Banff National Park, Elopement, Jasper National Park, Kananaskis, Resources

February 13, 2023

Table of Contents:

Today I am finally hitting publish on a guide I’ve wanted to put together for a while now: a comprehensive, crazy in-depth Alberta elopement guide! I may be biased, but I seriously believe Alberta is one of the most incredible adventure elopement locations ever thanks to the wide variety of breathtaking landscapes, epic hikes, and beautiful backcountry campgrounds – and that barely even begins to cover it. 

This guide is going to take you through everything you could possibly need to know about eloping in Alberta, from the best Alberta elopement locations to sample Alberta elopement timelines and more. Feel free to navigate through this in-depth guide using the table of contents above if you’re searching for just a certain topic or two, or sit down with a glass of your favourite drink & read through the entire thing.

Ready to fall in love with Alberta (if you haven’t already) & feel totally confident when it comes to planning your Alberta adventure elopement?

bride and groom holds hand walking at viewpoint above lake for their sunrise wedding in banff

Where is Alberta?

Let’s start off with the basics, just in case you’ve never been to Alberta or aren’t really familiar with the area: where even is Alberta?

Alberta is a province located in western Canada, bordering Montana to the south, BC to the west, and Saskatchewan to the east. If you’ve ever heard of Edmonton or Calgary, those are both cities located in Alberta! It’s home to the Canadian Rocky Mountains and an insane collection of epic mountains, prairies, forests, lakes, glaciers, and more. 

How to get to Alberta

If you’re considering eloping in Alberta & you’ll be coming from abroad, Alberta has three international airports that you can fly into:

If you’re planning to take a road trip from the US to Alberta, you’ll obviously need to cross the Canadian border and bring a valid US passport. You can learn more about the basics of traveling to Canada as an American citizen here!

As far as actually getting around Alberta once you’ve arrived, you’ve got a few options if you’re not bringing your own car:

I highly recommend renting a car so that you’re free to explore the area as you wish, without having to worry about correctly timing public transportation or taking taxis to more remote destinations! Having your own car means you can stop wherever & whenever you’d like, and trust me – you’ll want to make some stops if you choose any of the elopement locations I mention later in this blog post. The scenery is to die for, and seeing it from a train window without being able to stop just isn’t the same! 

Can US citizens drive in Canada?

Yes! If you’re visiting from the US for your elopement, you won’t need to get an international driving permit in order to drive in Alberta. As long as you have a valid US driver’s license and proof of insurance, you’ll be good to go.

bride and groom stand facing each other reading vows on muddy beach with the mountains in the background while it rains during their alberta elopement

Why Elope in Alberta? 

Now that you’re a bit more familiar with Alberta and how to get around the area, let’s dive into the fun stuff: why you should elope in Alberta!

First off, Alberta is simply every wilderness-lover’s dream come true. If you love being outside and exploring the great outdoors – especially if you’re partial to the mountains, like I am – then Alberta will absolutely blow your mind. With five national parks and many, many more places to visit with phenomenal views, you’ll have no trouble finding an epic place to hold your elopement. Whether you want to hike 10 miles to a vibrant blue glacial lake that’ll serve as the backdrop to your vow exchange, or you simply want to drive your car up to an easily accessible yet just as beautiful location, Alberta’s got options for everyone.

Here’s a quick list of reasons why you should elope in Alberta and why it’s my absolute favourite destination to recommend to couples:

  • Wide variety of diverse landscapes, including prairies, mountains, glacial lakes, & forests
  • Five national parks (Banff, Elk Island, Jasper, Waterton Lakes, & Wood Buffalo)
  • Epic hikes for hikers of all levels
  • Plenty of easily accessible locations – no hiking required
  • Phenomenal views year-round
  • Tons of awesome places to stay, including luxury lodges, cozy Airbnbs, & rural campgrounds + backcountry sites
  • Fun cities + small mountain towns to explore
  • Delicious food options + tons of fresh local ingredients

Convinced yet??

the sun sets over the valley of the ten peaks at moraine lake while a bride and groom stand together holding each other on a rock with the lake in the background

Best Alberta Elopement Locations

Alright, now we’ve arrived at the section you probably came to this guide for: the best Alberta elopement locations!

Where can I elope in Alberta?

The short answer: anywhere where wedding ceremonies are permitted!

