Welcome to the Shenandoah Valley

The Indigo House is a modern bed & breakfast for outdoorsy humans and kind dogs. Conveniently located near Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway, it’s a perfect place to stay for your greatest adventure yet, an adventure elopement in the Shenandoah Valley.

An adventure elopement is typically a wedding ceremony that takes place outside of a traditional venue and often, it is literally outside. Part of the experience is the journey to your beautiful ceremony location.

Some couples choose to invite close family or friends while others choose to keep it private. By combining a nice place to stay with your adventure elopement in the Shenandoah Valley, you can enjoy nature’s tranquility and have a mini honeymoon.

With our Adventure Elopement package, we connect you with professionals who are well versed in this type of wedding, from location scouting to timeline management, they’ll be with you every step of the day. With the Indigo House as your basecamp, you are ensured the peace and delight every wedding should have.

For couples who value experiences more than things, this authentic wedding day fully embraces elements of your relationship — travel, adventure, and a connection with nature.

Your greatest adventure yet!

Adventure Elopement Planning with the Indigo House:

Where to Get Married and Which Vendors You Should Hire

Our sweet, national park-inspired rooms accommodate two adults and come stocked with the essential items for a relaxing stay, including some beloved, fresh mountain air. We’ve created a calming space, perfect for sitting by the fire with a glass of wine, your new spouse, and your four-legged friend after a day of wedded bliss.

Newlyweds can also enjoy a multi-course dinner with wine pairings from the Farmhouse at Veritas or we’ll happily arrange a candlelit dinner with our private chef so your pup can join.

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Real Adventure Elopement

This couple and their parents stayed at the Indigo to allow plenty of together time. After breakfast, they got ready and held their ceremony on the Blue Ridge Parkway. As the storm clouds rolled in, they returned to the Indigo to cut the cake and toast to an everlasting future. Then, they changed and grabbed dinner at a nearby restaurant. A few weeks after the ceremony, they hosted a reception with all their friends and family.

adventure elopement shenandoah national park

Adventure Elopement Package (2024-2025)

Make your wedding day the most memorable adventure yet. Trade a stressful wedding and have an experience that fills you with joy, exploration, and intimate moments. This package includes:

Lodging: A two-night stay for the couple (additional rooms can be booked by your friends/family if desired)

Florals: Locally grown, whimsical arrangements from a local florist

Celebratory drinks: A bottle of local sparkling wine (or cider)

Cake: Choose from a variety of flavors and styles for a four-inch cake from a local bakery

Picnic Lunch: A gourmet Mediterranean tapas-style picnic

Pricing starts at $1,200. A 50% nonrefundable deposit is required to hold your date. We encourage couples to elope on less popular days (Sunday-Thursday) to avoid crowds and onlookers.

The package fee does not include photography, an officiant, a reception, guest access to the main house, taxes or fees, gratuity, permits, event rentals, or decor.

Meet your Hosts

After traveling the country, Stephanie noticed so many couples out West created striking weddings by eloping in nature. But these experiences aren’t limited to Utah. We want to be a part of the movement for adventure elopements in the Shenandoah Valley.

These majestic “I Dos” are growing in popularity as more and more couples want to reallocate wedding money to epic honeymoons, a down payment on a house, or paying off debt.

In addition to a restorative place to stay, we help you answer some logistical questions about your event like “Where should I get married for my adventure elopement?” and “Who’s a good photographer? We help you plan the adventure elopement of your dreams by connecting you with an incredible team of professionals in the Shenandoah Valley.

Best Ceremony Locations for an Adventure Elopement in the Shenandoah Valley

These unique ceremonies help couples do things a little differently by embracing their sense of adventure and passion for travel. Here are some of our favorite ceremony locations:

Ravens Roost Overlook

Perfect for couples who want an epic sunset backdrop with zero hiking. Bonuses: there’s public parking, three lookout spots, and it’s only 20 minutes away from the Indigo House. Because of its convenience, it is a very popular place.

Image by White Sails Creative

micro wedding venue charlottesville virginia

Blackrock Summit

Located inside of Shenandoah National Park, Blackrock offers incredible sunrise or sunset views after a one-mile, easy walk. There are plenty of ceremony locations, public parking, and optional rock scrambling. This location is about 45 minutes away from the Indigo House and moderately trafficked.

Image by Matt Schmachtenberg

Dripping Rock (South)

Perfect for couples who want an epic sunset backdrop after walking an easy, wooded trail. With similar views to Ravens Roost, this trail has two overlooks, one within a half mile of the trailhead. It’s about 30 minutes from the Indigo House and has very limited parking.

Image by White Sails Creative

adventure elopement shenandoah national park blue ridge parkway

Planning your ceremony is completely personalized. Some couples will choose to have the officiant join them mountainside. Others may get married at their local courthouse in the morning and meet with the photographer for a personal vow ceremony in the evening. Working with your photographer, you can identify a location that works for you and your guests (should you choose to invite them).

Shenandoah Valley Adventure Elopement Photographers

When you choose the Adventure Elopement package with the Indigo House, you get a team of professionals guiding you every step of the way to make your adventure elopement in the Shenandoah Valley amazing and stress-free. We love working with these photographers because of their professionalism and expertise in adventure elopements!

