Where to Elope in New England

I’ve spent a decade photographing elopements around Boston, and somewhere along the way couples started asking a bigger question about where to elope in New England: “We don’t have to stay in the city, right?”

Right. In fact, New England is small enough to drive across in a day and packed with more mountains, coastline, lakes, and little towns than most countries. So this is my running list of where to elope in New England, based on the places I’ve actually shot, the places I’m dying to shoot, and what it takes to make each one legal. So pick a region, click through, and let’s plan it.

One thing that makes this list different: I’m an ordained officiant as well as a photographer. In Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island I can legally marry you with no extra paperwork. Meanwhile, in Vermont and New Hampshire it takes one form and a small fee, and I handle it. Details are in the legal section at the bottom.

Where to elope in New England if you love a city: Boston

The city elopement with a thousand backdrops

If you’re deciding where to elope in New England and want it simple, Boston is where I started, and it’s still the easiest elopement in the region to pull off: a courthouse or a park ceremony, portraits on Beacon Hill or in the Public Garden, dinner somewhere fantastic, done. Think cobblestones, brick, the harbor, the Athenaeum, the Public Library courtyard, and a City Hall that’s a lot prettier inside than out.

Start here: My Boston elopement guide covers how to elope in Boston step by step, plus my ten favorite places to elope in and around the city.

Legal note: Massachusetts license from any town clerk, three-day waiting period (waivable), and I can officiate.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Beaches, dunes, and a rented cottage with a screen door

An hour and a half from Boston and a different world, and the answer to where to elope in New England when you want sand under your feet. The Cape Cod National Seashore is my favorite stretch: Marconi Beach, Coast Guard Beach, the dunes at Provincetown, and a lighthouse or two. For example, my move for couples is to rent a charming Airbnb near the Seashore, get ready there with the windows open, walk to the beach for vows, and come back for lobster rolls on the porch. Otherwise, Wychmere Beach Club in Harwich Port is the polished version if you want a venue.

Start here: My Cape Cod wedding and elopement guide has permits, beaches, and a sample day. See a Cape Cod National Seashore session for the light out there.

Legal note: Basically the same as Boston. Beach ceremonies inside the National Seashore need a simple special use permit, which I walk you through.

The Berkshires, Massachusetts

Gilded Age estates and a contemporary art museum, two hours west of the city

The Berkshires are the elopement region I’m most excited to send people to next. In particular, two spots I have my eye on:

The Mount in Lenox. Edith Wharton’s estate: a white mansion, formal gardens, a long allée of trees, and a lot of quiet. As a result, it’s built for small ceremonies and long, slow portraits in the gardens.

MASS MoCA in North Adams. A former factory complex turned into one of the biggest contemporary art museums in the country. Brick courtyards, huge galleries, and installations you can say your vows in front of. Above all, it’s for couples who want something that doesn’t look like anyone else’s wedding.

Then add a farmhouse rental, a hike up Mount Greylock, and dinner in Great Barrington and you have a full weekend.

Legal note: Massachusetts rules apply, and I can officiate. Both venues book ceremonies directly, so plan ahead for dates.

Watch Hill, Rhode Island

Old-money beach town at the very end of the state

Watch Hill sits on the southwestern tip of Rhode Island, where the Ocean House looks out over a long curve of beach and Napatree Point stretches into the water like it’s trying to get to Connecticut. Add a lighthouse, a carousel, yellow-and-white striped umbrellas, and a sunset that comes in sideways over the bay. Overall, it reads like a movie set and feels like a small town, and it’s my pick for where to elope in New England if you want old-fashioned seaside.

Start here: For the Rhode Island coast in general, Rosecliff Mansion in Newport is the other end of the spectrum, and it’s less than an hour from Watch Hill.

Legal note: Rhode Island license from the clerk in the town where you’ll marry (Westerly, for Watch Hill), no waiting period, valid three months, and I can officiate.

Hartford City Hall, Connecticut

The most beautiful courthouse elopement nobody talks about

Hartford’s Municipal Building is a 1915 Beaux-Arts palace with a marble atrium three stories tall, wrought-iron balconies, and light that pours in from the skylight. Even better, you get your license in the same building, have a short ceremony, and step outside into Bushnell Park. In short, it’s the courthouse elopement for couples who want the courthouse to look like the wedding, and it’s on my list to shoot next.

Start here: For a Connecticut venue elopement, Wrights Mill Farm in Canterbury is the countryside version.

Legal note: Connecticut license from the vital records office in the town where you’ll marry, so for City Hall, that’s Hartford. Connecticut lets clergy from any state officiate, so I can marry you there too.

Stowe, Vermont

Mountains, maples, and a covered bridge or three

I married a couple in Stowe and I’d go back every weekend if they’d let me. After all, the town sits under Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak, with the Trapp Family Lodge meadows on one side and Smugglers’ Notch on the other. Moss Glen Falls, the Stowe Pinnacle hike, the Recreation Path along the river, and a main street made for a post-ceremony wander. Fall is obvious and worth it. However, a snowy February elopement here is the underrated pick.

