Wedding in the middle of the woods?

How would your guests reach the location?

Would your reception also be in the forest? You'd have to rent absolutely everything, which gets costly. You'd have to find out what permits you need, if they allow alcohol, and possible noise restrictions. It's really difficult to find a "venue" like this.

There is a recent bride who recently got married in the woods, I hope she sees this because she offered a lot of good advice and I think I recall her mentioning how difficult it was to get the rental items out there.

But I must say her pictures were AMAZEballs, I'm not sure if it was part of a venue or not though. If it's remote make sure it's accessible by all parties, including handicapped. Even people who have bad backs or knees that you may not know about may have difficulities with rough terrain or long hikes.

If you have a REALLY good wedding planner/designer (I mean David Tutera quality) it will be great!

To you or parents or grandparents own property with woods or near woods that could be used? I'd also think about mosquitoes and ticks depending on your location. Sounds beautiful though! Definitely don't make it to far back in the woods, I'd keep it very accessible!

I wanted this too.

It's a logistical nightmare and would be incredibly expensive. We opted to rent an entire camp. We get the woods and even a lake but at just a portion of the price and less of the logistical nightmare.

Are you looking to just have the ceremony in the woods, or ceremony plus reception? A ceremony seems pretty realistic, but a reception sounds tricky. As FME mentioned, be mindful of guests who have a difficult time getting around. My FH and I had to turn down a lot of gorgeous ceremony spots for our wedding in Kauai, because my grandma, who has really bad arthritis in her feet, wouldn't be able to comfortably access those spots (fortunately we found a spot that we are excited about and that also happens to be easily accessible).

I really wanted our wedding to be in the woods, but when I thought about it there were a lot of "cons". The main one being that there weren't any electrical outlets or electricity for that matter.

I think you'll be fine if you're having your ceremony in the woods at daytime, but will have to move it somewhere else for the reception. Also, being amongst trees means lots of ticks.

I wanted mine on a mountain top, so I hear ya. Think about bathrooms! Even at a ceremony, if it's long or early in the morning, you will want bathrooms available.

Thank you all!!! Yes this is so true with all the logistics especially the electricity! You all are the best!

I would love to find a camp or something like K.M. found!

Yes...I understand the woodland optics and experience. Unfortunately, it's already been pointed out that bugs, lack of running water, facilities, terrain, parking, and the difficulty older people may experience reaching your fantasy might make this visual far less enchanting than you're imagining.

If this is what you want, at least the opportunity for some photos, then start googling and researching fully functioning campsites with professional kitchens and running water. Start there.

Yes! We are getting married at Merced Grove in Yosemite National Park. If you choose a National Park for your venue there may be certain restrictions per the area and a fee ($50-200). We are not allowed any decorations or even chairs, but we like it that way. The beauty of the giant sequoias will be our 'decor'!

A friend of mine got married last year in a local park/forest. It was a little walk for the guests, but they got married in a gazebo in the woods with a band playing. Yes there were bugs, as it was September, but we knew what we were getting into to be there and we wore bug spray ;-)

Awe man, I wanted that sooo bad. What state are you in?

I should mention we are just having the ceremony there, 10 people total. Bugs are actually ok in October. It is a 1 mile hike, pretty much flat terrain and all of my guests were made privy to this far before they made their decision to attend. We are having a large reception back home 3 weeks later with all the usual rif raf.

@Erica, this is awesome!

Ours is remote but still a venue. We are getting married in a log chapel inside a nature reserve. The reception is outside along a waterfall. I'd recommend something like that instead of having to completely make a venue. So much easier.

Thank you thank you thank you!!!

This is reinforcing my concerns. Will start looking for a venue with electricity and a bathroom and indoor space!

You are the best I really appreciate it!

@OliviaP you are hilarious!

@Mia- in Arizona and yes, we have mountains

We went to a wedding in the woods last summer and a bunch of us wore pure romance body dew as a big repellent so if you go that route body dew smells great and gives your skin a slight glow

My cousin got married in a woods on top of a really big hill in CA, it was beautiful. They just had the ceremony there, we went back into the city for the reception. They were already legally married though so I don't know if that made a difference to the permits and stuff. It was beautiful there was less than 50 family/close friends, it was a beautiful day and we all stood around, there were some benches that some sat on but most prefered to stand and watch. It was so beautiful and simple no decorations or anything were needed. I did the music for them, it was just some nice slower tunes on an Irish flute, that instrument always sounds nice in settings like that. It was a hot day by Irish standards, but not for the locals. The bride had arranged that some of her friends brought big coolers with bottled water for us. After the ceremony they took all the family photos which have a backdrop that was so fab is actually looks fake! Then a short drive (30mins at most) back into the city to be wined and dined. The couple had arranged lifts for all of us from Ireland (10/15) with thier friends. Party went on until the wee hours of the morning. There were no mosquitoes thankfully as they love me! But perhaps it was the area or time of year. One of the best weddings I've been to.

OP, I would go with a park that has an area that's meant for ceremonies (seating, nearby parking, accessible without having to walk through tall grass or hike). Followed by a reception at a nearby restaurant or venue.

I'm a huge camper/hiker- I would have loved a woods wedding but ultimately went for a boardwalk location for my elderly guests' comfort and because I love the water just as much as the woods. But same concept - it's a public location with benches, a roof, etc. After the ceremony, we will go to an indoor reception venue. That way, if the weather doesn't cooperate, we have a backup plan. I highly recommend just doing the ceremony in the woods and having a reception elsewhere. If this is what you mean to do, I suggest exploring the state/county/national parks in your area until you find a good spot.

If you want even more remote than a state forest, elope. Don't make your guests find your wilderness wedding via coordinates.