3-Day Alaska Glacier + Forest Vow Renewal
Weddings in Alaska on Glaciers:
Why Matanuska Glacier Is the Most Immersive Place to Elope
- Matanuska Glacier – One of the only glaciers in Alaska where you can glamp directly on the ice, explore by foot with glacier guides, and take off by helicopter to reach hidden glacier pools and alpine summits. Offers a more immersive experience than typical day-tour-access glaciers. (Keep reading below!)
- Knik Glacier – Easy to visit via a variety of helicopter elopement packages with vast ice fields, famous glacier blue pools and sweeping mountain summits. Oh, and a hidden waterfall on the edge of the glacier! Pro tip: Knik Glacier can be accessed two ways—from Palmer in the “north” or Girdwood on the “south” side, so more flight vendors, lodging and other options are available than other glaciers. See a 2-day Knik Glacier Elopement →
Planning an Alaska Glacier Wedding? Start Here:
- Glacier Bay National Park – Despite having about 1,000 glaciers, virtually all are only accessible via cruise/boat access, or small aircraft flyovers. The entire park is under the Wilderness Act, meaning mechanized access — including helicopters — is largely banned. BUT, if you want a wedding on the water with majestic tidewater glaciers, Glacier Bay is hard to beat.
STILL CAN'T DECIDE? This blog below shares what a three-day mountain + glacier elopement on Matanuska Glacier can look like!
From a heli taxi to glacier glamping - to a glacier vow exchange - to glamping in a forest - to a hike under the midnight sun —you can see why you will love Matanuska Glacier for your fully immersive adventure-luxe destination elopement.
- Root Glacier – Wild, remote terrain accessed by privately guided hike-in routes, leaving out of McCarthy. Famous for glacier blue pools, a massive ice "waterfall", and unique ice climbing opportunities.
- Kenai Fjords National Park – Coastal fjords and tidewater glaciers, accessed via boat. Pro tip: Helicopter landings IN Kenai Fjords National Park are largely not allowed due to park conservation rules. Landings sometimes happen at Bear Glacier; part of it extends beyond park boundaries to federal lands with different access rules. Companies like Seward Heli offer custom elopement packages with flights to Seward’s Godwin Glacier (has dogsledding!) See a 2-day elopement with overnight at Bear Glacier Lagoon→
- Godwin Glacier – A snow-field glacier via heli access from Seward. What makes Godwin special? It is one of the only glaciers nearer to Kenai Fjords National Park for a glacier landing as there are no landings in the park. And, you can do on-glacier dogsledding here! See dogsledding vows on Godwin Glacier→
- Mendenhall Glacier – Helicopter-only near Juneau. Often paired with cruise weddings, so can be busier, and, more rigid on timing. Helicopters in Juneau are often bigger (holding up to 5-6 guests vs 3), so easier if you want a wedding party.
Top Glacier Locations for Elopements
Top Glacier Locations for Elopements
Matanuska Glacier -Best for a Wedding in Alaska on a Glacier
Day 1: The Adventure Begins!
(Kick-off & Heli images)
Day 1: Helicopter -to- Glacier Glamping
(Glamp camp images)
Day 2 Morning: Glacier -to- Heli -to- Forest Glamping
(Day 2 Morning images)
CLICK TO Close
(Glacier portraits)
(Glacier vows ceremony images)
Day 2 Afternoon: Glamping Portraits + Hike
(Day 2 Portraits & Alpine Hike images)
Day 3: Post Wedding Celebration!
(Day 3 Camp images)
Why This Format Works for Glacier Elopements
(More Inspiration)
Matanuska Glacier -Best for a Wedding in Alaska on a Glacier
I designed Jasmine and Vince’s 3-day inspirational glacier vows experience to start with big adventure, straight out of the gate! We began with MICA Guides and a helicopter flight to one of the few places in Alaska where you can glamp (glamorous camp) directly ON a glacier.
This is what makes Matanuska Glacier uniquely suited for couples seeking something more than just a scenic fly-in…
From your glamping tent, you can trek on foot with a private guide to secluded glacier features, or take off again by helicopter to explore blue ice pools and remote summits—all from camp.
No day-tour rush. No distractions. Just full immersion and the luxury of time to slow down, see it, feel it, and let the memories and emotions really sink in as you experience each moment.