Legal note: Vermont license from any town clerk in the state, no waiting period, valid sixty days. Out-of-state officiants need a quick authorization from the local probate court or a temporary officiant registration with the Secretary of State. I’ve done it before and I take care of it.

Where to elope in New England for mountains: the White Mountains

Three ledges I’d elope on tomorrow

This is my favorite landscape in New England, and if you ask me where to elope in New England for mountains, I have three spots I keep coming back to:

Artist’s Bluff. A short, steep climb in Franconia Notch to a granite overlook above Echo Lake, with Cannon Mountain across the way. Twenty minutes up, and then a view that looks like a painting.

Cathedral Ledge. A sheer cliff above North Conway with a road to the top, so you can arrive in the dress and walk out onto the ledge. Mount Washington Valley spread out below.

Square Ledge. A short hike from Pinkham Notch to a rock outcrop that faces Mount Washington head-on. In other words, fewer people and bigger drama.

Sunrise is the move at all three, because the light and the empty trails are the whole point. Bring layers, bring real shoes for the walk, and let me carry the dress.

Legal note: New Hampshire license from any town clerk, regardless of where you live, no waiting period, valid ninety days. New Hampshire asks out-of-state officiants to get a one-wedding special license from the Secretary of State ($25). I file it, so you don’t think about it. Some ledges are in state parks, so we check on a permit for anything bigger than the two of you and a photographer.

The Monadnock Region, New Hampshire

An inn on a mountain, ninety minutes from Boston

Of course, not every New Hampshire elopement needs a four-hour drive north. The Monadnock region in the southwest corner of the state is barns, stone walls, small-town greens, and Mount Monadnock, one of the most climbed mountains in the world, all about an hour and a half from Boston.

The Blue Bear Inn on Crotched Mountain. An 1822 inn on 54 acres in Francestown, run by friends of mine. Mountain views, its own hiking and snowshoe trails, a tavern with a fireplace, a fire pit for after, and a pool in summer. For instance, you can elope right on the property, have dinner at the tavern, and never get back in the car, or go bigger with a tented wedding on the grounds if your elopement grows a guest list, or make it your base for a Monadnock summit at sunrise. In winter, Crotched Mountain Ski & Ride is minutes away, so yes, a ski elopement is on the table.

Legal note: Same as the White Mountains: license from any New Hampshire town clerk, no waiting period, and I get the $25 one-wedding officiant license.

Where to elope in New England for drama: Bar Harbor and Acadia

Pink granite, crashing surf, and the first sunrise in the country

Bar Harbor is unreal, in the best way, and it might be the most dramatic answer to where to elope in New England. Acadia National Park wraps around the town with cliffs that drop straight into the Atlantic, carriage roads through the woods, Jordan Pond, Sand Beach, Otter Cliff, and Cadillac Mountain, where the sun hits the United States first. I’ve shot here, and as a result I think about it constantly. So plan three days, get up early, and eat popovers.

Start here: For a Maine venue weekend, Kings Hill Inn & Barn is the farmhouse version in western Maine.

Legal note: Maine is the easiest state on this list. Out-of-state couples can get a license from any Maine town office, it’s valid ninety days, and ordained ministers from out of state can officiate with no registration, so I can marry you. In Acadia, a ceremony with ten or fewer people doesn’t need a permit; larger groups apply for a special use permit ($125). Also, driving up Cadillac Mountain requires a timed vehicle reservation in season, so we book that early.

Beyond New England

Finally, if your dream spot needs a passport, I’m in. Here’s how to elope in Paris and how to elope in the Faroe Islands, both from trips I’ve photographed. Amsterdam is next.

Where to elope in New England, legally: the rules state by state

Once you know where to elope in New England, this is the legal side. Everything below is for couples who don’t live in the state where they’re marrying. Rules change, so I confirm each one with the clerk when we plan.

Massachusetts. License from any city or town clerk. Three-day wait (a judge can waive it). Valid sixty days. I’m ordained in the Commonwealth and can officiate.

Maine. License from any Maine municipality. No waiting period. Valid ninety days. Ordained ministers can officiate without registering. I can officiate.

Connecticut. License from the town where the ceremony happens. Clergy from any state, including online ordinations, can officiate. I can officiate.

Rhode Island. License from the clerk in the city or town where you’ll marry. No waiting period. Valid three months. Ordained clergy, including online ministries, can officiate. I can officiate.

Vermont. License from any town clerk. No waiting period. Valid sixty days. Out-of-state clergy need probate court authorization or a temporary officiant registration ($100, per wedding). I handle it.

New Hampshire. License from any town clerk. No waiting period. Valid ninety days. Out-of-state ministers need a special license for one wedding from the Secretary of State ($25). I handle it.

In short, I can legally marry you anywhere in New England. Specifically, four states need nothing extra, and two need a form I’ve filled out before.

Where to elope in New England: FAQs

Ready to pick your spot?

Tell me which region made you sit up, and we’ll build the day around it: the license, the officiant, the permit, the sunrise, and the lobster rolls after. Book your call.

xo erin