New River Gorge Elopement

The New River Gorge is the newest national park in the United States and the perfect spot for an east coast elopement!

While the New River Gorge doesn’t have summit likes like Shenandoah National Park or Great Smokey Mountains National Park, the big feature is the stunning gorge that cuts through the mountains.

Nina and Joe have been going to the New River Gorge for years. Joe’s family typically stays in the super cute A-frame cabins at the Summersville Lake Retreat and Lighthouse. So that’s what they chose as the home-base for their elopement!

Nina had two dresses for their New River Gorge Elopement. The first was a ballgown she picked out with her mom. The second was a much more simple dress for the hike down Endless Wall Trail.

Nina’s mom and daughter helped her get dressed in the ballgown at the cabin. Then she and Joe did a first look outside in the trees. Nina’s daughter also wanted to do a first look with Joe to show off her dress!

Endless Wall and Diamond Point

After portraits at the cabin and on the retreat property, Joe helped Nina get dressed her hiking dress and we headed down to Endless Wall Trail for portraits. The weather was perfectly overcast. Fall colors were just starting to peak out. We parked at the Nuttell Parking lot (which can full on weekends — we got lucky and found spots) and then headed down to Diamond Point for portraits.

After exploring the trail and Diamond Point, it was time to meet their friends and family for their ceremony. They wanted the New River Gorge as the backdrop for their elopement ceremony, but didn’t want their guests to have to walk very far. So we opted for Beauty Mountain Overlook for their ceremony spot. It’s only about a .1 mile walk from the parking area and is a lesser known overlook in the New River Gorge.

After their short ceremony at Beauty Mountain we took group photos in the woods with the fall colors in the background. They ended their day with a relaxed meal at a BBQ restaurant in Fayetteville.

Ready to plan your New River Gorge Elopement?