Texas Elopement Locations

Here is a list of the locations you will see on this post, highlighting some of the best Texas Elopement Locations.

All photos taken by Texas Elopement Photographer: The Turquoise Lens

– Palo Duro Canyon State Park

– Big Bend National Park

– Garner State Park

– Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

– Davis Mountains State Park

– Guadalupe National Park

How to Elope in Texas

• get a marriage license at least 72 hours prior to your wedding, it is good for 90 days!
• a licensed or ordained minister (online works too if you want to get a family member ordained)
• no witnesses are required! There is space on your marriage license for two, but not required
• That’s it! Now you are ready to plan your elopement!

Palo Duro Canyon State Park Elopement | Texas Elopement Locations

• Location: Located in the Panhandle of Texas just 30 minutes south of Amarillo and about 6 hours from the Dallas Metro.
• Views: Think of Palo Duro like a mini Grand Canyon. With red dirt bluffs, and a desert feel!
• Best time of year: Anytime but summertime. The summers can get extremely hot in the canyon. I would suggest avoiding June-August but be cautious of May and September as well and consider doing a sunrise elopement in the warmer months.
• Crowds: Want to avoid the crowds? Weekdays are a great option for getting married in the park. I would suggest being aware of holiday weekends and times like spring break to not only avoid crowds, but also lines getting in to the park!
• Permits: You may need a special use permit for your ceremony, depending on the size of your elopement and your photographer will need a media permit. Do keep in mind that this is a public park so there is likely to be others hiking in the area and locations cannot be reserved for your ceremony. You will want to purchase a pass to get in to the park ahead of time and those open up 30 days in advance. I suggest getting yours as soon as possible! You can reserve your spot, here.
• Cost: Your day pass will be $8 per person and that will get you in to the park from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Planning an elopement with guests or a micro wedding? Check out the Mack Dick Pavilion!

Want to have a place to stay and get married but still have all the pretty views? Check out Dove Rest Cabins or The Hideout VRBO! Both are located just a few miles from the entrance of the park.

Palo Duro Canyon is truly one of the best places Texas elopement locations and one of my favorite places to photograph!

Loving Palo Duro? Take a look at Lane and Emmas Palo Duro Canyon State Park Elopement!

Big Bend National Park Elopement | Best Places to Elope in Texas

• Location: Located about 7.5 hours from the Dallas area, this National Park is located right near the Mexico border.
• Views: Love the desert feel of Arizona? You will get a mixture of mountains, rock canyons, cacti, and more here!
• Best time of year: This is going to be similar to Palo Duro. You want to avoid the warmer months as this location is basically in the desert. It can get dangerously hot in the summer months and the rangers will even close the trails during really hot days sometimes.
• Crowds: Avoiding holiday weekends, weekends in general, and spring break will be ideal here.
• Permits: You do need to secure a special use permit in order to elope in Big Bend. You can find the email to contact to secure your permit, here. Also note, you do need to perform your ceremony in one of the locations they have already set. You can find the list of locations, here. My personal favorites are: Window View Trail- a short + paved trail, and Santa Elena Canyon- also a short walk, but not paved.
• Cost: Your special use permit will be between $50-$100 and parking to get into the park is $30.
• Keep in mind: This is a National Park, rules will be pretty strict here with leave no trace fully enforced. You also will want to be sure to fuel up before heading in to the park and likely will not have phone service, so it is recommended to have a plan before heading in and download the map to your phone!

Garner State Park Elopement | Texas Elopement Locations

• Location: Located about 5.5 hours south of Dallas and just about an hour and a half from San Antonio.
• Views: The Frio River runs right through the state park, there is plenty of trees, green, and even some big bluffs!
• Best time of year: You will see some consistency with avoiding the summer heat when eloping in Texas. However, unlike the others, I would suggest not going for the winter months here either if you love the greenery in the area!
• Permits: You may need a permit to elope here, especially if you plan to have guests! You can apply for your permit, here. I would also suggest contacting the park directly if you plan to have more than just a few guests! You can find park contact info, here.
• Cost: The same as other state parks in Texas, it will be $8 per person to enter for the day!

Great Airbnb option near the park: Hilltop Concan Cabin

Enchanted Rock State Park Elopement | Best Places to Elope in Texas

• Location: About 4 hours south of Dallas and just about 2 hours west of Austin!
• Views: The view is in the name! Big rocks, cacti, wildflowers in the summer. It really is enchanted (the filled with delight kind)
• Best time of year: Anytime! Spring will be so pretty here with the wildflowers blooming, but of course fall is always stunning too. Again, Would avoid the hottest months.
• Permits: You will need a day pass, which you can secure, here. And your photographer (me) will need a photography permit to shoot here! You will also need to secure a special use permit to elope in this park!
• Keep in mind: I suggest this location only if you and your guests are able bodied! It will not be super accommodating for those who are not able to do some hiking. Also worth noting, the gates to the park close at 8:00 p.m. so if you plan to catch the sunset during times of year with a later set time, plan to stay the night in the park!
• Where to stay: The heart of Fredericksburg, TX is just about a 20 minute drive from the park + such a cute town to stay in with some great hotel + Airbnb options!

Davis Mountains State Park Elopement | Texas Elopement Locations

• Location: Okay are you starting to see a theme here? The western and especially southwestern part of the state is where you are going to find the best views in Texas! The Davis Mountains are also located about 7 hours from the Dallas Metro area!
• Views: Well they aren’t called mountains for no reason! You will get mountain views and towering rock formations at this location.
• Permits: Your elopement will require a permit at this park, you can look into applying here. A big perk (from the photo standpoint) is your photographer does not need a separate permit for your wedding! There could be some limits on the size of your group, but for 10 or less guests, you should be completely fine!
• Perks: Want to stay inside the park? The Indian Lodge is a historic hotel set right inside the park!

Guadalupe National Park Elopement

• Location: Right near the border of New Mexico, this park is about 8 hours from the Dallas area!
• Views: Mountain views, and home to the highest peak in the state!
• Permits: You can obtain your permit to elope, here. They do not to my knowledge have restrictions as to where in the park you can get married!
• Keep in mind: Like Big Bend, this is also a National Park. Leave no trace is encouraged at each of these locations, but some areas are stricter than others as far as even bringing in real flowers. This National Park is also likely to be less busy than Big Bend, with around half the amount of annual visitors each year.

I hope you found this guide about how to elope in Texas and Texas Elopement Locations helpful. You can’t go wrong with any of these stunning locations!

Looking for your dream photographer for your Texas elopement? Let’s chat!

If you live in the Dallas area, check out these location options in Oklahoma, they may even be closer for you!