Your Complete Guide to Planning Your Acadia Wedding

Thinking of getting married or eloping on Mount Desert Island? 

We love helping couples plan their special day! 

We live on Mount Desert Island year-round and are in Acadia almost every day. 

Whether you’re planning a 2 person elopement, a big bash, or an intimate micro wedding, we’ll help with all the details.

In addition to capturing beautiful photos of your day, we will:

• Meet with you on Zoom to look at photos, videos, and maps of different locations to help you selecting the perfect one(s)!

• Create a relaxed timeline for your day to make sure we get all the photos you want without feeling rushed

• Help you figure out park permitting requirements, which are different depending on location and the size of your wedding

• Guide you towards trusted vendors like florists, officiants, hair/makeup, etc.

• Make sure you’re all set with any park passes and vehicle reservations you may need

• Give local recommendations like where to stay, where to eat, and what to do while you’re here celebrating

• Deliver sneak peek photos within 24 hours

• Offer ongoing support to answer any questions you have leading up to the big day!

Here are 9 factors we’ll help you consider when planning a wedding in or near Acadia!

1) Weather

The weather on Mount Desert Island is notoriously hard to predict! 

The mountains and proximity of the ocean make forecasts very difficult, so we highly recommend having a plan B (and C…?). 

We always work with couples to select their preferred location in the best case scenario, and we talk through whether or not their selected location will also work in rain or windy conditions. 

Some locations do!  And clear umbrellas make fro adorable photos.

The carriage roads are perfectly safe for walking when wet, and some of them have bridges we can duck under, depending on the wedding party size.  

Some locations do involve moving up and down rocks or through trails with uneven footing and roots. 

For those locations, we work with our couples to select an alternate time or location to make sure everyone can get to the ceremony without injury!

If you find yourselves facing down a rainy wedding day, don’t panic! 

Rain often drives others out of the park, so you’ll likely have your ceremony location to yourself. 

The lighting is also beautiful on rainy days, so we don’t have to wrestle with unflattering shadows or avoid certain angles.

2) The size of your guest list might dictate your location

Acadia is full of small corners and cozy nooks that can beautifully frame an intimate ceremony of 10 or fewer people. 

If you’ll have a guest list of more than 10, you’ll need a permit, and your ceremony location choices are a bit more limited. 

That said, there are eleven beautiful locations for a wedding party of more than 10 people. 

Here’s a list of those places along with their maximum capacity:

• Cadillac Mountain - 30 (No ceremonies during sunrise or sunset.)

  • A Vehicle Reservation is required to drive the Cadillac Summit Road May to October.

• Sand Beach - 30

• Ocean Drive - 30

• Otter Cliff - 20

• Otter Point - 30

• Fabbri Picnic Area - 30

• Little Hunters Beach - 20

• Seawall Picnic Area - 30

• Thompson Island - 50

• Schoodic Point - 25

• Frazer Point Picnic Area - 50

• Islesford Historic Museum - 50

  • Only on outside lawn, after the Museum closes for the day

  • Only accessible by seasonal ferry or personal watercraft; no restroom facilities

There are also beautiful venues on Mount Desert Island near Acadia. 

Some locations are available for larger weddings as well as intimate elopements, and getting into the park before or after a ceremony is very doable!

If you want a more traditional or larger wedding at an bigger venue, you can still get beautiful national park photos before or after the ceremony, and we can help you with all those logistics.

3) Roots and Rocks

Acadia is so beautiful in part due to the pink granite, trails covered in tangles of roots, and the conifers that drop their needles and cones. 

It’s also the granite, roots, and pine needles that can make the footing so tricky and slippery! 

The terrain can pose a challenge to anyone with mobility concerns, so we always work with our couples to select locations that will best fit the needs of their group. 

In our Zoom consultation, we look at photos and videos together to make sure their ceremony spot is easily accessible to guests.

4) Consider Multiple Locations

Part of the magic and allure of Acadia is the variety of settings that are all so close together! 

In just a few hours you can go from epic cliffs to pastoral lakes to mossy paths to summit views. 

We often work with couples to select an easily accessible ceremony location and then one or two locations for couples photos afterwards.

Often these second or third locations are more private and less accessible, which also helps offer a variety of settings in their final gallery.

5) Think About Privacy

Some Acadia ceremony locations are tucked away and private, and others are in view of people passing by. 

We always look at maps together when we select a location to make sure everyone is comfortable with the privacy level. 

Most people are very excited to see a wedding and often shout a hearty “congratulations!” as they pass by.  For some couples, this adds to the merriment of the day. 

Other couples prefer locations that are more private.

Whenever possible, we’re always happy to meet with couples at their location ahead of time to make sure it feels like the best spot for them!

5) Consider How Far You Want To Travel From the Car

For some, the magic of a small wedding in Acadia National Park is in the adventure of it. 

These couples are looking for spots off the beaten path and over brooks and up trails. 

For those who want adventure, there are dozens of options for both ceremony and lodging that are tucked away and private; we’ve even had couples stay on the outer island and hitch a ride to the ceremony on the local mail boat for an authentic Downeast adventure!  

Other couples are looking for proximity to where they’re staying or eating after the ceremony. 

For those who want something closer to amenities, there are lots of wonderful locations that can work well and still highlight the Maine coastline and natural beauty.  

6) Consider the Season

Winter

• Pros: quiet and empty park, snow is a beautiful backdrop, won’t have to worry about privacy

• Cons: many stores and restaurants close for the season, snow/ice means some locations are inaccessible (at least without the right gear!), clothing is obviously more limited by temperatures

Spring

• Pros: might catch the lupines, less crowded than summer, late sunsets mean more opportunities for sunset photos

• Cons: weather can be foggy, early spring can still be chilly, can be muddy (carriage roads close in early spring for mud season)

Summer

• Pros: everything is open, morning and evening temperatures can be perfect, lots of daylight hours in early summer

• Cons: certain areas are very crowded, can be hot during the day, parking at the popular spots is limited

Fall

• Pros: foliage is beautiful, autumn light can be gorgeous, cooler temperatures make for cozy outfits and photos, the park is a little quieter in Sept/Nov

• Cons: October is still very busy with leaf-peepers, snow is a possibility

7) Consider the Vendors

There are so many wonderful local vendors on Mount Desert Island, and we’ve worked with most of them!

Florist: Darkbloom (our top pick - she's our neighbor and her work is beautiful!), Floret, Cottage Flowers, The Bud Connection (Ellsworth)

Reception space: Sweet Pea’s, Bar Harbor Inn

Makeup/hair: Bar Harbor Beauty, Echo Salon

Officiant: Malen Hsu, Barbara Colby, Anna Brooke

Boat charters: Acadian Boat Tours

Restaurants (special occasion): The Reading Room at the Bar Harbor Inn (Downtown Bar Harbor), Havana (Downtown Bar Harbor), The Veranda (Balance Rock Inn)

Restaurants (more casual): Beals (Southwest Harbor), Salsa Verde (Downtown Bar Harbor), McKays (Downtown Bar Harbor)

8) Add-ons Make the Day Even More Special

We can also help make your day even more special with our menu of session add-ons from champagne toasts, coffee and pastry breakfasts, personalized bouquets, or a special photo or letter placed at your ceremony spot before you arrive.

See our menu of add-ons for more information!

9) Be Open-Minded About an Early Wakeup or Late Dinner…

Depending on the time of year, sunrise can be early here (like, pre-5am…), and sunset can be quite late (8:20 around the solstice!). It’s worth considering an early wakeup or allowing for later photos in your schedule to capture some of the sunrise or sunset views. We promise they don’t disapoint.