How to Elope at Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas

Petit Jean State Park Elopements

Petit Jean State Park is a mountaintop park located roughly 30 minutes from exit 108 off of I-40 in Morrilton, in the central part of the state. It’s a top destination for elopements in Arkansas. This is one of my favorite elopement destinations in the state because it’s one of the most versatile when it comes to scenery – It’s also the first place I ever shot an elopement way back in 2015! There’s multiple cliffside overlooks with views of the Arkansas River and valley, unique rock formations and caves, a stunning 95′ waterfall you can hike down to, and a lake. The best part is, most scenic locations within the park are about a 15-minute car drive from each other, meaning you can adventure around to multiple of these during your elopement! The majority of the top spots to elope at here are also just a short and easy walk from the parking lot, which makes it a great spot for those who aren’t avid hikers.

Learn everything you need to know below about how to elope or host an intimate wedding at Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas through a decade-worth of information and experience I’ve gathered as an Arkansas elopement photographer!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Finding Vendors
• Types of Vendors You’ll Need
• Petit Jean’s Special Use Permits
• Best Spots at Petit Jean
• Where to Stay
• What to do Here
• Where to Eat
• Best Time of Year to Elope
• How to Obtain Your Marriage License
• Final Notes

Finding Vendors For a Petit Jean Elopement

Hiring a photographer who specializes in elopements, and especially Petit Jean State Park elopements, is key to being able to easily put together the rest of the details of your day. This photographer should be able to help you find your ideal location and help you build your itinerary for the day based on their knowledge of the area, like best lighting conditions and activities you can do there. They can even help you determine the best time of year to elope if you haven’t set a date. Some elopement photographers, like myself, go as far as offering officiant services to help take one more thing off your to-do list! Most elopement-specialized vendors will have a vendor referral list of other vendors, like florists, to provide to you as well.

Types of Vendors You’ll Need

You’ll need a lot less vendors than a couple needs for the average wedding day, but the exact amount is totally up to you and your wants and needs. Some of the types of vendors I recommend for couples eloping or hosting an intimate wedding at Petit Jean:

• Photographer
• Videographer
• Officiant (required for your marriage license)
• Florist
• Hair & Makeup Artist
• Cake/Bakery
• Private Chef (to cook you a nice meal to eat when you get back to your cabin!)

This is really it for day-of vendors. Other vendors you should consider to help make your day extra special and stress-free are:

• Seamstress and/or suit tailor
• Nail artist
• Esthetician
• Barber
• Custom ‘we eloped!’ sign (search on Etsy)
• Custom dress and suit hangers (search on Etsy)
• Custom ring box (search on Etsy
• Planner (to help decorate altars or reception areas for intimate weddings)

If you struggle to find someone you like, or who has availability, I always recommend joining some of the many Arkansas wedding and elopement groups on Facebook where you can make ISO posts of vendors you’re in need of.

Petit Jean State Park Elopement Special Use Permits

One of the most important things to know about how to elope at Petit Jean State Park is special use permit requirements. Most locations within the park do require a permit, under certain conditions, in order to host your ceremony there. To find out if you need to obtain a permit, you will need to contact the park and give them this info :

• The day you want to elope
• Where within the park you want to do your ceremony
• What time you plan to do your ceremony, and how long it’s expected to last
• How many people (including guests, vendors, and yourselves) will be present
• and any other info they ask you to provide

(If you’re unsure about what time or where to do your ceremony, ask your photographer so they can recommend the best options for you!)

It’s important to note that there are several rules to follow when you elope on lands that belong to park services, especially as a permit holder. Failure to follow rules can result in fines. These rules generally are:

1. You cannot set up chairs, an altar, or floral arrangements.
2. You can only have -X- amount of people occupying the area. (# varies by location)
3. Clean up any messes you make.
4. Do not be loud enough to disturb other park visitors.
5. You are not allowed to block off or shoo away other park visitors occupying the area you intend to have your ceremony at. Your permit does not serve as a private reservation.

These rules essentially follow the 7 Leave No Trace principles. You can learn more about LNT here.

