move around in. You don’t want something that’s too restrictive & you also don’t want something with too much fabric that will get in the way of walking.

• a good & sturdy pair of hiking boots or trail runners. If you want nice shoes for some photos, feel free to bring them, but make sure you do the hiking in your boots

• More water than you think you’ll need. Camelbacks are good if haven’t mastered the art of grabbing your water bottle from your pack without taking it off.

• A copy of your permit if applicable.

Best Places to Stay in Asheville

There’s a lot of really nice places to stay in Asheville depending on what type of vibe you’re going for. There’s tons of airbnb’s, The Omni Grove Park Inn, Hotel Indigo, & even places to go glamping.

Getting to & Traveling Around Asheville

Asheville itself is full of lyfts & ubers, so if your plan is to stay in the city itself, you won’t need a rental car. But, if you plan on going anywhere outside of town you will definitely need a rental car. Lyfts & Ubers won’t take you to any of the adventurous locations you see in this blog post. As far as getting here, we’re very lucky in that we have an airport right at the edge of town. If you plan on doing some hikes more off the beaten path, I’d definitely suggest renting a 4WD vehicle. Some of the backroads off of the parkway do not get maintained at all.

Meet your Asheville, North Carolina Elopement Photographer

Hey! I’m Kirsten, & I’m the photographer behind this blog & Kirsten Alexandria Photography. I specialize in intimate weddings & adventure elopements here in Western North Carolina. Asheville is a very special place to me! In 2017 I hiked most of the Appalachian Trail & absolutely fell in love with the mountains here in North Carolina. The bald mountains and luscious forests are incredibly stunning & I really love sharing the beauty of these places with others like you. If you’re planning an elopement in Asheville, North Carolina, I’ll help make it a day you’ll look back on & want to remember every little detail of. So let’s go camping & take some photos under the stars, or splash around under a waterfall, or hike to the top of a mountain. There are so many options to make your Asheville Elopement the best day of your life.

Maybe you’ve never pictured yourself walking down the aisle & you’re wanting to avoid all of the stress of planning a traditional wedding. Traditional weddings don’t allow you to be your true & authentic self anyway! Inevitably you’ll make a decision based off of what someone else wants for you & your dream wedding no longer feels like you. So ditch those traditions and get married in the great outdoors! Say your vows to your partner with the birds chirping & the wind blowing in your hair. An intimate wedding or elopement is the perfect way to create memories you’ll want to remember forever & I’ll be there to take some epic photos of your whole experience. And while my job is to be your photographer, I like to be so much more than that for my couples. I’ll help carry your gear up the mountain, help you find other vendors, locations, & more.

I’m an Asheville, North Carolina Elopement Photographer currently photographing intimate weddings & elopements throughout North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina, & Eastern Tennessee.

I live in Asheville but I’m always open to traveling wherever you see yourself getting eloped in the USA. There are so many elopement photographers in the Asheville area to choose from. Like a lot. So what makes me any different than the next? I love taking photos that show the true emotions & in between moments of your wedding day. I edit in a natural, golden, & dreamy style, & always make sure that my images reflect the colors the way we saw them that day. I’ve made sure to be as educated as I can on all of the different regulations on the land when it comes to weddings & have thousands of miles of hiking & backpacking experience. I’m also a wilderness first responder for your peace of mind while we’re in the backcountry. I’m an adventure seeker & aim to make your wedding day photo experience a fun, comfortable, & adventurous one. Let’s chat about how we can make your dream elopement in Asheville NC come true!

Asheville makes the perfect backdrop for your adventurous elopement year round & has endless options for your dreams to come true. Looking to elope in Asheville, NC? I’d absolutely be honored to be your Asheville elopement photographer! Fill out my contact form to get started with planning your elopement in Asheville. I will help with permits, timelines, location suggestions, vendor suggestions, things to do, places to stay, & can answer any other questions about your adventure elopement in Asheville, North Carolina!