Top Winter Elopement Locations That Won’t Wait for Spring

Think your wedding day has to wait for spring flowers or summer sunsets? Think again. Winter is an overlooked time of year that turns elopements into unforgettable adventures. You get dramatic skies, untouched landscapes, and the thrill of knowing your ceremony feels secret, intimate, and completely yours. From frozen alpine lakes to quiet city corners and hidden beaches, winter lets you bend the rules, slow the pace, and truly focus on the moment. It’s the season for couples who want more than just a ceremony. They want an experience. If this sounds like your kind of dream day, let’s take a look at winter elopement packages and explore venues that match your style, your energy, and the story you want to tell.

Sapphire Point in Colorado

Capacity: 30 guests

Booking: Permit Required – You are responsible for booking this venue.

Eloping at Sapphire Point feels like the mountains decided to be your uninvited but extremely attractive wedding crashers. (Sorry, not sorry, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.) You park, walk a short trail, step onto a cliff, and boom—peak mountain drama. Dillon Reservoir glows, the peaks line up just right, and the wind gives you that cinematic hair moment you could never recreate inside a venue. Be prepared for cold weather and your elopement photographer to geek out before you both can talk it all in. Heads up: this is a very popular elopement site. They allow reservations six months in advance on this site. 

Bethesda Arcade in New York City

Capacity: 16 guests

Booking: Permit Free Venue.

At Bethesda Arcade, you get a historic architectural masterpiece as your venue, seven million dollars of restored mosaics overhead, and a rotating audience of strangers trying to act casual. You speak your vows while the city keeps doing its thing around you, and suddenly you realize how romantic it is to choose each other in the middle of the chaos. The Minton tiles catch the light, musicians may pop in and out, and somewhere someone is proposing to a hot dog. This is the city. This is the bustle. This is your bold elopement day in the Big Apple. 

Bear Lake in Colorado

Capacity: 16

Booking: Permit Required – Simply Eloped will apply for you.

Bear Lake is the spot where you can literally get married on ice and pretend you planned that level of cinematic drama the whole time. (So, bring your ice skates, maybe.) In winter, the lake freezes and becomes your ceremony floor. You stand there, surrounded by peaks that look like motivational posters, while your snow boots crunch like you are starring in an adventure film. It is easy to reach from the parking area, which means you get the whole “epic alpine elopement” vibe without hiking through a survival documentary. Just remember the rules: ceremonies happen only from October 14th through May 25th, and the weekends are off limits for permits, so weekday rebels get the good ice.

St. Johns County Beaches in St. Augustine

Capacity: 45 guests

Booking: Permit Required – Simply Eloped will apply for you.

Snow? Snow what? Instead of being bundled up through vows at a frozen overlook, Vilano Beach lets you swap numb fingers for warm sand and ocean breeze. You walk out to the shoreline, feel the sun, and suddenly remember what your toes feel like. Even in winter months, the weather here leans toward balmy with a side of smug satisfaction. No altitude, no wool socks, no ceremony where you can see your breath. Just sunshine, salty air, and the kind of golden hour that makes your wedding day photos look like a travel campaign.

Ironwoods Beach in Maui, Hawaii

Capacity: 26 guests

Booking: Permit Required – Simply Eloped will apply for you.

Ironwoods Beach is where you go when you want to elope on a beach without an accidental audience of sunbathers, joggers, and that one guy aggressively playing volleyball by himself. Tucked on the quieter northwest side of Maui, it feels like the ocean is letting you borrow a private slice of coastline. You get soft sand, dramatic cliffs, and waves that crash with perfect timing. It is intimate enough that you can whisper your vows, yet wild enough that the wind might cheer you on. If you’re looking for a slower, quieter, and more intentional venue, Ironwoods is for you.

Moraine Park in Colorado

Capacity: 26 guests

Booking: Permit Required – Simply Eloped will apply for you.