Park Contact Info:

• 501-727-5441
• petitjean@arkansas.com.

Best Spots for Your Ceremony & Photos

Petit Jean is jam-packed with beautiful photo spots for an elopement. Some of my favorites are:

• Stouts Point
• Bear Cave Trail
• Lake Bailey
• CCC Scenic Overlook
• Turtle Rocks and Rock House Cave
• Cedar Falls
• Camp Mitchell

Where to Stay

There are plentiful places to stay directly on the mountain for your Petit Jean State Park elopement, but they can sometimes book up fast, especially in peak seasons like autumn. You can also look into the surrounding cities, like Morrilton, Conway, and Russellville, if you struggle to find something on the mountain. Accommodations within the park include:

• Mather Lodge; cabins & rooms
• Beaumont Cottages; A-frame cabins (a personal fave, listed on Airbnb)
• StAy A-Frame Cabin (listed on Airbnb)
• and others listed on Airbnb, VRBO, and other short-term rental sites

What to do Here

There are several things you can do within Petit Jean State Park for adventure elopement activities to include in your itinerary (which I always recommend to help your day feel more like an experience and less like a photoshoot). Some of these ideas are:

• Taking a quick canoe ride out on the lake
• Hiking down to Cedar Falls, a stunning 95′ waterfall
• Having a picnic for cake and champagne at one of the many scenic areas in the park
• Watching sunset/sunrise at one of the overlooks
• Watching the moon rise over the Arkansas River during blue hour (I love bringing lanterns for moody photos during this!)
• Exploring the unique open-cave formations at Bear Cave Trail
• Exploring the Turtle Rocks and Rock House Cave to see ancient Native American drawings
• Cozying up in your cabin’s hot tub after a fun day of adventuring

Where to Eat

There are a couple options within the park, or you can travel down to Morrilton for the next nearest options. Russellville and Conway are bigger cities about 45 minutes from the park – both have a bit more variety if you want to get out for a nice date night. Here’s some places to check out:

• Mather Lodge Restaurant (within the park)
• Petit Jean Coffeehouse (within the park)
• Yesterday’s Bar & Grill (Morrilton)
• Colton’s Steak House (Morrilton)
• Plenty of fast food and other options in Morrilton
• Pasta Grill; Italian (Conway & Russellville)
• Verona; Italian (Conway)
• Mike’s Place; Cajun (Conway; my personal favorite for a nice date!)
• Rock N Roll Sushi (Conway)
• Umami; sushi and hibachi (Conway)
• Xen Thai and Ramen (Conway; my favorite ‘hole in the wall’ restaurant)

Best Time to Elope at Petit Jean State Park

Finding out when to elope is an important step on how to elope at Petit Jean State Park. Petit Jean can be a great place to elope literally any day of the year, it just depends what you prefer. For the best overall experience, I do recommend the spring or fall. These seasons are generally going to provide the best weather and foliage, and have the best pros to cons ratios. The only downside is that it does mean the park will likely be more congested. If you can, try eloping on a Monday-Thursday when most people are working or in school.

Spring (March-May): Early March it’s likely to still be mildly chilly outside with temps as low as the 50s, and the trees will probably still be bare. We see warmer temps around the 70s and foliage growing back usually by mid to late March. By April it’s averaging in the upper 70s almost daily, and the greenery has grown back. By May it’s likely to already be hitting 100° with intense humidity a few times in the month, but the average is generally in the 80s. Either way this can be a rough month if you have any health conditions that make the heat difficult for you, or if you’re prone to sweating. This is one of the most popular seasons for weddings and elopements in Arkansas, so vendor availability can dwindle quickly. I recommend reaching out to vendors as soon as you’re ready to start planning if you prefer a spring date.

Summer (June-August): This is going to be a very hot and humid timeframe to elope outdoors. Temps average 90-115° daily. I don’t particularly like to recommend this timeframe for Petit Jean elopements because it’s unsafe to be out in extreme temps and humidity for long periods of time, and you run the risk of being super sweaty in your photos. If you do choose to elope in the summer, I recommend sticking to the locations that are easily accessible and close to your vehicle in case you need a quick escape from the heat, take plenty of breaks, drink plenty of electrolytes, and only stay outside for short periods of time.

