Elopements · October 18, 2026
An elopement on the Gull Point lighthouse lawn
Two people, eight guests and a lot of wind: how a short ceremony on the headland turned into one of my favorite days of the year.
Maya and Jonas wrote to me in August with a short message: "Eight guests, one hour, as little fuss as possible." They wanted the Gull Point Lighthouse Lawn and nothing else. I said yes before I had finished reading.
Why the lawn works
The lawn at the foot of the Gull Point light is small, open and a little wild. The grass is long on the seaward side, the lighthouse gives you a clean vertical line to frame people against, and the wind keeps everything alive: veils, jackets, hair. If you like photographs that move, this is a good place.
What I would tell any couple here
Plan for the wind. Pin the veil, pick a bouquet that can take a gust and keep the ceremony short. Maya's lasted nine minutes, and nobody minded.
Come for the last hour of light. The lawn faces west. From about an hour before sunset the whole headland goes gold, and the lighthouse stops being a building and becomes a backdrop.
Walk the path. After the vows we followed the cliff path for ten minutes with no one else around. Those walking frames, where the two of them forget I am there, are the ones they printed first.
Practical notes
Parking is a short walk from the lawn, so I asked the guests to wear shoes they could manage on grass. Check with the keepers about timing, because the lawn is shared with visitors during the day. An evening slot gave us the place almost to ourselves.
If you are thinking about the headland for your own day, see everything I have photographed there on the Gull Point Lighthouse Lawn page, or tell me your date and I will let you know if I am free.
Photographed at Gull Point Lighthouse Lawn, 1 Lighthouse Road, Gull Point, Port Alder, Maine.
Planning a wedding on the harbor?
Tell me your date and the place you love, and I will tell you if I am free.
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