With the Indigo House and our esteemed preferred vendors, we narrow down the overwhelming options and partner with you for lodging, photography, and all the personal touches that make your wedding day feel special.

Reserve Your Date

Contact us to learn more about adventure elopements, discuss vendors, or brainstorm ways to celebrate with friends and family after your ceremony. We’re happy to help you line up a date and get started.

A note about weather…

The nature of these sessions is that they take place in nature, which we know is a little unpredictable. Take notes from one of our favorite outdoorsy photographers, Matt Schmachtenberg, for how you can maintain a positive attitude, flexibility, and an open mind for your adventure elopement in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Overall, flexibility and awareness that weather can be unpredictable in the mountains is key. It can often be clear and beautiful down in the valley, but when you go up in elevation you’ll be in a cloud. Checking a forecast can be helpful, but won’t necessarily tell the whole story. I often check local traffic cams and Shenandoah National Park’s webcams the day of because both are at elevation, so you’ll get a better sense of what the views are actually like up in the mountains.

Sometimes, not being married to one location and driving a few miles further may save the day. An open mind and appreciation of the different types of beauty in the mountains are key on days like this. For one recent elopement, we went up to Skyline Drive despite dense clouds and found occasional beautiful views and the couple said their vows in a roadside grove of trees instead of in front of the mountains. I’d argue that it was just as beautiful despite being totally different than what was expected.

If your photographer (and officiant, if you have one) are open to returning at a different day or time, this can work too, but it is often really hard to know what conditions will be like until you’re there, so sometimes taking the chance is worth it. It will be beautiful no matter how it turns out!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do we know if an adventure elopement is right for us?

Adventure elopements are for anyone looking for something out of the box on their wedding day! They allow you to focus on the aspects of your relationship that are most important to you:

You value experiences more than things.
You want your wedding day to be focused on your commitment to each other.
Travel and adventure are already a big part of your relationship, so it only makes sense for these things to be a part of your wedding day!
You want an intimate and authentic day that truly represents who you are.
A “just us” wedding day experience sounds perfect to you.
You like to do non-traditional things.

How do we get married in the Shenandoah Valley?

For Shenandoah National Park, check out Weddings and Ceremonies.

For Blue Ridge Parkway elopements, you need a permit. There are more restrictions than a Shenandoah National Park ceremony too. For example, you can’t have real flowers.

Juliana Wall also has a great blog for how to legally elope in Virginia.

Do you know of an officiant?

Yes! K Scarry is an officiant willing to go to the edges of the earth with you. K specializes in ceremonies for playful, bold, and adventurous couples.

Alternatively, you can have a friend run your ceremony and hire Vanessa Waters to certify your marriage license.

What should we wear?

The best part of these ceremonies is how unique they are — even what you wear! Your outfits can be classic, unconventional, alternative, modern… It doesn’t have to be white, it doesn’t have to be a dress, it doesn’t have to be a suit. It could be anything, any style. For more advice on what to wear, check out this styling guide.

Besides clothing, footwear is an important consideration (for you and your guests). Consider these five elopement shoe ideas.

Reminder: The Adventure Elopement package with the Indigo House includes your florals.

Can I bring my dog?

As a pet-friendly property, we welcome your dog(s) as flower pups, ring bearers, and really the most honored guest. The surrounding restaurants, breweries, and vineyards are very pet-friendly too!

Most trails in and outside of Shenandoah National Park allow dogs on six-foot leashes.

How do we have a sustainable elopement?

By staying at the Indigo, you take part in our mission to honor and preserve the surrounding land. Connecting with nature makes us all a bit happier. By booking the Adventure Elopement Package, you’re already helping to reduce our impact on the planet.

We love the tips about a sustainable elopement from this blog too.

Can we bring food/drinks to the ceremony?

Couples can pack a picnic to the ceremony location or hire a local company to set one up for them.

With the Adventure Elopement Package from the Indigo House, you can take your cake or a picnic lunch and hike it to your ceremony spot. We have vintage baskets and blankets you can borrow! If you’re planning a sunrise session, we can arrange coffee to go for you as well.

For an additional cost, you can arrange a picnic from Starlight Stays or Just Be Picnic.

How does a reception work?

Many couples choose to have dinner with loved ones after their ceremony. Stauton and Charlottesville both have great restaurants—we’re happy to help you narrow down the options!

If you’re looking for something more casual, the breweries and cideries near the Indigo House are the perfect spot for an after-party.

If you want something more intimate, we highly recommend the multi-course dinner with wine pairing at the Farmhouse Restaurant at Veritas Winery, just 10 minutes from the Indigo House.

Photo credits: Xiaoqi Li Photography, Jordan Baker, Josh Boone, Love and Lore, Juliana Wall, and Matt Schmachtenberg unless otherwise noted.

2 Comments

Carolline on July 11, 2024 at 5:03 pm
Hi! I am planning to get married and I would love to have an elopement at your place. It should be my future husband and I and 2 best friends who I would love to invite and celebrate with us. Can you send me your package and options for this big day? Thanks!!!
- Indigo House on July 17, 2024 at 4:52 pm
  Hi Carolline! Go ahead and send us an email with your preferred dates and we share more information!

Adventure Elopement in the Shenandoah Valley