Fall (September-October): September is still going to be pretty hot with temps averaging around 85-100° with humidity. by mid-October we finally begin to see temps drop to more comfortable levels around the 70s. By mid to late October is when we begin to see color change in the trees usually. The trees usually go bare by mid November, if not sooner. Temps generally average in the 60s in November, until the late month where it will drop into the 50s. Autumn is the most popular time for elopements in Arkansas because of the ideal weather conditions and the colors in the foliage. With that said, this season is when we can see couples booking upwards of two years in advance, so I do recommend reaching out to vendors as soon as you’re ready to start planning if you’re ideal timeframe is the fall.

Winter (December-February): Arkansas winter is a tough one to predict.. Sometimes it’s only mildly cold all season, other times we get cold snaps that result in ice storms, which can be dangerous or impossible to travel in. Otherwise It’s not a bad time of year to elope if you prefer cooler temps, less crowds, and like the vibe of bare trees. December is usually only mildly chilly in Arkansas, with temps averaging in the 60s and gradually dropping to maybe the upper 40s at the worst by the end of the month. December is the least risky month for travel conditions. January averages around the 50s and 40s, but sometimes we get cold snaps and ice storms. February can be very back and forth with temps dropping in the 30s then rising into the 70s a few days later. This is a finnicky month to track, but we usually don’t get those ice storms like in January, especially the later into February we get.

What to Do if There’s Inclement Weather: When it comes to eloping outdoors, part of the risk you have to be willing to take is it raining on your special day, or there being inclement weather such as blizzards or thunderstorms. The best thing to do is come up with a back-up plan with the help of your vendors. At Petit Jean specifically, this might mean staying around your cabin or the lodge to avoid severe weather threats. If it’s just rain, I am all for saying EMBRACE IT!!! It can make for such moody and unique photos. You can also grab some clear umbrellas to help avoid getting soaked. I totally understand if you’re not the type of person who wants to get drenched, though. There’s a small sheltered pavilion that can hold around 10 people at CCC Overlook. Or there’s Camp Mitchell, which is an open-air chapel that can hold enough people for an intimate wedding, and they have a closed off rec hall. There’s also some larger pavilions within the park that can be rented, and conference rooms with catering space within the visitor center. Or, as long as the host allows it, you can use your Airbnb space. In severe conditions that make travel to the mountain difficult, your vendor team might suggest re-locating to another nearby elopement destination that is safe to access, or rescheduling for a day with safer weather if roads are inaccessible.

Obtaining Your Marriage License

Obtaining a marriage license in Arkansas is fairly simple:

• Licenses are issued at any county courthouse in Arkansas Monday-Friday from 8:00am-5:00pm (closed on major holidays)
• You can leave the courthouse with your license the same day you apply.
• You can obtain your license at any conveniently located courthouse in Arkansas and use it anywhere within the state, just return it to the same courthouse you got it from within 60 days.
• The fee for your license is $60 (cash or card only)
• Both you and your partner must be present to apply for the license, and must be 18 years or older.
• You both must provide identification, such as drivers license or passport.
• A blood test is not required.

*The nearest county courthouse to Petit Jean State Park is Conway County, located in Morrilton.

**Requirements for obtaining your marriage license might vary by courthouse. Call the courthouse you plan to use to ensure you are prepared. Some may want you to also provide your birth certificate, and/or social security card, and some might be cash only.

Final Notes

I hope you found all of this information I’ve sourced in my 10 years as an Arkansas elopement photographer as helpful. Petit Jean is an elopement destination that definitely won’t disappoint, and is full of so many wonderful options to make your day unique and special!

Check out Lacey + Ryan’s Petit Jean elopement that was featured with Wandering Weddings if you want to see more of this awesome elopement destination and learn more about how other couples choose to spend their special day here!