Catalina Island is an intentional choice.
Nobody ends up on Catalina by accident. It’s twenty-six miles of open water from the mainland, and every person who gets married on the island made an intentional decision.
That’s the thing most elopement guides miss. On Catalina the journey isn’t the part you endure before the day starts — it is the day starting. The hour on the water, the moment the harbor comes into view, the walk up from the pier. By the time you reach wherever you’re standing to say your vows, you’ve already been getting married for three hours.
We’ve photographed couples on Catalina a lot, and if you’d ask us to build you a perfect destination wedding day here, we’d recommend the same answer every time: sail over in the morning, marry at Two Harbors, walk out into the backcountry for portraits while nobody’s around, and stay the night and enjoy the morning on the Avalon side before heading back to the mainland. Two days at least.
Here are 5 ideas to elope on Catalina Island:
1. Sail over and marry on the water
You can rent a boat from the island, but chartering from the mainland and keeping it for the day usually works out better and it changes the entire experience. Instead of a crossing the water among other tourist, why not get ready on the yacht as you sail over, do you first look once you dock on the beach, hike up to a scenic overlook, and say your vows by sunset.
Or if you rather keep it by the water, the ceremony can happen by the water, at anchor in a cove, or on the island with the boat waiting to take you back at dusk. For couples who want no venue, no guest list and no schedule, this private setting provides the most flexibility, and private moment to the both of you.
Worth knowing: Weather determines everything when it comes to outdoor settings. Build in a backup plan you’d actually be happy with.
2. Two Harbors to marry, the backcountry to hike, Avalon for the evening
Most people who visit Catalina Island never leave Avalon. Two Harbors is the other end of the island — population around 300, wedged between Isthmus Cove and Catalina Harbor, water on both sides and almost nothing else.
It’s the quiet version of a Catalina day, and it works for a Wedding day that encompass intimate moments within the wild, followed by the joy and fun with a small town energy. Ceremony at Two Harbors in the morning: Harbor Sands gives you a beach, and the Banning House Lodge gives you a hilltop. The Lodge is a 1910 Craftsman built as a summer home by the Banning brothers, who owned the island before Wrigley — twelve rooms, no televisions, and views of both harbors from the stone patio.
Then you walk and hike. The trails out of Two Harbors put you in open country within twenty minutes, and it’s the part of the island where you’re least likely to meet anyone. That’s where the portraits happen — not squeezed between events, but as the middle of the day.
And then back to Avalon for the evening, so the day ends with dinner, people, and somewhere to stay.
Worth knowing: the leg between Two Harbors and Avalon is what makes or breaks this day. It’s roughly two hours by Safari Bus over the interior road, or a coastal shuttle boat when it’s running. Neither is quick and both need booking. Build the day around that gap. Two Harbors is genuinely remote — one restaurant, one general store, limited lodging. Anything specific must travel with you or delivered to the site with prior planning.
3. Elope in the backcountry
The island’s interior is protected Conservancy land. You can’t drive in — access is by permitted vehicle and guided tour only, which is exactly why it’s the most private option on this list.
It’s also the closest to nature. The road up is Stagecoach Road, the same single dirt track that once connected Avalon to the interior by six-horse carriage. The eucalyptus lining it were planted by William Wrigley in the 1920s. There are bison on the ridges — descendants of fourteen left behind in 1924 when a film crew finished shooting a Western and simply didn’t take them home.
No crowds. No passing hikers. Ocean on both sides and nobody for miles.
Worth knowing: there is no cell service in the backcountry. Everything gets confirmed before you leave Avalon or through your driver directly.
4. Stay in Avalon
The simplest version, and for a lot of couples the right one. