Stunning sunrise elopement at Sun Point in Glacier National Park
Stunning sunrise elopement at Sun Point in Glacier National Park
Gabby + Elijah’s Elopement Video and Photos at Glacier National Park Montana
Elijah and Gabby had the most beautiful, emotional, intimate, spontaneous, adventurous, joyful elopement in Glacier National Park — there aren’t even enough adjectives to describe it. This day was everything — an emotional sunrise first look at Lake McDonald, epic cinematic private vows at Sun Point, an adventure session along Going to the Sun Road, a boat ride back at the lake, cake cutting at a quaint cabin! If you’re looking for sunrise elopement inspiration and laid-back, go-with-the-flow vibes — keep reading.
The Bride’s reaction to her elopement photo gallery:
“Yayyyyyyy! Elijah + I just sat down and went through them and we are in love with how you captured our wedding day so perfectly our families & friends are going to be so excited to see these today & we can’t wait to share !!!! Also need to full up our walls with these photos asap! You are SO TALENTED! Thank you both so much, again, for everything!! We keep talking about our wedding day and how comfortable you made us feel!”
The Bride’s reaction to her Glacier National Park Wedding Film:
“Crying over here!!!! We love our wedding video SO much! You have such a talent It’s going to take everything in me not to show everyone and anyone this until our reception LOL — I’ve already watched it 4 times and I might have it on a continuous loop from here idk haha THANK YOU SO MUCH, Shay. We can’t thank you enough for being with us on one of the most important days of our lives & capturing it so beautifully. ”
An elopement for two before a traditional wedding reception back home
Elijah and Gabby had a true elopement in Glacier National Park with just the two of them, and then they had a more traditional wedding back home. I *love* when couples do this — it’s such a great way to start out your marriage in a way that’s true to you, while still honoring your loved ones in the process. Elijah and Gabby premiered their elopement film that I created for them at their reception. This might be my favorite trend ever — it makes me feel like a fancy indie film director getting a film premiere. I joked with them that their elopement was their day…but their reception was MY day. Ha!
“Our reception with family and friends was sooo great There were SO many tears shed during our wedding video. Everyone LOVED it! After brunch we had a lot of guests telling us it felt like they were watching an amazing movie trailer! We are sooo thankful for you!”
Gabby + Elijah’s Montana destination elopement timeline
Here is Gabby + Elijah’s rough timeline for their day to draw inspiration for how your elopement can look:
4:00am - E+ G wake up & get ready (no video/photo needed)
5:45am/6am - Montana Diaries comes to Airbnb & leave for first look
**15 min drive from Airbnb to Apgar Village**
6:00am/6:15am - First look at Lake McDonald at sunrise
7:00am - Leave for Sun Point
** 1 hour 20 min drive from Lake McDonald to Sun Point
9:00am-11:00am - ceremony + picnic at Sun Point
11am-1pm Adventuring on GTSR
1pm-2pm - rent a motor boat and cruise on Lake McDonald
2pm - end up at Airbnb - cut cake, etc.
Getting ready at a cabin in Coram, MT
Elijah and Gabby got ready at a rented cabin in Coram, MT. It was such a good way to set the scene for the day to come — I just love charming Montana cabins. We took two cars to the park from the cabin so that they could have their first look in Glacier!
Gorgeous sunrise first look at Lake McDonald in west Glacier National Park
Elijah and Gabby did their first look at Lake McDonald at sunrise — we suggested they do it at a location close to the entrance so that they could spend more time together on the drive to Sun Point, since their ceremony site was almost two hours away. This allowed them to take in the park together! Their first look was SO SPECIAL — I teared up at the way Elijah looked at Gabby, oh my goodness. These two are the sweetest.
Ceremony at Sun Point in east Glacier National Park
Their ceremony took place at Sun Point in east Glacier National Park — the sun had just rissen over the peaks when they started reading their love letters, and it was magic.
Adventure session along Going to the Sun Road
We stopped at a TON of points of interest along Going to the Sun Road to take in the views! Elijah and Gabby wanted to experience as much of the park as possible on their wedding day, and we seriously had a blast!
Cake cutting and marriage license back at the cabin
Elijah and Gabby quickly changed into more comfortable clothes before signing their marriage license back at the cabin. Then, they cut into their beautiful lemon huckleberry cake from Fleur Bakeshop in Whitefish, Montana. It was the perfect end to a perfect day!
Premiering their elopement film at the big wedding reception back home
Elijah + Gabby premiered their elopement film at their large wedding reception back home! I love love love when my couples do this — it’s such a special way to make their friends + families feel included in the beginning of their marriage while still honoring their wish for an intimate wedding day.
