PLANNING TIPS FOR YOUR DREAM ELOPEMENT OR TINY WEDDING IN THE BEAUTIFUL DESERT OF JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK— let’s do this!

If you’re dreaming and planning your elopement or tiny wedding in Joshua Tree National Park, then I’m SO glad you’re here!! I’ve put together some of the important “need to knows” on getting married in this magical desert location! You’ve probably seen a MILLION pictures on the ‘gram of the quirky Joshua Trees, the stacking boulder sculptures, and the golden and pink sunsets! It’s a popular location for a reason — it’s STUNNING and truly one of a kind! So, how do you elope there? I got you. Let’s dive in!

1. CHOOSING YOUR DATE

Picking your date is important to think about when choosing Joshua Tree — we want to try and pick the best time to avoid crowds, crazy weather, and try and choose the best time of day! Let’s start with Time of Year: summer in Josiah tree can be wildly hot, so it might be best to avoid those months. The nicest times of year in the park are typically March-May and September-November, however, everyone else is also eyeing those dates. So, if you want to pick a date in there, I recommend choosing a weekend to do your best at avoiding crowds. Another tip: make sure not to pick a holiday week and check what schools’ spring / fall breaks are and avoid those too! Certain ceremony locations will also be unavailable during peak season. I’ve spent time in Joshua Tree National Park in February and have always had nice weather with warm days, so if you’re open to an “off-season” date, you might want to consider that as an option. Now, for Time of Day: I am always drawn to a sunrise or sunset, not only is this stunning lighting in the park, but it tends to be a bit emptier from park goers. However, your timeline can be creatively and uniquely designed to piece together all the moments you want to have!

2. GETTING A PERMIT

This is the “not so fun” part, but equally important. We don’t want your ceremony to get interrupted by a park ranger, so let’s get you a permit! To hold an elopement or wedding ceremony in Joshua Tree National Park, you must acquire a Special Use Permit — this costs $120 and allows for 25 guests or less. A larger wedding has a few more restrictions on locations and has an additional $200 fee.

Two other park related fees —

Photography / Videography Permit: Costs $120 and you can apply HERE
Park Entrance Fee: You can either pay the $30 per vehicle fee for 7 days, for $80 for an annual National Park pass. Each is valid for one car.

3. CEREMONY LOCATION IDEAS

Since Joshua Tree is a National Park, there are a handful of selected locations that a ceremony can be held (and this will be connected with the permit you apply for). These spots are slightly different, so you may want to look up some detailed images of each one, but they are full of panoramic views, desert rock formations, and wide open Joshua Tree cacti fields:

CAP ROCK: Under a mile trail // super cool rock formations
HIDDEN VALLEY PICNIC AREA: 1 mile trail // lots of rocks, beautiful at sunset
SPLIT ROCK: 2 mile trail // a little bit higher views
PORCUPINE WASH: 8 mile trail // a bit further out, wildflowers
TURKEY FLATS: 2 mile trail // more wide open desert
LIVE OAK: 1.5 trail loop // more greenery and desert plants
INDIAN COVE AMPHITHEATER: For larger gatherings — 26-100 people

You can also check the NPS for more updated locations and info HERE.

IF you want to do a wedding ceremony elsewhere and then just go into the park for photos, here are a few other ideas (some of these are also locations you can stay) —

// Your Airbnb — make it a weekend with your people // Tumbleweed Sanctuary // Desert Sage House // Sacred Sands House // Rimrock Ranch // Joshua Tree Spanish Estate // Villa Kuro // Mid Century Modern Ranch // White Cactus House //

4. PLACES TO STAY

I highly recommend making a whole trip out of this special event — bring your family and friends or just yourselves and enjoy a weekend or more in the beauty of Joshua Tree! There are plenty of locations to camp within and around the National Park, but I recommend getting a house through Airbnb or something similar — this way you’ll have a “hub” to get ready in before your elopement, host a dinner or small reception in afterwards, and just have a place that you can celebrate for a day or two! Here are a few favorites you can check out:

// The Joshua Tree House - my personal fave // Mojave Desert Cabin // Joshua Tree Tiny House // Desert Air Casita // Nature Lover’s House // Little Jo Cabin // Desert Wild + pool & hot tub // High Desert Paradise //

These book up fast! So, I recommend reaching out to them and getting your date on the calendar sooner than later!

5. FINDING VENDORS

Starting the search for the dream team to make the magic of your day in the desert come to life? I know Joshua Tree tends to be a destination for weddings, so you may not know where to begin in looking for vendors. Well, I am MORE than happy to help you connect with creatives who can help with each aspect of your elopement. Scroll down and message me below and we can chat through ALL those details! 👇 Whether you’re looking for a florist, caterer, planner & stylist, hair & makeup artist, or rentals - I gotchu.

6. THINGS TO BRING & TIPS FOR THE PARK

Here are just a few other things to consider when prepping for your elopement in Joshua Tree National Park —

Marriage license: Be sure to either set up an appointment in CA locally or plan on having a ‘legal ceremony’ near you before traveling. This also determines IF you want an officiant or not.
Wedding attire: Wear what feels most YOU for your special day — just remember that there will be lots of walking around (and may climbing on rocks). Bring something like a jacket or shawl incase it gets a bit windy or chilly (especially at sunrise and sunset).
Visit the park before: I highly recommend spending a bit of time exploring the park the day before your elopement or wedding, this way you get to see it in a more relaxed state and also get a feeling for where you might want certain photos or backdrops to be.
Bring water and snacks: It’s a desert, so stay hydrated and keep you energy full with water and snacks! There isn’t much once you get in the park, so be sure to bring what you need!
No cell service: Prepare to have little to NO cell signal, aka download maps and know where you’re going and who you’re meeting up with where/when beforehand.

7. LEAVE NO TRACE

This is an important point, something we should all care about to take care of beautiful locations like Joshua Tree National Park. Let’s make sure that our celebrations are respectful to the land and keep it around for years and years to come and to enjoy. So, a few things to remember directly from the NPS website:

Items that ARE Permitted For a Wedding:

// Arch, must be free-standing // Small table for guest book // Cooler with water (it gets hot) // Live flowers // Battery-powered candles // Runner // Rug // Cake // Champagne //

Items NOT Permitted For a Wedding:

// Drones // Dried flowers // Non-battery powered candles // Bubbles // Any live animals, including doves, butterflies, etc // Confetti // Rice // Birdseed // Balloons // Smoke Bombs //