10 Unique Elopement Ideas for a One-of-a-Kind Michigan Elopement

Choosing a wedding experience that feels intentional to you and your partner and what means the most to you is the most important thing of any wedding day. Be that an elopement or an intimate wedding or whatever, picking a path that’s about what you both want your day to be about should always be celebrated! But choosing to elope doesn’t mean that you have to forego adventure by any means!! Especially in Michigan! There’s so much beauty and experience to be had here, which is why I’ve pulled together 10 unique elopement ideas for a one-of-a-kind Michigan elopement experience!

So if you’re in the market for doing something a little different, this one is for you 😘

1. Seaplane to Isle Royale

Starting off strong with probably one of the most adventurous things there is to do in Michigan! Isle Royale is Michigan’s only National Park, and is a series of islands northwest of Copper Harbor in Lake Superior. This spot is notorious for its natural beauty, and also for being an incredible spot for anyone who loves backpacking, hiking, and being in nature. One way to get to the island is by ferry, but another is by seaplane! So picture your elopement day looking like this: spending your morning in a cozy cabin drinking coffee together and getting dressed together, then hopping on a private seaplane to explore the islands. So cool!!

2. Weekend backpacking elopement in the Porcupines

If you want rugged terrain, waterfalls, backpacking, camping, rocky beaches, and ancient forests – this area is well worth looking into. There’s such a beautiful variety of areas all within hiking distance of each other! There’s also more accessible areas like Lake of the Clouds and a few other overlooks if you want to hold off on backpacking super far. Your elopement day here could look like waking up at camp to snuggle around a breakfast fire with some percolator coffee or tea, getting dressed together at your campsite, hiking to your favorite view to say your vows, popping champagne, and getting photos at a few beautiful areas before wandering back to camp and snuggling up around a campfire.

3. Rent a pontoon and elope at Pictured Rocks

There is seriously no better way to explore the Pictured Rocks shoreline than by water. Renting a pontoon gives you the capability to spend the day out swimming, boating, and of course finding a beautiful spot along the shoreline to have your ceremony! With this option, your day could look like getting ready together and having a first look in Pictured Rocks, and then picking up the pontoon and boating out to one of the beautiful, secluded beach areas. Then you could say your vows on a private spot on the beach, and spend a few hours swimming in the crystal clear waters, having a few drinks, popping champagne, sharing a charcuterie board, etc before heading back for a nice dinner at Tracey’s Roam Inn!

4. Winter skiing elopement

I see people out in Colorado and Montana do this all the time, and I’m always like why not here!? Michigan has SO MANY ski resorts, and although the cold doesn’t appeal to everyone, if you’re a skier or snowboarder this would be such an amazing wedding experience. You could rent an airbnb adjacent to or in the ski village, spend your wintery morning getting ready together, say your vows in a beautiful spot (on top of the mountain, maybe?), then do a run or two in your wedding gear (!!!) before having a nice dinner at your home and cozying up in the hot tub together with a glass of bubbly! Out of the 10 unique elopement ideas I’ve come up with, this one is a favorite!

5. Hot Air Balloon Ride

A hot air balloon ride would be a SUPER unique way to celebrate your wedding! Most rides last for a few hours, so you could do this as a sunset celebration or kick the day off with it potentially, and pack some champagne for a toast and maybe a charcuterie board! Or if you are afraid of heights, there are plenty of hot air balloon festivals all over the state you can attend to have pretty hot air balloons in the background!!

6. Nauti Cat Cruise in Traverse City

If you are up for something fun and funky, you will probably love this. The Nauti-cat is a catamaran that boats throughout the West Grand Traverse Bay, complete with a bar (and bathrooms!)! They’re available for private charters, or if you want to bring along a group and are okay with sharing they have plenty of options for mid-day excursions, sunset cruises, and more! With this option you could add this in to your elopement plans post-ceremony as a celebration, and do some celebratory swimming and boating before heading back to shore and sharing a nice dinner together!

7. Winter Ice Caves Elopement Adventure to Grand Island

An ice caves elopement is cool as hell no matter where it is, but making a full adventure out of it and going to Grand Island would be BEYOND epic. You can take snowmobile tours out to the island to see some absolutely incredible ice structures! With a day like this, packing/wearing warm clothes would be essential, but the payoff for getting breathtaking and unique photos would be amazing. You could spend your morning getting ready together in your cozy cabin and sharing your first look in the beautiful snowy woods. Then head off to the Island to explore some of the most incredible ice caves in the world! If you want to see more about what an ice caves elopement could look like, check out my post here!

8. An on-the-water-wedding on Mackinac Island

It’s no secret that I’m a big advocate of why Mackinac is an amazing place to get married for many reasons! I’ve talked about it on other blog posts, but this is one way to make your Mackinac Island Elopement truly unique. The Sip’n’Sail cruises are fun no matter how you do it, but getting married on board?! Amazing. You could do this solo or bring a few of your closest people to enjoy a cruise out under the Mighty Mac! You could have a full day of adventures leading up to a sunset ceremony on board, or have wedding festivities during the day and wrap up your celebration with a sunset cruise. It’ll be amazing either way!

9. Ethereal woodsy wedding at Estivant Pines

If something more simple but still adventurous is your vibe, the Estivant Pines is a sanctuary of rare old-growth white pines that have beautiful trails and HUGE trees. This area makes me think of couples who love a more earthy feeling, who want some adventure, or who are envisioning something more woodsy and ethereal for their day! You can find so many other beautiful areas around the sanctuary as well!

10. Camping Elopement at Headlands Dark Sky Park

Saved one of my favorites for last!! This dark sky park is right outside Mackinaw City, and it’s an area that restricts light pollution. This means that when it gets dark out, you can see SO many beautiful stars! It’s a super unique place to elope, and with being right next to Wilderness State Park there are tons of options for camping and exploring. Just imagining how beautiful the photos of you and your person with a blanket of stars behind you has me so excited!!

And there you have it!! Now you are equipped with some ideas to make your elopement truly unique, and I cannot wait to see these ideas come to life. I absolutely love working with my couples to create elopement experiences that are unique to them, so if you want to chat with me about your day, contact me!!