Moraine Park is like stepping straight into a snow globe that someone forgot to shake. The meadow stretches under the snow-covered land, the river still winds through, and the mountains just stand there being dramatic because they can. The valley goes quiet, and suddenly it’s just the two of you, your breath in the air, and the Rockies showing off their best angles. Elk are known to hang around Moraine Park in every season—yes, even winter—because this valley is one of the prime elk habitats in the entire national park. Are you ready for a winter wonderland venue that feels private, wild, and cinematic?

Greengale Farms in Las Vegas, Nevada

Capacity: 21 guests

Booking: Reservation Required – Simply Eloped will apply for you.

While winter weather is busy bullying the rest of the world, imagine you and your partner eloping in a winter elopement location under palm trees at this seventy-acre farm outside Las Vegas. The Palm Tree Oasis feels like your own secret corner of the desert, quiet and secluded without making you hike up a mountain. You exchange vows, take in the meadows around you, and suddenly it hits you. You escaped winter to get married somewhere that feels like your personal retreat.

A Whitehouse Wedding in Charleston, South Carolina

Capacity: 20 guests

Booking: Reservation Required – Simply Eloped will apply for you

When you elope at A Whitehouse Wedding in Charleston, you trade cooler weather for river views, sprawling lawns, and oak trees that look like they’ve seen every love story in the last hundred years. The property sits on the riverbank, wrapped in moss-draped oaks that make everything feel a little slower and a lot more intentional. You say your vows while the water moves lazily by and the trees provide an automatic sense of hush. It feels calm, grounded, and beautifully uncomplicated. And this is how an elopement should feel.

Crescent Moon Day Use Area in Sedona, Arizona

Capacity: 13

Booking: Permit Required – Simply Eloped will apply for you

Crescent Moon Day Use Area is the kind of place that doesn’t need frills to impress. You’ve got Cathedral Rock staring down at you, Oak Creek weaving quietly nearby, and enough trees and red rocks to make anyone with eyes jealous. The setting is described as “one of Sedona’s most beloved and photographed destinations.” The views do all the heavy lifting; your job is just to show up, say your vows, and try not to trip on the uneven ground.

Colvin House in Chicago, Illinois

Capacity: 45

Booking: Reservation Required – Simply Eloped will apply for you.

Eloping at Colvin House means trading winter weather and cookie-cutter ceremony vibes for a mansion that oozes history and charm. Marble fireplaces, crystal chandeliers, and a grand oak staircase set the stage, whether you’re indoors or wandering the frosty courtyard with Lake Michigan as your backdrop. Bonus tip: after you elope, celebrate like a local and track down a classic Chicago dog—yellow mustard, neon green relish, chopped white onions, tomato wedges, a dill pickle spear, and sports peppers, all finished with a dash of celery salt. Consider it the city’s official approval of your marriage… unless you order it with ketchup. Just don’t. 

Eloping in winter is about more than the season; it’s about stepping off the beaten path and designing a day that feels like you and your partner. From icy lakes to ocean breezes, historic halls to ski town hideaways, your options are as varied as the adventures you want to have. Pick your venue, plan the essentials, and let winter set the stage. 

If the idea of vows in a private sleigh ride or in a surfside town sounds perfect, it’s time to act. Planning a winter elopement doesn’t have to be complicated, and we can help you every step of the way. Contact us and let’s start shaping the day you’ve always wanted. 

CITATION

Booth, Kelsey. “Eloping at Sapphire Point Overlook.” Greenhouse Creative Studios, 24 Aug. 2025, greenhousecreativestudios.com/sapphire-point-wedding/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

“Crescent Moon Ranch/Red Rock Crossing.” Visit Sedona, 30 Sept. 2025, visitsedona.com/sedona-secret-7/picnics/crescent-moon-ranch-red-rock-crossing/?utm_source. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

“Elk – Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado.” National Park Service, 7 Oct. 2025, www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/elk.htm. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

“Sapphire Point Overlook.” Recreation.Gov, 1 Oct. 2025, www.recreation.gov/venues/VR22273. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

“Weddings in Central Park.” Official Website of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, 16 Jan. 2025, www.nycgovparks.org/highlights/weddings/central-park. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.