The long answer: there are so, so many epic locations in Alberta that it can be really hard to choose, so I’ve narrowed it down to my top favourite places to elope in Alberta to make it a little easier on you. Here are, in my opinion, the most beautiful Alberta elopement locations that I’m going to walk you through in this section of the guide:

  • Banff National Park
  • Jasper National Park
  • Waterton Lakes National Park
  • Kananaskis

I’ve also included two honourable mentions that aren’t *technically* in Alberta – they’re in BC – but are definitely close and beautiful enough to warrant a mention:

  • Yoho National Park
  • Glacier National Park

For each of these 6 locations, I’ve included the closest airport, what permits/passes are required for access, what elopement permit you will need, my favourite specific spots in the area, and the best hikes for your elopement (ranging from easy hikes to longer backpacking adventures).

P.S. when you hire me as your Alberta adventure elopement photographer, you’ll actually get a personalized list of epic locations that fit exactly what you have in mind for your elopement. So don’t worry if you still can’t choose after going through this list – I’ll be sure to help you out once I learn what you’re envisioning for your big day!

1. Banff National Park

Closest airport: Calgary International Airport (YYC)

Entry requirement: $10.50 daily fee for adults, OR annual Discovery Pass

Elopement ceremony requirement: Special Event Registration

My favourite spots in the park:

To see a real-life example of what it looks like to elope at Moraine Lake, check out Yusney & Camille’s Moraine Lake Wedding Photos.

Best hikes in the park for your elopement*:

*The hikes below are listed in order of difficulty level, ranging from easy/short hikes to more challenging/longer hikes.

2. Jasper National Park

Closest airport: Edmonton International Airport (YEG)

Entry requirement: $10.50 daily fee for adults, OR annual Discovery Pass

Elopement ceremony requirement: Ceremony Location Reservation 

My favourite spots in the park:

Best hikes in the park for your elopement*:

*The hikes below are listed in order of difficulty level, ranging from easy/short hikes to more challenging/longer hikes.

3. Waterton Lakes National Park

Closest airport: Calgary International Airport (YYC)

Entry requirement: $10.50 daily fee for adults, OR annual Discovery Pass

Elopement ceremony requirement: Small Public Gathering Permit

My favourite spots in the park:

Best hikes in the park for your elopement*:

*The hikes below are listed in order of difficulty level, ranging from easy/short hikes to more challenging/longer hikes.

4. Kananaskis

Closest airport: Calgary International Airport (YYC)

Entry requirement: Daily or annual Kananaskis Conservation Pass required for parking

My favourite spots in the area:

Best hikes in the area for your elopement*:

*The hikes below are listed in order of difficulty level, ranging from easy/short hikes to more challenging/longer hikes.

Yoho National Park (Honourable Mention)

Closest airport: Calgary International Airport (YYC)

Entry requirement: $10.50 daily fee for adults, OR annual Discovery Pass

Elopement ceremony requirement: Registration Form

My favourite spots in the park:

Best hikes in the park for your elopement*:

*The hikes below are listed in order of difficulty level, ranging from easy/short hikes to more challenging/longer hikes.

Glacier National Park (Honourable Mention)

Closest airport: Calgary International Airport (YYC)

Entry requirement: $10.50 daily fee for adults, OR annual Discovery Pass

My favourite spots in the park:

Best hikes in the park for your elopement*:

*The hikes below are listed in order of difficulty level, ranging from easy/short hikes to more challenging/longer hikes.

barefoot bride leads groom over rocks along the snaring river in jasper national park during their alberta elopement

Best Time of Year to Elope in Alberta

Picking your elopement date is one of the most important steps in the planning process, as the weather & season will obviously play a big role in how your special day plays out. 

Here are a few things you will want to take into consideration when you’re choosing a time of year for your Alberta elopement:

  • Weather – temperatures, precipitation (rain/snow/hail/ice), wind, potential extreme weather (e.g. heavy snowstorms, wildfires, landslides/mudslides, etc.)
  • Crowds
  • Permit costs/fee costs – mostly applicable for national parks
  • Potential road/trail closures – due to construction, unexpected weather conditions, wildlife, etc.

Below is a list of the pros & cons of each season in Alberta so that you can decide which season might be right (and wrong) for your unique adventure elopement.

