Getting married in Acadia National Park
You need a permit, it costs $125, and receptions aren't allowed in the park at all. The rules nobody mentions until it's too late.
Facts checked August 2026 against www.nps.gov.
Acadia is the most photographed backdrop in Maine and one of the most misunderstood places to get married. It is a national park, not a venue, and the rules reflect that. None of this is difficult — but almost all of it surprises people, and some of it will change your plans.
Everything below is from the park's own guidance, checked in August 2026.
Three things that catch people out
You need a permit, and it costs $125. Weddings and commitment ceremonies require a special use permit. The application fee is $125, nonrefundable, payable by check or money order only to the National Park Service.
Receptions are not permitted in the park. Not at Sand Beach, not at a picnic area, nowhere — unless you are using a park concession facility. If you were picturing dinner with the ocean behind you, that has to happen somewhere else.
Your ceremony cannot be private. The permit does not let you close a location or keep other visitors away. The park's own advice is to avoid popular spots or go early or late in the day. Expect strangers in the background of your photos, because you have no right to move them.
When you don't need a permit
Ten people or fewer, including the officiant, can marry without a permit — but the restrictions are strict, and they rule out most of what people mean by a ceremony:
- No chairs, arches, decorations or enhancements of any kind
- No amplification, PA system or audio device of any sort
- No signs of any kind
- No balloons, doves or butterflies, and no rice, birdseed, flower petals or confetti — natural or artificial
- Park in designated areas only, never off-road
- Stay on durable surfaces: sand, trails, rock
- Don't obstruct other visitors or traffic
Read that list twice before deciding you don't need a permit. An elopement with two witnesses and no props fits comfortably. A ceremony with an arch, seating and a speaker does not, whatever the headcount.
Where you can marry, and how many can come
For ceremonies of more than ten people, the park has set maximum group sizes by location:
| Location | Max group |
|---|---|
| Thompson Island | 50 |
| Frazer Point Picnic Area | 50 |
| Islesford Historic Museum | 50 |
| Cadillac Mountain | 30 |
| Sand Beach | 30 |
| Ocean Drive | 30 |
| Otter Point | 30 |
| Fabbri Picnic Area | 30 |
| Seawall Picnic Area | 30 |
| Schoodic Point | 25 |
| Otter Cliff | 20 |
| Little Hunters Beach | 20 |
Two notes on that table. Otter Cliff caps at 20 despite being the shot everyone has in mind. And Cadillac Mountain does not allow ceremonies at sunrise or sunset — the exact hours most couples ask for. A vehicle reservation is also required to drive the Cadillac Summit Road from May to October.
Islesford is the outlier worth knowing about: 50 people, but the outside lawn only, after the museum closes, reachable only by seasonal ferry or your own boat, and there are no restrooms.
The practical timeline
- Applications are accepted up to one year ahead and no later than 72 hours before the ceremony.
- Mail the completed form with the fee to: Acadia National Park, Attention: Special Use Coordinator, 33 McFarland Hill Drive, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609.
- Once approved, you sign the permit agreeing to its conditions. Carry a copy with you on the day — the approved permit must be in your possession at the ceremony.
- Outdoor events are normally limited to one hour or less.
- Park entrance fees are not waived, for you or your guests. Everyone driving in needs a pass. Say so on your invitations, because guests will not think of it.
Your marriage licence is separate
The permit lets you hold the ceremony. It does not marry you. That is a municipal marriage licence, and Maine makes it straightforward:
- Out-of-state couples may apply at any town or city office in Maine, and the licence is valid anywhere in the state for 90 days.
- Maine residents apply in the town where they live.
See getting a marriage licence in Maine for what to bring, and who can legally marry you in Maine — that second one matters here, because Maine has no Justices of the Peace and an out-of-state notary cannot officiate.
Is it worth it?
For a small ceremony, genuinely yes. A dozen people at Little Hunters Beach on a September morning costs $125 and a bit of paperwork, and there is nowhere in Maine that looks like it.
For a full wedding, treat Acadia as the ceremony and photographs only, then hold everything else at a venue in Bar Harbor or on the quiet side of Mount Desert Island. See Downeast & Acadia for how guests get here and where they sleep — in high season that is the harder problem, not the permit.
Rules change. Confirm the current version with the park's Special Use Coordinator before you commit to a date.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees are set by individual towns and can change — confirm with the municipal clerk where you're marrying.