Best Places to Elope in Michigan
If you’ve been to Michigan, you know that there are soo many beautiful places to see and explore! Many of these places would be perfect for an elopement. We have filmed and photographed many elopements and weddings in Michigan, and we would love to help with your elopement location search. Here we’ve compiled a few of our favorite locations and reasons why they are our favorites (not in any particular order)!
1. Marquette
If you are looking to elope or even have a traditional style wedding, Marquette is the perfect place! This town offers some of the best photo locations and views in the Upper Peninsula! From waterfalls to rocky lakeshore cliffs to lighthouses, there is a little bit of everything you might expect by a Great Lake!
This city is actually the largest in the Upper Peninsula, making it full of so many great lodging options, both hotels and Airbnb! Most of the U.P. is otherwise pretty desolate, so it’s a major plus that regular stores are close by in case you need to grab something at the last minute! Not to mention, you can find some of the best food in Michigan here (we Michiganders love flavor)!
Our favorite location in Marquette is Presque Isle Park, or Black Rocks. It has multiple ceremony locations and stunning views, and it’s just outside of town, making it super easy to commute to. Plus, if you’re just eloping with less than 10 people, you don’t need a permit to get married here! If you do have more guests, reserving one of the ceremony locations is super easy! We have worked here so many times and know Marquette really well so we can answer any questions you have about eloping here!
2. Munising
Less than an hour away from Marquette is Munising. Munising’s shining gem is the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Pictured Rocks is full of beautiful waterfalls, vibrant forests, and lots of wildlife. A huge bonus is that there are over 100 miles of amazing hikes and trails all over the area, making even the most beautiful and remote areas easily accessible. If you’re up for a challenge, take the Mosquito & Chapel Falls loop! This is our favorite trail in the area and takes you in a 10 mile loop through the woods, along the Lake Superior cliffs and beaches, and past waterfalls. Words honestly cannot describe how beautiful it is!
If you’re looking for something a little more easily accessible, Miner’s Beach, Miner’s Falls, and Munising Falls are all great places to explore during your elopement!
3. Mackinac Island
If you’re looking for a unique experience, you’ll want to elope on Mackinac Island! We love this island so much! As soon as you show up to the island and you get off of the ferry, you are instantly set back into time. The first thing you notice as you get off the boat and you are walking down the dock is the warm, inviting scent of authentic Mackinac Island Fudge being made right around the corner. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the island, so there are many horses and carriages on the island to take you where you need to go. It really adds to the old-time nostalgic feel. Renting bikes is also a great way to get around the island, just make sure to wear appropriate clothing! The island has many hikes both through and around the island and lots of beautiful locations to exchange vows, or if you are wanting a larger wedding, there are also a few stunning venues on the island that can accommodate larger weddings.
You really can’t see and do everything on the island in one day, so there are hotel accommodations on the island so you can extend your time on Mackinac Island. To end your elopement, be sure to eat at one of the local restaurants and grab some fudge!
You can read more about how to elope on Mackinac Island here: How To Elope On Mackinac Island
4. Lake Michigan
We made this one pretty general, because there are so many spots along Lake Michigan that would be perfect for an elopement! If you don’t want to travel up north, Lake Michigan is also the easiest to get to! Along the shore you’ll find endless beaches, dunes, and water views as far as you can see! In some spots you’ll also run into rivers flowing into Lake Michigan, which are always cool to hang around and get pictures by! You’ll also have the chance to explore many lighthouses along the way! Our personal favorite areas are Muskegon and Holland, but each city has its own unique laketown feel and is great in its own way!
5. Porcupine Mountains
The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is set in the western part of the Upper Peninsula and is Michigan’s largest park! It is a gorgeous area, especially in the fall when the leaves are all brilliant red, orange, and yellow! An iconic must-see spot is the Lake Of The Clouds Overlook. Here you can enjoy a scenic view of Lake Of The Clouds amidst rolling forested hills as far as you can see! You can also hike down to Lake Of the Clouds to see up close in person!
There are also multiple waterfalls (Manabezho, Manido and Nawadaha) and sandy beaches in the area to explore during your elopement! Bond Falls is another popular spot not too far away, and is definitely worth checking out! The main view of the falls is easily accessible by a boardwalk, but you can also hike the trail and check out all of the smaller falls upstream!
Overall, there are almost 100 hiking trails in the park so plenty to do and see on your elopement day! Trails are even open and groomed for snowshoeing and cross country skiing during the winter, making it perfect year round!
6. Drummond island
Drummond island is the second largest freshwater island in the United States and has over 100 miles of ORV trails! If you’re a couple that loves adventure, this place is a dream! Many come to Drummond to explore the island on their UTVs and I’m going to be honest–it gets very muddy! It’ll be totally worth the thrill and adventure though!
