Tips for Having Cadillac Mountain Wedding in Acadia National Park
Cadillac Mountain is one of the most iconic locations in Acadia National Park and is one of the most visited locations inside Acadia for good reason. The summit offers uninterrupted panoramic views of neighboring mountains, the ocean, and many of Acadia's other famous locations; and Cadillac Mountain hiking trails provide private views of the coastline and forest. If you're making a trip to Acadia, it's almost necessary to visit this gem along the way. And if you thinking of getting married in Acadia National Park, having a Cadillac Mountain Wedding is the perfect backdrop!
With it being such a beautiful location, Cadillac Mountain also makes for one of the best places to have your wedding in Acadia National Park! Since Cadillac Summit is one of the busiest locations in the park, finding when and how to host your ceremony can be a bit of a challenge. Having photographed and planned many weddings here before, here is a quick breakdown of what you need to know in order to have a Caddilac Mountain Wedding!
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Table of Contents
- Tips for Having Cadillac Mountain Wedding in Acadia National Park
- Where to have your Cadillac Mountain Wedding
- How to get married on Cadillac Mountain?
- When is the best time to have your Caddilac Mountain Wedding?
- How to get to Cadillac Mountain Summit?
- Continue reading to see images from a recent Cadillac Mountain Wedding in Acadia National Park!
Where to have your Cadillac Mountain Wedding
Cadillac Mountain provides stunning views that overlook the ocean, mountains, and forest. Choosing where to have your wedding ceremony can be hard with so many incredible spots to choose from. The main options are Cadillac Summit, Blue Hill Overlook, and viewpoints along Cadillac Summit Road (although this can be tricky if you have guests with you). Hiring an elopement photographer who knows the mountain well, can help provide you with specific locations with the views you're looking for!
How to get married on Cadillac Mountain?
Permits and Regulations
Acadia National Park requires all wedding ceremonies with more than 10 people to get a permit and restricts ceremonies with a certain guest count to specific areas in the park. Cadillac Moutain and Blue Hill Overlook restrict wedding ceremonies to 20 people total (including the couple and any vendors) and prohibit those ceremonies from taking place during sunrise or sunset. If you plan to have your ceremony with 10 or fewer people in total, you are free to have your ceremony anywhere in the park without restriction.
Here is a link to where you can download the special use permit and learn more information!
When is the best time to have your Caddilac Mountain Wedding?
There are a few options when it comes to getting married on Cadillac Mountain, timing being one of them. Choosing when to get married is almost as important as choosing where you want to get married. Think about the experience that you are looking for during your ceremony. Do you want it to be private and secluded? Are you willing to prioritize views if it potentially means having strangers around? Depending on the size of your wedding, you'll be restricted to when you can host your ceremony on the summit. But, here are a few options for when to get married and what the experience may look like during them.
Cadillac Mountain Sunrise
Cadillac Mountain is known to be the first place to see the sunrise in the US and has some of the best views in all of Acadia to watch it. Visitors from around the world come to Acadia to view the sunrise from Cadillac Summit, making it a hotspot. If you're dreaming of a ceremony overlooking the ocean at sunrise, Cadillac is an amazing location, but you'll be surrounded by other park visitors, and finding privacy is unlikely. There are a few hidden locations, tucked away from the majority of visitors, that will provide you with a bit of seclusion, but you'll still likely hear them.
Morning on Cadillac Summit
Choosing to host your ceremony a few hours past sunrise will provide you with seclusion and stunning views! The majority of visitors heading to the summit are coming for sunrise or will wait until later in the day to visit, making mid-morning the best time to host your ceremony for privacy. Not only will you have privacy to say your vows and explore the mountain, but the still morning light will make for beautiful wedding photos!
Afternoon on Cadillac Mountain
If you're not a morning person, you may opt to host your ceremony a bit later in the day. Overall I don't recommend afternoon ceremonies. The lighting isn't ideal, leading to harsh shadows in your wedding photos, and around this time the summit gets busier again.
Before and During Sunset
This time tends to be less busy than the afternoon, although not as quiet as mid-morning, and has incredible lighting for photos.
How to get to Cadillac Mountain Summit?
You have two options for accessing Cadillac Mountain Summit, either hiking or driving up using Cadillac Mountain Summit Road.
Cadillac Mountain Summit Road
This is the more popular option to access Cadillac Summit but does require reservations to be made ahead of time. Vehicle reservations for Cadillac Summit Road are required from May 25 to October 22 and cost $6 per vehicle. For more information about vehicle reservations and to buy them, visit the NPS website here.
Cadillac Mountain Hike
If you're looking for something adventurous on your wedding day, hiking up Cadillac Mountain is the perfect option! There are two trails up to Cadillac Summit. There is the steeper and more strenuous 4-mile trail or you can choose the 8-mile trail that is a bit more gradual. Both trails are exposed so I highly recommend starting early in the morning and bringing lots of water.
Want more help? Here is a blog post outlining How to Elope in Maine!
Continue reading to see images from a recent Cadillac Mountain Wedding in Acadia National Park!
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Hey, We're Bridget & Ryan!
Adventurers turned adventure elopement photographers specializing in national park and hiking elopements! We help couples craft a wedding day that feels authentic to them in a meaningful and epic location. Life's an adventure, let's make your wedding one too!
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