Eloping anywhere is exciting and beautiful and an incredible experience, but it’s just different in the midwest hahaha! To Choose A Midwest Elopement Location is to choose ADVENTURE! The midwest has so much more to offer than what you see at first glance, look a little longer! Stay awhile! Maybe by the end we may have helped you Choose A Midwest Elopement Location! 😉

Do you have a preferred climate?

Fall in the midwest

Calling everyone looking for apple orchard, pumpkin patch, and sunflower field vibes… Fall in the midwest is calling you – pick up that phone! Y’all!! The temperatures, colors, and views aren’t to be compared anywhere else. The midwest is where its at! Enjoy a good ol’ hike around one of the many state parks where the leaves on the trees pop with tons of colors, the waterfalls run wild, and the wildlife is up close and personal!

Spring in the midwest

This is THE time of year to visit (or elope!) to say of the midwestern states… Come to see tons of flowers, incredible amounts of soft colors, and overall beautiful weather! This is PERFECTION when it comes down to a state park elopement… we’re not biased or anything! 😉 Spring is going to bring cooler and windier weather so if you’re not a fan of the heat, but love a good hike in comfy clothes, the sloping season may be your best bet!

Summer in the midwest

The summer months can get pretty darn warm, so you might want to think about eloping on the beach! Which, correct us if we’re wrong, but we don’t think that will be too hard of a convincing argument to make hahahaha! A beach wedding is CLASSIC, but you can also make it super unique and individual to you, no doubt. The midwest has many good spots to consider when looking at beaches, don’t over look the midwest when considering a beach wedding!

Winter in the midwest

Now, it can get extremelyyyy to terribly cold in the winter… but there are spots where you can have a snowy, winter elopement if that is what you’re looking for! If that’s the case, we encourage you to look more towards the northern midwest area like the Great Lakes! Those lakes will bring in tons of lake effect snow, making every single one of your winter wonderland wedding dreams come true right before your eyes!

What kind of scenery are you looking for?

When it comes to the scenery in the midwest, don’t underestimate it… the midwest has a wide variety of scenic spots to offer including waterfalls, beaches, deserts, and even mountains! WOWZA!! Can you even imagine that?! Mountains in the midwest, and they can literally be the entire backdrop for your very own elopement! You cannot pass this opportunity up!! HA! We have some specific ideas for you… keep on scrolling to see ’em!

• See the waterfalls throughout the midwest!
• Lots of beaches/shorelines, like Lake Michigan to explore!
• Fall sunsets are beautiful if you want a sunset elopement!
• Porcupine Mountains elopement, anyone?!
• You even have a desert option at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes!

Are they any places in the midwest you’ve wanted to visit?

Are there places you’ve been absolutely dying to visit or see?! Maybe you don’t even know where to start! And there’s no shame in it LOL, we can help ya build your list of “OMG I need to visit these places ASAP”! No worries hahaha. Some of the most notable places are landmarks, some are nature spots that will blow your mind, maybe a good river or lake or two, or it could be an island in the middle of Michigan that catches your attention, and it might even be a state park! Who know? You won’t know until you get your research on… good thing we’re here to help! Here is Sam + Bryt’s list of everywhere in the Midwest you need to visit.

• The Mackinac Bridge in Michigan 

• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan 

• Northern Lights throughout winter/spring in Michigan & Minnesota 

• Starved Rock State Park in Illinois 

• Indiana Dunes 

• Lake of the Ozarks in MO 

What type of activities do you want to take part in?

If you love a good old, simple (or extreme!) hike, you’re in luck! The midwest has tons of hiking trail locations in the various state park this area has to offer! The midwest might seem boring compared to the coasts or the tropical areas, but ohhhh baby let us tell ya – the hiking is next to none! Midwest hiking might just be the reason you Choose A Midwest Elopement Location, haha! Here is a link to some of the best of the best!