Spring in Alberta

Pros:

  • Vibrant foliage & alpine landscapes
  • Temperatures begin to warm up
  • Beautiful wildflowers start to bloom

Cons:

  • Can be rainy
  • Popular locations start to get busy
  • Sudden snowstorms can still hit

Summer in Alberta

Pros:

  • Longer days & more light
  • Comfortable temperatures in the mornings & evenings
  • Great hiking weather
  • Great camping weather
  • Gorgeous wildflowers
  • Warm enough to go swimming/boating/kayaking/canoeing out on lakes

Cons:

  • Can get very hot (sometimes too hot to hike)
  • Bigger crowds/more tourists
  • Afternoon rain showers

Fall in Alberta

Pros:

  • Stunning fall foliage & colours
  • Cooler weather for hiking
  • Popular locations are not as busy as summer

Cons:

  • Can be windy
  • Chilly mornings & evenings
  • Snow can arrive earlier than expected

Winter in Alberta

Pros:

  • Magical snow-capped mountains & snowy landscapes
  • Great skiing and skating weather
  • Super cozy, enchanting, winter wonderland atmosphere
  • Smaller crowds/fewer tourists
  • Travel can sometimes be cheaper

Cons:

  • Gets very cold
  • Lakes are often covered in ice
  • Not a great time to camp 
  • Some trails close for the season
  • Higher elevation roads/viewpoints close for the season

groom is holding bride up with her legs wrapped around him during a fall hiking elopement in alberta
two brides wearing fur shawls kiss during their winter alberta elopement

Best Places to Stay for Your Alberta Elopement

I always encourage my couples to find an amazing place to stay for their elopement, simply because they deserve it – and it’ll make their experience 10x better. Whether you feel most at home in a luxurious ski resort, a cozy lodge in the woods, a rustic cabin in the mountains, or in your sleeping bag under the stars, below are some of the best places to stay in Alberta for your adventure elopement.

Best lodges in Alberta:

Best campgrounds in Alberta:

If you’re intrigued by the idea of having your elopement at a backcountry campground, you won’t want to miss my guide to How to Plan a Backcountry Camping Elopement in 6 Steps. I put this together after I planned my own backpacking elopement and couldn’t find any good resources to help me out! You can also rest easy knowing that I have over 7 years of backcountry experience and always bring the same level of preparedness & safety to my couples’ adventures that I do with my own family.

Best Airbnb’s in Alberta:

How to Get Legally Married in Alberta

Next, let’s talk about how to legally get married in Alberta & how to get your Alberta marriage license.

Alberta marriage laws

First off, here’s an overview of Alberta’s marriage laws that you’ll need to take into consideration:

  • There’s no waiting period once you get your license, so you can get married right away
  • Your license will be valid for 3 months from the date it’s issued
  • You can only use your license to get married in Alberta
  • Blood tests are not required
  • Both of you must be at least 18 years old

To get your license, you’ll need to apply together at a registry agent office, affirm the appropriate affidavits, and pay the required $40 government fee. Check out this helpful article for more specifics when it comes time to actually apply for your license!

FAQ’s about getting your Alberta marriage license

How fast can you get married in Alberta?

Once your marriage license is issued, you can get married that same day – no waiting period required!

How long does it take to get a marriage certificate in Alberta?

Not long at all. You just need to make sure you’re eligible to apply for the license, apply for your license, and bring the license to your ceremony within 3 months once it’s been issued to you.

Can foreigners get married in Alberta?

Yep! There are no residency or citizenship requirements for getting a marriage license in Alberta, so as long as you meet the rest of the provincial requirements, you’ll be good to go. 

bride sits in the front of red canoe paddling over clear blue water in jasper national park
bouquet of babys breath perched in merrel hiking boots during alberta hiking elopement

Fun Activities + Ideas for Your Alberta Elopement

In case I haven’t quite given you enough ideas yet of epic places to visit in Alberta, I’m about to give you some of the best, most fun activities to incorporate into your Alberta adventure elopement. I hope these ideas show you that you can truly spend your special day however you want, doing whatever is most meaningful to you and will bring you the most joy together.

For more fun elopement ideas, check out my recent blog post with a collection of Memorable Adventure Elopement Activities.

alberta elopement photographer wearing a grey hat and a blue jacket looks off into the distance as the sun sets on the mountain behind her while on a backpacking trip

Meet Your Alberta Elopement Photographer

Hey there, I’m Dom – an Alberta adventure elopement photographer. I wanted to introduce myself now that I’ve laid out all my best elopement tips for you, and give you a little peek behind the camera. I love adventure elopements so much because I had one myself back in 2019, after getting married to my husband the year before in front of our Christmas tree at home one Friday night. 

I’m all about embracing the moment and celebrating love in its truest forms, whether that be on a hike through the Canadian Rockies or in front of a cozy fireplace in your Airbnb in the forest. I encourage my couples to be completely themselves and be present in the moment while I do the work & capture it for them to look back on for the rest of their lives. I created this guide for couples like you who are looking for a way to celebrate your day with an adventurous spirit, and say your vows in front of the unbeatable scenery of Alberta. You can learn more about me & my approach to elopement photography here, and browse through some more examples of my work in my portfolio here!

