The Ultimate Guide to Unique Outdoor Wedding Destinations in the U.S.
A non-traditional wedding is more than just a ceremony—it’s an experience. Whether you dream of exchanging vows beneath towering redwoods, alongside a vineyard sunset, or by a tranquil lakeside with a stunning mountain backdrop, choosing an outdoor venue allows for creativity, natural beauty, and unforgettable moments.
But these breathtaking spaces require extra planning and foresight to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for you and your guests.
Key Considerations for an Outdoor Wedding:
✔ Accommodations: Nearby hotels, boutique inns, or luxury lodges for a seamless guest experience.
✔ Catering: Options that fit the setting, from gourmet farm-to-table meals to BBQ stations or interactive food trucks.
✔ Food Tastings & Menu Planning: Organizing tastings with caterers ensures a menu that suits both you and your guests.
✔ Permit Requirements: Outdoor spaces often require specific approvals for alcohol service, amplified music, or late-night celebrations.
✔ Weather Considerations: Always have a backup plan, such as tent rentals, heaters for cooler months, or shaded spaces for summer.
✔ Church & Chapel Proximity: If you desire a traditional religious ceremony before your outdoor reception, nearby churches add another layer of meaning.
To inspire your planning, here are 24 breathtaking locations across the U.S., each offering stunning landscapes, nearby accommodations, and top-tier catering options.
1. Hudson Valley, New York
🏨 Stay Nearby: Mohonk Mountain House
🍽 Catering Options: Seasonal farm-to-table menus using fresh Hudson Valley ingredients, mobile oyster bars, wood-fired pizzas.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A fall harvest wedding featuring apple cider bars, gourmet s’mores stations, and farm-to-table feasts.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Peter’s Catholic Church, a charming 19th-century chapel with stained-glass beauty.
2. Catskills, New York
🏨 Stay Nearby: Scribner’s Lodge, The Roxbury Motel
🍽 Catering Options: Custom food trucks, gourmet BBQ stations, or plated fine dining with a focus on local and sustainable cuisine.
🎉 Fun Alternative: Whiskey & cigar lounge under the stars or a late-night campfire dessert bar.
⛪ Nearby Church: Sacred Heart Parish, a historic church nestled in the mountains.
3. Napa Valley, California
🏨 Stay Nearby: Auberge du Soleil, Carneros Resort & Spa
🍽 Catering Options: Michelin-starred chefs, vineyard-to-table menus, wine-paired multi-course feasts.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A Tuscan-inspired wedding with fresh pasta stations, Aperol Spritz bars, and gelato carts.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Helena Catholic Church, a beautiful stone church in the heart of wine country.
4. Sedona, Arizona
🏨 Stay Nearby: Enchantment Resort, L’Auberge de Sedona
🍽 Catering Options: Southwestern-infused fine dining with tequila tasting bars and mesquite-grilled meats.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A sunset ceremony with a celestial stargazing reception.
⛪ Nearby Church: Chapel of the Holy Cross, a modern architectural masterpiece built into the red rocks.
5. Aspen, Colorado
🏨 Stay Nearby: The Little Nell, Hotel Jerome
🍽 Catering Options: Locally sourced mountain cuisine with elk, trout, and gourmet charcuterie stations.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A cozy alpine reception featuring hot toddy bars, fondue stations, and après-ski vibes.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Mary Catholic Church, a charming historic stone church.
6. Lake Tahoe, Nevada
🏨 Stay Nearby: Edgewood Tahoe Resort, The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe
🍽 Catering Options: Dockside seafood bars, farm-to-table gourmet menus, and wine pairings.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A mountain-lodge wedding with fire pits, mulled wine stations, and live acoustic music.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, with panoramic views of the lake.
7. Charleston, South Carolina
🏨 Stay Nearby: The Dewberry, Hotel Bennett
🍽 Catering Options: Low-country boils, biscuit bars, shrimp & grits stations, bourbon-infused desserts.
🎉 Fun Alternative: An elegant Southern garden party with mint juleps and jazz quartets.
⛪ Nearby Church: The French Huguenot Church, a romantic pink stucco landmark.
8. Sonoma, California
🏨 Stay Nearby: MacArthur Place, The Lodge at Sonoma
🍽 Catering Options: Wine-infused cuisine with cheese pairings, truffle risottos, and family-style feasts.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A vineyard brunch wedding with mimosa bars and fresh farm egg stations.
⛪ Nearby Church: Mission San Francisco Solano, a Spanish-style historic mission.
9. Santa Fe, New Mexico
🏨 Stay Nearby: La Fonda on the Plaza, Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi
🍽 Catering Options: Southwestern farm-to-table cuisine, blue corn enchiladas, artisanal tequila tastings.
🎉Fun Alternative: A desert-inspired wedding with a sunset ceremony and luminaria-lit pathways.
• Nearby Church: The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Matthew’s Catholic Church
10. The Hamptons, New York
🏨 Stay Nearby: Gurney’s Montauk, The Maidstone Hotel
🍽 Catering Options: Fresh seafood bars, elegant coastal fare, rosé wine pairings.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A chic beachside wedding with a sunset champagne toast and bonfire-lit afterparty.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Therese of Lisieux
11. Maui, Hawaii
🏨 Stay Nearby: Montage Kapalua Bay, Four Seasons Maui
🍽 Catering Options: Traditional Hawaiian luaus, fresh poke stations, mai tai bars.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A barefoot beach ceremony with live hula dancers and ukulele serenades.
⛪ Nearby Church: Maria Lanakila Catholic Church
12. Jackson Hole, Wyoming
🏨 Stay Nearby: Amangani, The Wort Hotel
🍽 Catering Options: Wild game feasts, fire-roasted meats, huckleberry cocktails.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A Western-inspired wedding with horse-drawn carriage entrances and live country music.