If you’re not down to get dirty on your elopement day, you can also hang out on the multitude of beaches. You might even come across an agate or pudding stone while walking on the beach!
For those that love kayaking, there are water trails you can follow around the island, which are basically like hiking trails for boats. There is nothing better than feeling the warm sun and gliding through the water past the beautiful scenery of Drummond Island! Kayak rentals are available on the island too!
Speaking of boats, that is another great activity to do here for your elopement. You can rent row boats, fishing boats, and pontoons on the island and take them out for a new relaxing cruise around Drummond Island!
With so much to do, you might as well stay a couple of days! Drummond Island has many places to stay, from hotels to vacation rentals! The ferry, which does carry cars, runs every hour of the day year round, making the island easily accessible!
7. Sleeping Bear Dunes
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is located in the upper Lower Peninsula, not too far from Traverse City! The park is full of, you guessed it, sand dunes and beautiful beaches with stunning water views. The dunes look over Lake Michigan as high as 400 feet above and they are the largest freshwater sand dunes in the world. There are also many hikes, some that take you over huge dunes reveal beautiful views at the top. Imagine packing a small picnic and having it at the top of a dune with the blue water glistening below! There are a lot of spots that are easily accessible so if climbing up dunes isn’t your thing, there are other great options!
Of course, with Lake Michigan and Glen Lake (large inland lake) right there, canoeing, kayaking, and boating are fun things to do here on your elopement day! Rentals are easily available too!
8. South Manitou Island
This island is actually part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (north of Sleeping Bear Dunes) and can be accessed by ferry from Leland. South Manitou Island is full of towering sand dunes, ancient cedar forests, layers of limestone, and both sandy and pebble beaches. With it only being three miles long, it’s a small and desolate island. Even though there aren’t a lot of miles across the island, there are still a lot of fun hikes that would be perfect for a day trip. It is pretty hard to do it all in one day, so you might consider staying multiple nights and camping at one of the rustic campsites.
If you’re into history, then you’ll want to check the village, old farmhouses, and the shipwreck of the Morazan, which is a partially submerged ship you can view from a bluff. You can also see a beautiful tall lighthouse that is over 150 years old.
Also, be sure to check out Leland’s Fishtown either before or after your trip! It is one of the last surviving fishing districts on the Great Lakes and has vintage fishing shanties along the Carp River, cute shops, and great restaurants!
9. Silver Lake Sand Dunes
Located in the Lower Peninsula, this place kind of looks like the Sahara desert, but it has two lakes on either side: Lake Michigan and Silver Lake! There are many tall dunes to explore here! Silver Lake Sand Dunes is separated in two parts, one area for pedestrian walking and climbing, and the other for UTVs. If you’re a UTV fan, this is definitely the place for you! Many bring their UTVs to race down the dunes, make donuts in the sand, and park and watch the sun set. Lake Michigan is also right here on the other side of the dunes, with a beautiful sandy beach that you can relax on as well.
They also just opened up Silver Lake State Park to Horseback riding during the month of November. How cool would it be to ride on the dunes and along the lakeshore?
10. Isle Royale National Park
Isle Royale National Park is on Isle Royale, an island on Lake Superior. This island is full of wild beautiful terrain, and because the location is remote, it is one of the least visited national parks. Which makes it all that alluring to us! Not many can say that they got married in such a beautiful and unique location.
The terrain consists of rocky cliffs, pine forests, marshes, and inland lakes or ponds (where you might find moose)! There is a lot of wildlife that you might even get lucky enough to see on your elopement! The variety of animals include wolves, beavers, moose, foxes, snowshoe hares, and many different kinds of birds.
Getting to the island you can take a ferry or seaplane. The ferry could take up to 6 hours of commute time, depending on where you depart from (hey, this is a remote location, okay?)! Once you get off the ferry, you can spend 3-4 hours exploring the island. The faster and more fun option would be taking the Isle Royale Seaplane to the island, which would take 45 minutes of commute time, at the most! The park is closed annually during the winter months, from November 1st to April 15th.
If you’re up for a multi-day adventure, you can also backpack for your elopement and see so much more of the island! With 165 miles of trails to check, you definitely won’t get bored! There are also 36 campgrounds you can camp at along the way. You’ll need to get a back-country permit, but there isn’t any fee for groups less than 6 people. Alternatively, if you’d like multiple days on the island but don’t want to rough it, you can stay at a room or cottage at Rock Harbor Lodge!
Isle Royale is also great for those that love kayaking and canoeing. You can also rent a kayak or canoe and paddle around the water, or rent a motorboat and cruise around!
Of course, as elopement photographers that were raised in Michigan, we have our own secret favorites that we can tell you about when you hire us! Fill out our inquiry form to start elopement planning with us: Contact Us