Looking for places to elope in Georgia? Here’s our recommendations for an adventurous elopement in the mountains!
Places to Elope in Georgia | For Adventures in the Mountains
When it comes to eloping in Georgia, you have lots of beautiful options available to you. There are many things to consider when choosing the right spot for you, so we’ve started with the basics here to show you the more popular spots and some lesser well known. As you can imagine, there is a greater chance of privacy when you get away from the popular locations.
The locations we’ve listed here are just a sample of what’s out there! We have lots of suggestions to help you find just the right place for you!
Important planning tips before choosing a location
There is a lot more to an elopement than just researching locations online. Season, time of day, deciding on a weekend or weekday, how many guests are just a few questions to start with. These reasons and more mean it’s a good idea to stop first and think about what kind of elopement you are thinking about before making plans.
For our detailed guide on how to plan an elopement in the North Georgia Elopement, click the link below!
How to Plan a North Georgia Elopement
Popular Places to Elope in the Georgia Mountains
Cloudland Canyon State Park
No list of places to elope in Georgia is complete without this gem! Below is a summary, but if you want to read in more detail, check out our guide Cloudland Canyon Wedding & Elopement Planning Guide.
Cloudland Canyon is a beautiful option for an elopement for two or an intimate wedding of about 10-25 guests. There is so much variety to this state park! Cliffside canyon overlooks, waterfalls, beautiful bridges traversing the landscape, so much to experience! Stay in one of their really cool yurts and cottages; and you can mountain bike in this park too!
You can combine an adventurous day for just the two of you and have flexibility for a ceremony with your family here. Great option for an adventurous elopement in Georgia!
Free Download: Elopement Budget Spreadsheet
Important things to know about Cloudland Canyon State Park for an elopement:
- It is a very popular park, so we’d recommend a weekday if you can plan it that way. If you are looking at a weekend, aim for early morning or late afternoon to avoid crowds. When the parking lot is full, park staff will turn people away at the gate and you don’t want to get caught in this situation!
- The park overlooks work both for sunrise and sunset, but it depends on the time of the year whether you’ll want a spot at the east or west rim. Definitely lean on your photographer’s expertise to choose the right spot!
- Definitely call the park ahead of making any plans. Often wedding parties will book up all the lodging (cabins) in the park for weekends a year in advance!
- For lodging outside the park, there is a good selection of beautiful cabins and even a few treehouses nearby. Check out Rising Fawn or Lookout Mountain for Airbnbs and VRBO properties. Here is our guide to Airbnb Wedding Venues in Georgia for more info!
Despite the popularity, Cloudland Canyon is in our opinion one of the best places to elope in Georgia, especially if you like both waterfalls and mountain views. All of this is available within the park and only a short hike away!
Black Rock Mountain State Park
Black Rock Mountain is Georgia’s highest state park. You can experience beautiful views from overlooks, hikes into the forest and along mountain streams, and a small picturesque lake too. They even have cottages with views of the mountains!
There are multiple overlooks in the park but our favorite is the rock outcropping next to the visitor center. It has easy access to parking and works great for a small group.
Black Rock Mountain State Park is near the mountain town of Dillard, Georgia which has a great selection of vacation rentals nearby too!
How to Plan a North Georgia Elopement
Fort Mountain State Park
Fort Mountain State Park is tucked away in the mountains in between Ellijay and Dalton, and is at a significant enough elevation above the valley to have significantly cooler weather than below. This can be great when it’s a warm day down in the valley!
The best overlook spot is on the west side of the park with the view of the valley below. This is a short hike of about a mile out and back:
Due to the size and the trail leading to the overlook, this might be a better spot for couples photos before or after your ceremony. If you have a larger group, the area next to the tower is spacious and very unique! Also an interesting feature is the heart shaped rock built into the tower.
