What are the best places to elope in PA? Pennsylvania elopements can be wildly diverse depending on what you are specifically looking for. While there are plenty of amazing elopement/micro-wedding venues to host your event, you can also consider a lot of gorgeous locations around the state that are less traditional like state parks.
In this post, we’re going to take a look at some amazing options we’ve seen couples choose for their elopements.
#1. Hickory Run State Park
Hickory Run is one of our favorite state parks located in the Poconos. We live pretty close by, and are really knowledgeable of the trails here.
We’ve had the opportunity to document quite a few couples say their vows here, whether just out in the woods or in front of a beautiful waterfall. This is one of the best places to elope in PA if you are looking for something naturally beautiful and with a little hiking involved.
For couples wanting slightly larger ceremonies with guests, you can also rent the Hickory Run Chapel – a nice bad weather alternative.
Official Website
Elopement Photo Gallery
#2. Promise Ridge
If you search “best places to elope in PA” into Google, one of the first locations you’ll see is Promise Ridge. And for a good reason!!
It’s one of our favorite elopement venues.
It offers a more traditional wedding day experience in the sense that you’ll have a designated event space for your ceremony and even a small reception afterwards.
Other than that, the grounds have stunning views of the surrounding mountains, and provides a beautiful backdrop for couples wanting to tie the knot with friends & family surrounding them.
Official Website
Micro-Wedding Gallery
#3. Trexler Nature Preserve
One of the simplest locations on this list, Trexler Nature Preserve is honestly memorable for us because of how simple it really is. We had a couple choose to this park because it was nearby to where their family lived, and it turned out beautifully!
Official Website
Elopement Wedding Gallery
#4. Jacobsburg State Park
Jacobsburg Park is a great choice for small weddings because in addition to being able to set up your ceremony in the woods or in front of the colonial looking buildings, you can also rent a covered pavilion for a small reception afterwards. It’s a great choice for outdoor elopements!
Official Website
Elopement Wedding Gallery
#5. General Warren Inn
Located in Malvern, PA – General Warren is a boutique hotel and restaurant that also hosts small elopements and micro-weddings on its property.
They have a number of options for hosting your small event (groups of up to around 30 max depending on the specific space) and also provide a really affordable option that’s perfect for having close friends & family there for you, too.
Official website
Wedding Gallery
#6. Fox Hill Farm
We’d describe Fox Hill Farm in Honesdale, PA as being a mix of elegance and rustic. It features great spaces for the bride & groom to get ready on site, a great ceremony space overlooking the pond, and an outdoor cocktail/hour reception space perfect for small wedding mingling.
Official website
Micro-Wedding Gallery
#7. Private Residences
Backyard weddings can be really incredible.
In 2020, these became incredibly popular wedding options and we see that continuing well into the future.
Having a wedding in your backyard (or that of a friend or family member) typically will give you much more freedom to design a memorable event without the need to travel too far.
Backyard elopements are especially perfect for couples who like the idea of DIY’ing their intimate wedding day, as you’ll have free range decorate and celebrate how you see fit.
Since backyard events can look vastly different depending on the space you have to use, we’ve included a couple blog post links to weddings + elopements we’ve photographed in people’s backyards:
- Devon + Brian Micro-Wedding in Lancaster, PA
- Laura + RJ Backyard Wedding
- Mary + Josh Backyard Wedding
- Allison + Tom Central PA Backyard Wedding
- Ashley + Allison Scranton, PA Elopement
#8. AirBNB Rental
An underlooked option for eloping in PA are AirBNB’s.
The average person does not think about getting married in locations like these, but there are so many incredible options that you can really have the dream backdrop for your mini-wedding day just by scrolling through the site for the perfect rental.
Seriously, we’ve spent a ton of our own time scouring through listings and have fallen in love with quite a few.
Want a wedding in front of an A-Frame or a cabin? Something even more rustic? Or with cool features like a waterfall or scenic view? Or maybe even something a little more modern? You have a ton of options!!
The only thing to keep in mind when renting an AirBNB for your elopement is to be sure you reach out to the owners to confirm that what you are planning will be okay. Some B&Bs allow events, others do not…and sometimes it really depends on the specifics…
#9. Ricketts Glen State Park
Another gorgeous state park in central PA is Ricketts Glen, and it would be a perfect location for an adventurous elopement.
The best spots in the park require a bit of hiking (and yes, it can get a little muddy and steep at times), but it’s well worth it in our experience.
The main trail features 22 scenic waterfalls in an 7.2 mile loop, with the largest being the 94-foot Ganoga falls – which itself would make an excellent ceremony spot!
#10. Race Street Pier in Philadelphia
Closing out this list, we wanted to showcase a place that is a little different and a great choice for city enthusiasts. Race Street Pier in Philly is a popular spot for photographers, yoga workouts, and viewing the sunrise + sunset with one of the most scenic views in the whole city.
It also happens to be a great place to host a wedding. For a permit fee, you can rent a space for your ceremony of up to 50 guests.
We think this is a great location in Philadelphia to elope, and you can go on to have portraits around the city (right up the street is a favorite spot of ours – Elfreth’s Alley), and even a reception at a cool restaurant nearby like Suraya in Fishtown.
Official Website
Photos from Race Street Pier
Conclusion
This list features some of the best places to elope in PA. In all honesty, it’s really just the start!!
Pennsylvania is such a massive state that includes 121 state parks, 19 national parks, and countless wedding venues, B&Bs, and other unique places you could host a wedding from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and beyond.
PA has so much to offer eloping couples. Whether you want an all inclusive and luxury elopement or something much more simplified, you can have it in this state. Want to learn more about eloping in PA? Check out our comprehensive post Your Pennsylvania Elopement: How to Make It Amazing!
We hope you are able to find this list helpful as you begin your elopement planning!
We offer elopement photography and planning experiences to help couples shape an incredibly special elopement in PA, and have it documented to remember in high resolution detail later. Learn more about our elopement experiences and get in touch today!
