Choosing a time of year to elope can be difficult when each season in North Carolina is so different!! In this blog post, I break down the specifics of each season including weather, average temperatures, road closures to be aware of, vendor availability, and my recommendations of the best places to elope during each season.

*When getting married on public lands, please make sure to follow all Leave No Trace principles and leave the trail better than you found it! You can learn more about Leave No Trace here.

Winter (December – February)

Winter in Asheville lasts from December – February. Highs in the city are usually in the 40s and 50s. The higher elevation you go in the mountains, the colder it will get. The city will rarely get snowfall, trails on the parkway will usually be snow covered starting in January. Parts of the parkway will be closed due to ice from November – late March. Click here to read my blog post: “5 Tips for a Flawless Winter Wedding”.

Pros:

• No tourists. For most places on the east coast, tourist season is during the summer and fall months. Once it starts getting colder, less people are visiting which means you won’t run into as many tourists on trails.
• Winter is beautiful. Although Charlotte gets barely any snow, the mountains will get some snow in the winter!! So if you’re dreaming of a snowy elopement in NC, it’s totally possible.
• Vendors are less booked. Busy season for wedding vendors is in the summer/fall, and by December, most of us have less on our calendar, which means more availability for you!!

Cons:

• Limited location options. A lot of locations are less accessible in the winter due to snow and ice. Parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway are closed from Nov-March due to dangerous conditions, so that limits the amount of locations you have to choose from.
• Cold temperatures (bring lots of layers!!).

Best Places to Elope:

• Book an Airbnb. Click here for the Best Airbnbs in North Carolina for an Elopement.
• Grandfather Mountain. This park is separate from the Blue Ridge Parkway and allows you to get those beautiful mountain views without the risk of road closures.
• Pisgah National Forest
• Something Blue Mountain Venue in Marion, NC or Laurel Falls Venue in Asheville, NC.

Spring (March – May)

Spring in Asheville lasts from March – May. Flowers will begin to bloom on the parkway in late March, making spring the best season to see wildflowers!! Highs in the 60s-70s and lows in the 40s-50s. Scattered rainfall and bright sunny days.

Pros:

• In my opinion, spring temps are the best for elopements. Cooler at night and in the morning, and it warms up during the day.
• Less tourists in comparison to the summer & fall.
• Wildflowers begin to bloom, snow melts and everything turns green again!!

 

Cons:

• Spring can be a very rainy time of year, and the weather is a little unpredictable.

 

Best Places to Elope:

• The parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway that close during the winter usually open again by early April, making that the perfect time to elope on the parkway before tourist season!!
• Pisgah National Forest
• Linville Gorge Wilderness
• If you want to avoid hiking the rain, you could elope at an Airbnb with mountains views. Click here for the Best Airbnbs in North Carolina for an Elopement.

Summer (June – August)

Summer in Asheville lasts from June – August. Highs in the 80s, few days may go above 90. Nights will go down into the 60s. Sunny days and scattered afternoon thunderstorms.

Pros:

• The colors in the mountains during the summer are beautiful!! Everything will be bright and in bloom.
• Warm temperatures and sunny days.

 

Cons:

• It can get pretty hot, but it will be slightly cooler in the mountains than the city. The mountains should still be bearable in the summer.
• Summer is a popular time of year for tourists, hikers and campers. I recommend choosing a location that isn’t extremely well-known if you want to elope in the summer.

 

Best Places to Elope:

• The Blue Ridge Parkway
• Pisgah National Forest
• Linville Gorge Wilderness
• Jockey Ridge State Park: For the beach lovers out there, this park is located near the Outerbanks in North Carolina and has beautiful sand dunes.
• Grandfather Mountain State Park
• Something Blue Mountain Venue in Marion, NC

Fall (September – November)

Fall foliage will appear in early October – November. Highs in the 70s, dropping down to the 60s in November.

Click here for a fall foliage schedule by location.

Pros:

• Beautiful fall foliage.
• Weather starts to cool down.

 

Cons:

• Fall attracts a LOT of tourists to the mountains, trails will be busy and you may encounter traffic on the parkway.
• The parkway does not issue wedding permits for the month of October.
• Vendors are usually very busy during the fall, make sure to reach out to them as soon as possible.

 

Best Places to Elope:

Small venues and parks that require reservations are the best places to elope in the fall, allowing you to get those beautiful fall colors without running into lots of tourists and hikers.

• Jump Off Rock in Hendersonville, NC
• Laurel Falls Life Venue
• Pisgah National Forest
• Linville Gorge Wilderness
• The Blue Ridge Parkway in late September or early November

Hey!! I’m Erin, your planning expert and photographer for an intentional elopement day in the great outdoors. If you’re tired of searching on google for the perfect elopement location that checks all of your boxes, I’ll handle all of the research so that you only have to do the fun part – picking your favorites from a curated list! If you’re ready to start planning your elopement, click here for more information!!