Eloping in Asheville, North Carolina

Eloping in Asheville, North Carolina has become more and more popular over the years – and for SUCH good reasons! With the most gorgeous mountain views (we love you, Blue Ridge Mountains!), hundreds of waterfalls, the most delicious food, loads of fun breweries and wineries, theres truly not much more you need! We love this place with our whole heart, and we love helping people plan the most beautiful elopement here 🙂 We decided to write this little guide so that you can be better prepared on what time of year is best to elope in Asheville, North Carolina. Read on to see which season fits best for you 🙂

When should you elope in Asheville, North Carolina?

Before We Jump In – Our most Important Note

One thing to keep in mind with Asheville is that this is a mountain town, which means you are higher up in elevation. Once you start making your way higher and higher up into the mountains, the weather becomes a lot colder and more volatile. Whatever season you decide to elope in Asheville – keep in mind that the weather can change in a second! Personally – that is our favorite thing about the mountains and the constant change in weather can bring so much moodiness and fun vibes to your day (and to your photos!). We recommend embracing the changing weather, whatever it may be! If it rains, dance in the rain. If it’s sunny, bask in the sun – that truly is the beauty of eloping in nature.

Summer Elopement in Asheville, North Carolina

Summer is one of the best times to elope in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There is absolutely STUNNING greenery and flowers everywhere, and you get to escape the heat of the city in the cooler mountain air. One reason we LOVE summer elopements is that you can jump into the rivers/lakes/waterfalls, which is personally our favorite thing to do in the world. Since Summer is a popular time to be in the mountains – we highly recommend eloping on a weekday for less crowds and to have the mountains all to yourself!

What to Wear for a Summer Elopement

Since it will be warm, you can have a lot of options on what you would like to wear for your summer elopement in Asheville! We always recommend bringing a light jacket, maybe a rain jacket, and umbrellas just so that you have the option if it unexpectedly starts raining or gets a little chilly!

Fall Elopement in Asheville, North Carolina

Fall is TRULY one of the most GORGEOUS times in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The fall foliage is so beautiful, the mountain air is crisp, theres apple picking and apple cider to be had – its perfect. Since it is so beautiful, you can imagine it is the most popular and busiest time in Asheville, North Carolina. As with summer, we recommend eloping on a weekday to avoid the crazy crowds. If you are eloping in nature, we recommend doing it in September or November. If you want to elope in October, we recommend using a venue/airbnb for your ceremony location to ensure privacy 🙂

One thing to note about October, is that if you are wanting to elope on the Blue Ridge Parkway, they require a permit. But they do not give out a permit during the month of October! Keep that in mind in your planning 🙂 Here is some more info on getting married specifically on the Blue Ridge Parkway: Wedding/Elopement Permit Info

What to Wear for a Fall Elopement

Since it’s starting to get colder in the mountains during fall, we recommend bringing along some bigger coats, maybe some blankets. It could be a day that doesn’t need any of those things – but it’s better to be safe! The weather can change quickly in the mountains 🙂

Spring Elopement in Asheville, North Carolina

I know I said Summer and Fall are the most beautiful, but Spring is too haha!!! Similarly to Summer, Spring welcomes warmer weather, beautifully green and lush trees, and opportunities to hop into a body of water. If you go for early Spring, the mountains might still be absolutely freezing and the Blue Ridge Parkway may be closed, so that is something important to note. Late Spring, the Parkway opens up again and there are a lot more warm days. It’s also a less busy time in Asheville, so less worry about crowds. You will definitely have a beautiful time in the Spring!

What to Wear for a Spring Elopement

The same as Fall, we recommend bringing some warmer items in case its a weirdly cold day! It’s better to have that on you and be ready than to get caught on top of the mountain being cold or rained on.

Winter Elopement in Asheville, North Carolina

If you are wanting a winter elopement – we absolutely love the vibe. In some areas, there may even be snow and it is simply such a beautiful view of the mountains! It will be quite cold in the mountains, and there may be road closures. Unless you are renting a venue or airbnb, we recommend a two person elopement in winter so that it can allow for flexibility if things need to change or your day needs to be moved due to weather.

(It was 23 degrees in the photos below!)

What to Wear for a Winter Elopement

Since it will be cold, you will need to winterify your wedding outfits – a beautiful faux fur coat, some leggings under your dress (tip: get thick leggings that are the color of your skin!). You will need to bring some thick jackets, warm socks and shoes, and some hand warmers are never a bad idea.

Final Tips for Choosing When To Elope in Asheville, North Carolina

1. Try to go for a weekday, and try to avoid holidays. This way you get the best chance of having the mountains all to yourself (you can ignore this if you are getting a venue or airbnb :))
2. Always have a rain plan, and have jackets with you ALWAYS.
3. Choose your date based on your favorite weather & favorite activities – if you love swimming in the river, choose late spring or summer. If you love fall foliage and apple picking vibes, choose fall!
4. Try to have time a couple days before and after your date in case there needs to be some changes! It also is good to do this so that you can fully enjoy your elopement time 🙂

Looking to plan your Asheville, North Carolina Elopement?

We’re Yara & Christian, destination elopement photographers based in Asheville, and we would LOVE to help you plan and capture your lovely day! We wrote a full guide to help you with planning your Asheville Elopement, which you can check out here! And if you have any questions or are wanting to jump into planning your Asheville Elopement, you can contact us here 🙂