⛪ Nearby Church: Chapel of the Transfiguration
13. Door County, Wisconsin
🏨 Stay Nearby: The Edgewater, White Gull Inn
🍽 Catering Options: Classic Midwestern fare, fresh cherry pies, cheese & wine pairings.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A lakeside wedding with a campfire singalong and Door County’s famous fish boils.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Mary of the Lake
14. Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
🏨 Stay Nearby: Blackberry Farm, The Swag
🍽 Catering Options: Southern comfort cuisine, bourbon-infused menus, Appalachian farm-to-table.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A woodland-inspired wedding with an outdoor whiskey and cigar lounge.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Mary’s Catholic Church
15. New Orleans, Louisiana
🏨 Stay Nearby: Hotel Monteleone, The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans
🍽 Catering Options: Creole and Cajun delicacies, oyster bars, beignet dessert stations.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A lively French Quarter wedding with a second-line jazz band leading the procession.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Louis Cathedral
16. Boulder, Colorado
🏨 Stay Nearby: St. Julien Hotel & Spa, Boulderado Hotel
🍽 Catering Options: Craft beer pairings, farm-fresh small plates, wood-fired gourmet pizzas.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A foothill ceremony followed by a brewery reception and food truck feast.
⛪ Nearby Church: Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church
17. Big Sur, California
🏨 Stay Nearby: Ventana Big Sur, Post Ranch Inn
🍽 Catering Options: Farm-to-table seafood, sustainable organic fare, custom-tasting menus.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A cliffside ceremony overlooking the Pacific Ocean with champagne sabering.
⛪ Nearby Church: Carmel Mission Basilica
18. Minneapolis, Minnesota
🏨 Stay Nearby: Hewing Hotel, The Grand Hotel Minneapolis
🍽 Catering Options: Scandinavian-inspired farm-to-table cuisine, gourmet hot dish stations.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A hidden forest ceremony followed by a starlit supper club-style reception.
⛪ Nearby Church: The Basilica of Saint Mary
19. Finger Lakes, New York
🏨 Stay Nearby: Geneva on the Lake, The Lake House on Canandaigua
🍽 Catering Options: Vineyard-to-table cuisine, artisanal cheese pairings, local wine tastings.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A lakeside wedding with gondola rides and a sunset boat cocktail hour.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Mary’s Catholic Church
20. Portland, Oregon
🏨 Stay Nearby: The Nines, Hotel Vintage Portland
🍽 Catering Options: Farm-to-table feasts, gourmet food carts, organic plant-based menus.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A garden rooftop wedding with a coffee bar and live indie band.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Mary’s Cathedral
21. San Juan Islands, Washington
🏨 Stay Nearby: Roche Harbor Resort
🍽 Catering Options: Fresh-caught seafood, local foraged ingredients, organic farm menus.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A private island ceremony with sailboat guest arrivals and a bonfire beach party.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Francis Church
22. Vail, Colorado
🏨 Stay Nearby: The Sebastian
🍽 Catering Options: Swiss-style fondue stations, mountain gourmet dining, fireside cocktails.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A snow-covered winter wonderland wedding with sleigh rides and après-ski drinks.
⛪ Nearby Church: Vail Interfaith Chapel
23. Kennebunkport, Maine
🏨 Stay Nearby: The Tides Beach Club
🍽 Catering Options: New England lobster bakes, clam chowder bars, coastal farm-to-table dining.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A classic coastal wedding with sailboat receptions and lighthouse photo ops.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Ann’s Episcopal Church
24. Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
🏨 Stay Nearby: The Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa
🍽 Catering Options: Southwestern cuisine with desert-inspired menus, gourmet picnic setups.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A ceremony amidst vibrant red sandstone formations with a backdrop of ancient petroglyphs.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church
25. Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, Tennessee
🏨 Stay Nearby: The Hermitage Hotel
🍽 Catering Options: Southern-inspired gourmet dining, garden-fresh menus.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A garden wedding surrounded by blooming flowers and art installations.
⛪ Nearby Church: Cathedral of the Incarnation
26. Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, Florida
🏨 Stay Nearby: The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Four Seasons Hotel Miami
🍽 Catering Options: Latin-inspired cuisine, fresh seafood bars, tropical cocktails.
🎉 Fun Alternative: A ceremony in historic European-inspired gardens overlooking Biscayne Bay.
⛪ Nearby Church: St. Jude Melkite Catholic Church
These venues offer unique experiences and could be excellent additions to your already impressive list
Final Thoughts: Making Your Outdoor Wedding Unforgettable
A destination wedding is about more than just the setting—it’s about creating an immersive experience that reflects your love story. Whether you’re planning a luxury cliffside wedding in Big Sur, a laid-back beachfront celebration in Maui, or a rustic mountain lodge affair in Jackson Hole, the right details will make your wedding unforgettable.
✔ Wedding Planning Pro Tips:
✔ Personalize Every Detail – Whether it’s a champagne tower, late-night food truck, or live jazz band, make it uniquely yours.
✔ Think About Guest Comfort – Ensure cozy seating, shade, or heaters depending on the season and climate.
✔ Consider a Weekend-Long Celebration – Welcome cocktails, farewell brunches, and local excursions create a memorable wedding experience.
✔ Plan for Every Possibility – Tents, indoor options, and backup plans ensure nothing interrupts your big day.
Would you like a customized wedding planning checklist based on your dream location? I can create a budget breakdown, tasting guide, and vendor coordination plan tailored to your vision. Let’s make your dream wedding a reality! 💍✨