Rock climbing is also a must-do around these parts (said in our best midwestern, country accent LOL). We (and thousands of others, no doubt!) recommend the lovely, unique, one of a freakin’ kind Red River Gorge in Kentucky. RRG, shortened haha, is known for its impressive, massive land bridges and good lookout points, but lordddd is it good for rock climbing! We just recently learned all about this and we are obsessed! There’s even a climbing school in the area!

Snow activities in the wintertime aren’t off the table, either! Check out the infamous Porcupine Mountains in Michigan! This is the state you might want to look at first if you’re interested in more wintery, snowy adventures… Michigan gets that heavyyyy lake effect snow every year and really is its own winter wonderland! Porcupine Mountains has a ton to offer like their own lodging areas, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, and more!

More and more activities!

Horseback Riding is ALWAYS a fan favorite! And rightfully so! Seriously y’all, if you’re gonna see anything you may as well see it on horseback?! Get close to nature ON a piece of nature hahahaha. Jack’s Livery Stable on Mackinac Island in Michigan just might be your fav place ever after your adventures on horseback, it’s got our vote! At Jack’s, you can learn how to drive a carriage or you can actually be on horseback, take your pick! This is a winner, consider it when you try to Choose A Midwest Elopement Location.

You could visit an art museum, of course! We will always preach about eh importance of preserving the arts and our deep love for it! There happen to be many, many, MANY great options for art museum picking, but we personally love the Cleveland Museum of Art! Located in Cleveland, Ohio, and self titled as a “celebration of art”. We love this place! Their current exhibitions include contemporary installation, Photography between art and fashion, Black Art in focus, and many more!

Go boating why dontcha?!! HA! We love a good day out on the lake, but we have a deep intuition that we are not alone… try out the Lake of the Ozarks in MO! This babe is a reservoir created by impounding the Osage River! WOW! Sounds intense lol… located in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. There are [arts of three smaller tributaries to the Osage and are actually included in the same impoundment: the Niangua River, Grandglaize Creek, and Gravois creek. Check ’em out!

Are friends and family invited?

How many people are invited will determine your elopement location options 

If you’re wanting to big your whole damn family – GREAT! We love a good family party. If you want your family, plus some friends – The more the merrier (marry-ier in this occasion? haha). May you just want you and your lover to be present – We love the intimacy, sounds like a plan to us! Regardless of what you chose, keep in mind that the number of people you bring for your elopement will make a change to what elopement locations are available to you. If you’re having a big group, maybe hiking to the top of a mountain isn’t your best bet. But you know what is? Maybe an elopement at a park under a shelter house! There are options for everything, but you can’t start making those decisions without knowing how many people you are bringing along.

You can always have a private elopement in the midwest and then a bigger celebration at a later date

THIS IS TRUE! Sooooo many people do this, and we wish more people would! Do your elopement as intimately as possible… a special day, just you plus your lover. The day isn’t about anyone else, just the two of you and your commitment to one another. But still want to party? NO PROB! Bring the party back home. Have a huge celebration later on with all of your favorite humans, just us, they won’t be too sad they weren’t there… they will just be so excited to celebrate you two and get on the dance floor! Side note – if they are upset, maybe they weren’t a true friend in the first place! Just some advice 😉

You can elope at an Airbnb and have a few guests stay onsite with you 

Yup, yup, and yuuuup. We are such huge advocates for Airbnb’s. Ohhhh we love them. We always recommend them. They are the PERFECT option when thinking about eloping somewhere that isn’t close to where you actually live. Long gone are the days of Motel 8’s and crummy old hotels. Book with Airbnb, you can bring your guests and they can stay on site with you! Also, the freedom in picking which bnb you want is sooooo liberating y’all. We love to find the most unique and trendy ones out there, it’s like you’re pretending to play house for the time you’re staying hahaha it’s always so fun to live a different life for a minute or two! LOL.

So… How are we feeling?! Did this blog help you narrow your list or even Choose A Midwest Elopement Location? We hope so! What are your favorite spots so far? If somewhere sparks your interest and wanna take more things elopement, contact us!

Thanks for reading!
XOXO
Sam + Bryt