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One more overlook in the park is a nice spot for a morning ceremony, although the views are not as expansive as the overlook on the west side. The parking spots here are also very few so we wouldn’t plan on a very large group here
Vogel State Park
If you love the idea of a mountain lake as a backdrop for your wedding ceremony, Vogel is a place to consider! The trail around the lake has many great vantage points for photos together, and you can rent the lake pavilion for your ceremony and/or reception.
There is even a beautiful waterfall only a short hike away!
Free Download: Elopement Budget Spreadsheet
Tallulah Gorge State Park
Tallulah Gorge is unique in the east coast for it’s two mile length and 1,000 foot depth. You will need a permit to hike the (strenuous) trails to the gorge floor and back – or enjoy all the views from up top from many overlooks!
More Places to Elope in the Georgia Mountains
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest
If you’re willing to hike 2-3 miles (or more) you can open up lots more possibilities – and also have more chance for privacy too! Especially if you want to plan a day for just the two of you, this can be a great option. Our favorite? Hiking in before dawn with your wedding clothes in your backpack, having your first look as the sun rises and exchanging vows just the two of you in the warmth of the sun. It’s an awesome experience!
Many trails in the Georgia mountains lead to observation platforms, open balds or rock formations where you can feel like you’re standing on the edge of the world. There are plenty of waterfalls too, many of which are only a short hike away too. Lots of options if you want to hike!
Appalachian Trail
Get a taste of this National Scenic Trail (which starts at Springer Mountain in Georgia) and make it part of your elopement! Similar to locations in the National Forest, the AT will take you to many beautiful places. Valleys and mountains, streams and waterfalls too will be your quarry. If you love the outdoors, or if the AT is on your bucket list, why not make it part of your elopement!
Places to Elope in Georgia | Have your wedding at an Airbnb
No elopement is complete without a gorgeous place to stay! You might even decide on having your ceremony and small reception at an Airbnb too!
With how busy the mountains can be during peak season, sometimes choosing spot that is open to other tourists might not be the best choice – especially if you are looking for privacy.
Why not book a large home with a view and have your wedding day there? Often times our couples choose to have the Airbnb as a “home base” for their elopement day, where many of the day’s activities occur there. Then they “steal away” for a few hours to have a small adventure – just the two of them. It might be to a waterfall or a mountain top – and then they return to the Airbnb for an evening reception.
If that sounds like your kind of day, reach out to us as we can help you with all the details of finding the right Airbnb for your wedding!
For more info, check out our post Airbnb Wedding Venues in Georgia:
Airbnb Wedding Venues in Georgia
Just a few more of our top tips for eloping in Georgia
There are a lot of ways to elope in Georgia! Whether you choose from one of the State Parks, someplace in the National Forest, or renting a beautiful vacation home – we’ve got you covered on handling all the planning details! Here are some of our top tips to think about when choosing from one of the places to elope in Georgia:
- Think about how many guests you’ll have along. It is much easier to plan an elopement for two than it is for a group. Typically, once you get above about 15 people in attendance for your elopement – it becomes more like a small wedding or a micro wedding. Above that number it is more difficult to find spaces that will accommodate the size, so it’s important to consider how many you expect and if an elopement is your best choice!
- Consider a weekday. With pretty much everywhere in Georgia a short drive from metro Atlanta, there is always a lot of tourist traffic in the best spots to visit. For that reason – and if you want to have any kind of chance of privacy – we’d definitely think about a weekday for your elopement.
- Plan ahead! We’ve said this before but the best spots are in high demand, so to have the most chance of selection for where to stay, booking the spot & your vendors too – plan many months in advance! One year ahead is a great time to get started before most everyone else decides to get their plans together.
For more info check out our complete guide to eloping in North Georgia!
How to Plan a North Georgia Elopement
Let’s create your adventurous elopement in Georgia!
We have lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains for over 20 years, adventuring between the Carolinas, Virginia & Georgia too! Reach out to us today and let’s get started creating the adventurous elopement of your dreams!
