The National Cathedral of Washington DC is the world’s 6th largest cathedral with unique architecture and beautiful blooming gardens, and it is a dream venue location for DC elopements and weddings. This cathedral enhances the magic and romance of weddings and feels like you’re stepping into a fairytale. In this blog post, you’ll discover exactly how you can elope at this incredible cathedral for your destination wedding to experience all that this venue has to offer.
What Your National Cathedral of Washington DC Could Look Like
The National Cathedral of Washington DC looks very similar to Notre Dame, the famous cathedral in Paris, so this location in DC provides “European vibes” with its architecture and gardens. There are so many beautiful spots on the property to choose from for your elopement ceremony! From magical courtyards that look like they could be something out of a fairytale or be a part of Hogwarts Caslte to exquisite gardens with pathways to explore flowers where you can see the cathedral’s spikes in the background.
You could say your vows in the garden and twirl during your first dance in the courtyard. Or you could get married in the courtyard before exploring the gardens together as newlyweds. The options are endless! Doesn’t it look amazing?
Juliana Wall Photography | Washington DC Elopement Photographer
Take a moment to see all that this Cathedral has to offer for your elopement. Can you imagine yourself getting married here? Can you feel the emotions and magic through these DC wedding photos?
How to Book the National Cathedral of Washington DC for Your Elopement or Wedding Photos
Now that you can see yourself getting married at this cathedral, here are all of the details that you need to know!
Details of Booking an Elopement With Up to 10 People
There’s a $250 photo permit required to take professional photos at the cathedral. This applies to both engagement and elopement/wedding photos.
This $250 permit covers anywhere outside on the grounds for photos and a short elopement ceremony with up to 10 people. We can’t go into the cathedral itself during our scheduled time, however, the church is open to the public for tours. That being said, it is a public space. There will be others around during your ceremony, but it won’t take away from the beauty and intentionality of your elopement ceremony.
Booking a DC elopement with 10+ People at the Cathedral
If you want more than 10 guests to be a part of your elopement ceremony, there are other wedding photography permits available starting at $500.
If you’re interested, I’m more than happy to connect you with their events office to secure your permit during our planning process together! You can learn more about my DC wedding photography services here. I will help you plan locations, vendors, activities, timeline, and more to support your elopement vision.
Also, fun fact! You can opt out of having an officiant if you want to! In Washington DC, you can self officiate your ceremony. You can learn how to do in this blog post, or if you want an officiant, I have some great recommendations I can provide you.
What’s Next?
Instead of just a short elopement ceremony, I recommend to my couples that they plan a whole day’s adventure in DC for their elopement! And you can too.
The Cathedral is just one stop on your elopement day adventure!
And I can be there to document every moment. Because you deserve to remember your elopement day exactly as it was. The feelings, emotions, what you did – everything. That’s why we spend the full day together making sure you get photos of your wedding day story. Sound good to you? YAY! Fill out my inquiry form!
Now, for the activity planning portion (and again, I can help!), there are so many different things that you can do. DC has so many amazing opportunities for an elopement! You could visit the National Mall, ride scooters through the city, explore the National Gallery of Art, visit Union Station, or enjoy a nice meal at a restaurant to celebrate. And that’s just the beginning of some of my ideas! You get to make your elopement day reflect you and what you both love to do together.
Check out these blog posts below for more tips and ideas to create a one of kind elopement day!