Scroll below to see this 3-day glamping & glacier wedding vision:
The Biggest Difference:
Having planned & photographed adventure elopements since 2019, my experience is this:
Approaching your destination elopement as a multi-day adventure is a game changer.
Less monitoring a timeline means more time for emotion, and, this creates more ease and natural beauty in the images we capture of your story...
Curious what that "ease" looks like?
Fully immerse in the glacier wedding experience--how can we see AND experience Alaska like we've NEVER done before?
Elopement Vision:
Day 1: The Adventure Begins!
Jasmine & Vince met me at the MICA Guides headquarters on the edge of the Matanuska Glacier valley, covering the scenic roughly 2 hour drive over from Anchorage that morning.
Our mission?
A wonderful vow renewal for them, in an adventure I crafted to excite & inspire them–and other couples! – on a hidden gem of a place for an elopement on a glacier in Alaska and adventuring in a way they’d never known was possible.
Once onsite, the guide team covered safety, talked through logistics of glamping life on the glacier (yes, there IS a toilet and real beds at camp!) and, got them hyped for their first-ever helicopter flight.
With information and excitement in hand, the guide and I gave them space to change into their wedding formalwear.
Their first look was emotional—Vince's reaction to seeing Jasmine and their shared happy tears brought me to tears, too! Then it was off to the landing zone, and as the helicopter swept in, huge smiles and laughs as hair and gorgeous elopement florals from Paper Peony blew in the wind.
Day 1: Helicopter to On-Glacier Glamping
There are only three guest tents onsite, and each tent has one queen size bed along with a twin bed. (The on-site glacier guides live in a staff camp with separate tents a bit off the main camp area.)
This intimate size means the glamp camp is a perfect overnight spot for a “Just Us” glacier elopement, or, an intimate glacier wedding with just a few of your loved ones.
It’s adventurous luxe that’s deeply comfortable.
As Jasmine and Vince explored the camp and settled in, the guides brought over a beautiful charcuterie tray as a welcome.
After relaxing, we joined one other guest couple in camp for a shared dinner cooked by the glacier guide team. It was warm, delicious, and simple, served in a communal dining area. The other couple was kind and full of questions—thrilled to be dining with a pair renewing their vows in such a unique setting.
As the sun softened behind the ridgeline (it never really set, thanks to the midnight sun), we packed up and set off with our guide, Connor.
We hiked through a mix of glacial rock and ice, passing meltwater channels and sweeping ice mounds and cliffs. Connor led us to a hidden alcove with elevated glacier walls and a soft-running stream—a moment of pause, where Jasmine and Vince marveled as the scale of this place, then strapped on crampons and scrambled upward to explore. The sound of the small waterfall echoing inside the canyon gave a sense of scale, intimacy, and magic.
We continued our trek until Connor guided us into a natural ice amphitheater. Meltwater covered the ground in a thin reflective layer, mirroring the sky and Jasmine and Vince hand-in-hand. After Connor led them through a beautiful guided ceremony they exchanged private vows— heartfelt, tear-filled.
We toasted afterward—not with champagne, but with pure glacier water, scooped straight from the flow.
Before returning, Connor gave them a chance to try their hands at ice climbing using ice axes, drawing laughter and cheers. We hiked back to camp in the dim midnight sun (it was 11pm!) and Jasmine and Vince warmed by the fire with drinks and treats, then tucked into their tent, now softly glowing with twinkle lights I’d set up in advance.
Day 2 Morning: Glacier Breakfasts + Helicopter to Forest Glamping
At Alpenglow, the shift in landscape was felt immediately.
PRO TIP: Not quite ready to leave the beauty of your Alaskan glacier wedding yet? Instead of heading back to the Alpenglow camp, I can help coordinate a custom heli tour for a multi-stop tour across the afternoon!
From summertime glacier blue pools, to impressive ice “water falls”, to unbelievable sweeping alpine views from above the glacier, a Mantanuska helicopter elopement has SO much beauty to offer.
The next morning began quietly for Jasmine & Vince — a coffee and tea tray waiting outside their tent door allowed them a slow, comfortable start. The beauty of camp is that while it is quiet, nature is never silent. The birds in the distance and the sounds of meltwater tinkling through the ice nearby make my absolute favorite soundtrack :-)
After delicious hot breakfast made by the glacier guide team and a little more relaxation on the deck of their tent, the helicopter arrived. This time, it carried us from their glacier overnight wedding adventure to Alpenglow Glamping—a forested retreat overlooking the mountains and icefield.