Best Elopement Vendors in Alberta

When you’re planning your dream day, it’s incredibly important to find the right people to help you bring it all together. You want to make sure that you trust the vendors you hire, that you love their work, that their style matches what you’re looking for, and that they fall within your budget. I provide all of my booked couples with a trusted list of vendors so that they don’t have to worry about who to hire, so if you hire me as your Alberta elopement photographer, you have that to look forward to!

That’s why I’m not going to include many vendors here for you – my preferred list is kept exclusively for my couples. However, to get your vendor search up & running, I’ll give you two of my favorites that I definitely recommend checking out!

Alberta elopement officiant: Married by Cole

Alberta helicopter tours: Rockies Heli Canada

bride and groom walk barefoot down a beach at an alberta mountain like during the sunset after their elopement

Elopement Packages Alberta

Before we wrap this thing up, I wanted to tell you a bit more about what I offer as an Alberta elopement photographer, in case you’re searching for the perfect person to document your day & want to know what it might cost you.

I personally offer a variety of Alberta elopement packages to fit every kind of couple & every unique elopement day, from quick ceremonies with a simple first look, ceremony, and a few couples photos all the way to overnight backpacking elopements with 12 hours of coverage from sunrise to sunset. 

Here are a few things you’ll always receive in your Alberta elopement package, no matter what amount of coverage you choose:

  • Access to my 100-page How to Elope Guide
  • Custom location suggestions and a personalized timeline
  • High-resolution digital photos in an online gallery to view, download, print, & share
  • Free travel anywhere in Banff NP, Canmore or Kananaskis
  • Gallery delivered in 4-6 weeks
  • 3+ GIFs (moving photos) uploaded to your final gallery

For more details on my Alberta elopement pricing, and to learn a bit more about the process of working with me, you can visit my website here. 

Sample Alberta Elopement Timelines + Itineraries

And last but not least, let’s talk about timelines! Now that you know everything there is to know about eloping in Alberta, it’s time to actually think through what your special day could look like. It’s usually easier to envision all the possibilities when you see a real example, so I’ve included a few different sample Alberta elopement timelines below that I hope will help you start to envision your own elopement. 

If you’re wondering how long you should hire your photographer for, these timelines will also help you get a feel for what it would look like to hire them for 4 hours, 6 hours, 10 hours, or overnight.

alberta elopement idea timeline for an overnight elopement
sample timeline for a 10 hour elopement in alberta
timeline with ideas on how to spend 6 hours during your alberta elopement
sample 4 hour timeline for your alberta elopement

Phew – you made it through that massive guide. I am so ecstatic that you’re considering eloping in Alberta and that you have probably now fallen just as head-over-heels in love with Alberta as I am. No matter what location you choose, what time of year you elope, or what activities you do, you deserve a magical day in this stunning place. 

I would love to chat with you more about planning your adventurous Alberta elopement – contact me and we can schedule a free call to get started!

The Ultimate Alberta Elopement Guide: How to Elope in Alberta

  1. Sunrise Wedding in Banff National Park - Dom Autumn Photo says:
    August 14, 2023 at 6:40 pm

    […] If you’re interested in learning more about how to Elope in Alberta, check out my Ultimate Alberta Elopement Guide. […]

    Reply
  2. Kananaskis Elopement Guide - Dom Autumn Photo says:
    November 7, 2023 at 9:18 pm

    […] It costs at least $160 to get married in Kananaskis. The cost of a wedding permit is $105.00, entrance in is $15/day/vehicle and your marriage license will cost at least $40 (the additional service fees vary by registry). For more information about how to legally elope in Alberta, read this section of my How to Elope in Alberta Guide. […]

    Reply
  3. Waterton Wedding & Elopement Guide - Dom Autumn Photo says:
    December 5, 2023 at 7:40 pm

    […] will cost at least $40 (the additional service fees vary by registry). For more information about how to legally elope in Alberta, read this section of my How to Elope in Alberta Guide. Of course, the rest is up to you for choosing your own adventure here with added costs of lodging, […]

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  4. How to Elope in Banff: A Banff Elopement Planning Guide - Dom Autumn Photo says:
    December 11, 2023 at 5:37 pm

    […] For more information about how to legally elope in Alberta, read this section of my How to Elope in Alberta Guide. […]

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  5. Camping Elopement in Canada Inspiration - Dom Autumn Photo says:
    March 22, 2024 at 6:47 pm

    […] How to Elope in Alberta […]

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Alberta Elopement Guide
Banff Elopement Guide