Montana adventure wedding
Elijah + Gabby are avid travelers — they are all about seeing the world, reverence for nature, and experiencing as much as possible. They really leaned into their adventurous wedding, even getting cool custom wooden signs to hang on their backpacks after they said their vows!
Unique, personalized aspects of Elijah + Gabby’s wedding
Letters from home + cribbage overlooking Saint Mary Lake at Sun Point
Elijah + Gabby’s loved ones wrote them letters to read on their elopement day! These were super personal, so we hung way back for the most part to let them have some alone time while reading. Tears were definitely shed. After they read their letters, they played a game of cribbage on a personalized board! It was too fun.
Renting a motorboat at Lake McDonald
We capped off our time in Glacier by renting a motorboat at Lake McDonald — this was so special to Elijah + Gabby because Elijah first asked Gabby to be his girlfriend on a boat.
Their flowers:
Elijah + Gabby’s flowers were from Mum’s Floral in Whitefish, Montana. Mum’s has an awesome a-la-carte menu on their website, which makes getting elopement florals SUPER easy!
Gorgeous classic elopement couple’s outfit inspo
Gabby’s dress is "Aspen" by Rita Vinieris from Annika Bridal Boutique and Elijah’s suiit is from Milbern Clothing Co. I love that they both chose super classic silhouettes for their fits — the formal attire was such a fun juxtaposition with the hiking terrain. The bottom of Gabby’s dress got super dirty and we joked that it was so special that she was going to take some Glacier with her to her wedding reception!
All about getting married on Going to the Sun Road
Why they chose this location
Elijah and Gabby wanted to have a laid-back, spontaneous day in the park while getting as many views/backgrounds as possible. Whenever a couple just wants to experience as much of the park as they can, I suggest driving Going-to-the-Sun road and stopping at whatever views catch their eye. The drive takes about two hours, and there is SO much to see super close to the road.
How to get to Going to the Sun Road via West Glacier National Park Entrance
Most people stay in towns closest to the west entrance, and Going to the Sun road stretches from the west entrance to the Saint Mary entrance.
Sun Point Route info
Sun Point is accessible via a super short nature trail that is an offshoot from a longer hike — if you have time and you want to make more of an adventure out of hiking, I recommend doing the longer hike after your ceremony! According to the park signboard at the trailhead, this hike is also referred to as the “Three Falls Trail”. Click here to learn more about the route!
Weather info + best time of year to elope at Going to the Sun Road
Going to the Sun Road typically opens in its entirety by the first week of July, and typically closes around the third Monday of October. Weather in Montana can be really unpredictable, so just plan to roll with the punches and know that there are NO bad days in Glacier! We’re happy to adventure with you in rain, sunshine, snow, and through wildfire smoke.
Potential roadblocks that you should make backup plans for
Summer weddings in Glacier National Park always run the risk of being smoky from nearby wildfires. Locations can also be closed due to bear activity. Some years, Going to the Sun Road opens later than other years because of the snowpack. Parking can be an issue in really popular areas. Honestly, there is SO much amazing stuff to see and do in Glacier that it’s worth just keeping an open mind and staying flexible — if a roadblock comes up, just be open to an alternative plan!
Where they stayed
Elijah and Gabby stayed in a cute little cabin called Glacier Hideaway - West Glacier Log Home in West Glacier, MT. It was about five minutes from the west entrance!
Permits, passes, & legalities for getting married at Sun Point in Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park Special Use/Activity Permits
How much does it cost?
It costs $125 to apply to get married at Sun Point in Glacier National Park.
How do you apply?
You can download the application for the special use permit by clicking here!
How long is it valid for?
Your permit allows your use for 2 hours!
What locations is it valid for?
You can review the ceremony permit locations in Glacier National Park at this link and request your specific spot on your application.
How long in advance do you need to apply for it?
I would apply literally as soon as you know where you want to get hitched!! Some years, my couples don’t even hear back until a few weeks before their big day so we’ll need to come up with back up plans just in case.
Do you & your guests still have to pay a separate entry/parking fee?
Your ceremony permit will allow you entry for the park’s reservation ticket system, but you will still need to pay for the general park pass fee.
Click here for more information about getting married in Glacier!
Glacier National Park Elopement Videographer & Photographer
I’m Shay, your NW Montana + Glacier National Park photographer and videographer for the adventurous and laid-back — Elijah + Gabby were truly the perfect example of how to have fun, laid-back, spontaneous wedding day. I LOVED that they premiered their film at their reception back home too! If you’re wanting to plan your own elopement experience w/ a story-driven photographer and videographer, then click here to learn all about our process and pricing.