The team at Alpenglow Luxury Glamping is serious about making your stay amazing--they had prepared the most beautiful charcuterie tray for Jasmine & Vince to celebrate the glacier vows & welcome them to camp! (The resident moose also dropped by to say "congrats" from a safe distance, lol.)
It was gorgeous, tasty, and perfect fuel for the evening's adventures ahead!
Day 2 Afternoon: Glamping Portraits + Midnight Sun Hike
Leaving from their new home base in an adorable and nicely appointed canvas glamping tent, and we wandered for portraits among the flower lined forest paths.
After that, we packed water and changes of garments (for a fun 3rd look in the adventure!) and headed to the nearby trailhead. The trail was steep but steady, climbing to sweeping views of the glacier they’d slept on the night before. It was the kind of trail where the journey is part of the destination! ;-)
On the ridge overlook, the shared their wishes for each other, and then change changed into their 3rd outfits for a glamorous finish to the adventure. Every moment on that ridgeline was sweet, tender, and SO PERFECTLY THEM.
Even though we’d had a very full day already, joy and energy were high even thought it was late!
At almost ll pm, as we headed back down the trail, the mountains, braided river valley, and the glacier in the distance were all bathed in the soft light of the (literal) midnight sun.
Day 3: Post Wedding Celebration!
When you have the luxury of time during your wedding in Alaska on a glacier (and atop an epic mountain ridgeline) vs a single-day mad rush, you can slow down and let the celebration flow onward.
So the morning of Day 3, they had a slow and sweet start. No hustle or watching the clock. No hurrying.
They relaxed in rockers in the camp's social area, the morning light giving the mountains a delicate glow, as the camp host cooked them and other guests a fresh, hot breakfast, each plate made to order.
With a experience-rich Day 1 and Day 2, Jasmine and Vince decided they wanted to save their second wedding cake I'd organized and carried in for them from Anchorage for the morning of Day 3. Nothing better for breakfast following your glacier wedding than cake, right?!
They cut the seriously decadent, gluten-free raspberry polenta cake (perfectly sized for two!) and savored the tastes and easy going time together at beautiful guest community pavilion on the camp lawn.
PRO TIP: Overlooking the forest, mountain peaks and glacier--coupled with fantastic, budget-savvy lodging for a group--this space would be PERFECT for a family ceremony for an intimate destination wedding to Alaska!
With regal trees, craggy mountains and the looming presence of the glacier filling the view from camp. Jasmine and Vince enjoyed the sweetest wind down to their vow renewal adventure. Cake, snuggles, laughs, and stories shared with wonder from ALLLLLL the experiences that had happened over the last three days.
Why This Format Works for Glacier Elopements
...They had beautiful vows, nestled in an adventure of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, with added touches of luxury + deep comfort, but, still in touch with the wildness and realness of the space.
...If you're drawn to stillness, wilderness with a dash of adventurous luxury, and the idea of creating something that is always completely unique, it's worth considering.
Three days. Alaskan adventures. A wedding on a glacier. Wild and wonderful. Forever memories.
If that sounds like your kind of wedding story, let’s talk about what it could look like for you. It would be my absolute joy to show you that anything you dream of for your elopement wedding is TRULY possible--you deserve amazing.
--Dream without boundaries--
Kate
MEET KATE
Principal Photographer & Planner
I plan -then photograph- luxury destination elopements that are neither preceded nor replicated.
Search these remarkable landscapes, and you won’t see a parade of identical wedding photos.
I believe the world is too extraordinary for a borrowed plan.
My passion for unique global travel, belief that anything is possible, and mantra that meaningful experiences can’t be rushed are the foundation of how I support you.
Share how you want your wedding to feel, and I’ll create options as original as your love story—capturing images of every unforgettable moment.
Once-in-a-lifetime events nestled in once-in-a-lifetime places:
Still forests, sweeping savannas, craggy mountains: The world’s most awe-inspiring places are your stage.
Kate removes every barrier so you can fully embrace a never-been-done elopement—a journey through extraordinary landscapes & adventures you’ll carry with you forever.
let's work together
