Essential Tips for Eloping in Big Sur: An Officiant’s Perspective

Big Sur Elopement Officiant

Updated September 2026

I’m Naomi Rose, a wedding and elopement officiant with more than a decade of experience officiating large scale weddings, micro-weddings, and destination elopements throughout Big Sur and Monterey County.

My Big Sur officiating experience includes destination elopements and micro-weddings in state parks like Pfeiffer Big Sur and Limekiln, atop rugged cliffs overlooking the Pacific, and in towering redwood groves with light filtering through the canopy of trees.

In addition to “roadside” and state parks elopements, I have officiated more than 30 ceremonies at Glen Oaks Big Sur, as well as full scale weddings and elopements at Alila Ventana Big Sur, Paion, Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur River Inn, Fernwood, Deetjen’s, Wind and Sea, The Village Big Sur, Henry Miller Memorial Library, Big Sur Grange, The Endless Ocean Estate and Point 16.

All of this to say that I am intimate with Big Sur and very comfortable officiating weddings and elopements there.

Photo credit: Melissa Ergo, Glen Oaks Big Sur

Photo credit: Melissa Ergo, private estate post ceremony picnic

Reasons to choose Big Sur for your destination elopement

Big Sur has massive appeal because of the wonderful diversity of locations for ceremonies, photos and post ceremony celebrations (like the romantic, post-ceremony picnic pictured below.) Once called the greatest meeting of land and water known to man, Big Sur’s beauty is undisputed.

It is untamed and dramatic, picturesque and cinematic. It feels both wild and luxurious, remote and accessible, contained and vast.

Even if you’re having a small wedding, Big Sur lends its grandeur and gravitas and gives it that mythic feel.

The ambient sounds and sights of nature bring spontaneity and delight, from sea lions, to eagles and red-tailed hawks, to the occasional dolphin or whale appearance.

Big Sur venues and accommodations include everything from redwood rustic to full on fancy, so the choice is yours—your vibe, your vision, and your budget.

Photo credit: Brandon Scott Photo, Deetjen's Big Sur Inn

I highly encourage you to check out Melissa Ergo’s blog entitled “Where and How to Elope in Big Sur.” It’s a free guide with Big Sur location and vendor recommendations. For couples who are looking for an elopement photographer + officiant duo, Melissa and I are frequent collaborators and work together seamlessly. The two photos just below are from an incredible foggy Big Sur elopement we did together.

Things to know when eloping in Big Sur

A good attitude makes all the difference.

It’s important to surrender to the elements and other variables that you can’t control when you’re getting married on a narrow stretch of coastal highway—particularly at a non-venue location like a cliff top.

Sometimes other couples are getting married in the exact spot where you wanted to exchange your vows.

Sometimes there are rapid changes in weather—it can go from bright and sunny to rainy and overcast in a matter of hours.

There is no cell service, so you can’t communicate with your vendor team once you enter Big Sur.

Road closures and construction can bring single lane traffic to a halt, delaying your carefully curated timeline.

The terrain to get to your ceremony spot can be narrow, steep and uneven, and flanked by poison oak.

None of this is meant to dissuade you. Big Sur is absolutely epic. And I’ve had very few experiences where any of these things meaningfully impacted the ceremony, but it’s good to know what to expect.

With some thoughtful planning, an experienced local vendor team, and the willingness to pivot, you can have the most magical wedding day in Big Sur.

Preparing for your Big Sur elopement

Keep in mind that a lot of this advice is for state park, side-of-the-road, non-venue elopements.

Footwear.
Bring the right shoes. Think Birkenstock bridal whites, wedding boho flats and bridal boots. Don’t risk breaking an ankle on your wedding day. If you must wear heels during your ceremony, carry them with you until you get to your ceremony spot.

Wedding dress.
You will get mud, dirt, brambles or forest foliage stuck to your dress, and it’s just part of the experience. There is no way that you will emerge with a perfectly white wedding dress so you might as well make peace with it now.

Bathrooms, etc.
There are no bathrooms at these locations—as in no place to change clothes or change a tampon. There are stretches of road where there is no place to refuel, buy snacks or get water. So make sure your tank is full, that you have something to drink and some nuts to nosh on.

Photo credit: Flora Gibson Photography, Big Sur

Accessibility.
Big Sur terrain is varied, so make sure that you, your photographer and wedding officiant are comfortable with the walk or hike to the ceremony site you’ve chosen. Thankfully, there is no shortage of spots that are accessible on relatively flat ground and just a short walk from the road.

Permission.
Find out if you need a permit, and then get one. While I’ve never had it happen, if a park ranger stops you, not only can they disrupt your once-in-a-lifetime moment, but you could be cited and even fined.

Cell service.
Once you enter Big Sur you will lose cell service. Download maps before you go. If you’re meeting your photographer and officiant at a non-venue spot on the side of the road, or at a state park with multiple entry points, have someone drop a pin or share location coordinates well in advance of the ceremony.

Also agree on a place to meet up (see suggested spots below) if you or your vendors are more than 30 minutes late. This way, if one of your wedding vendors is trying to reach you because they are lost, or because of an unanticipated delay, or vice versa, you know how to find each other and where you can go to communicate with them.

Local meet up spots include:

Starbucks at 3650 Rio Rd, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923
Carmel Highlands Services Station
Big Sur Deli (just north of Glen Oaks Big Sur)

Parking.
Big Sur parking is public, creative, and wherever you find it. You may have to walk a bit and there is no sidewalk. There are fast cars and winding roads with limited visibility of oncoming traffic so be vigilant.

Go with the flow.
Flow with whatever is happening. Don’t get so caught up in things you can’t control that you lose sight of what you’re doing there in the first place.

Contingency.
Have a contingency plan, whether that’s postponing or pivoting, as the couple below did during the recent Timber fire. They were supposed to get married at Glen Oaks Big Sur but ended up having their ceremony on the Soberanes Canyon Trail since Glen Oaks was forced to close. As you can tell from the photos, the ceremony was no less beautiful or joyful.

Photo credit: Jamie LeMaire Photography, Soberanes Canyon Trail

Marriage license.
Protect your marriage license. Make sure you bring a folder or plastic cover. If it’s raining, have your witness and officiant sign it in your car. I usually sign it beforehand so I can stick it safely in my car and not risk it getting blown away, dirty or wet.

Vendor team.
Hiring a talented local wedding vendor team with intimate knowledge of Big Sur will make your wedding day go 10x more smoothly than if you plan everything on your own.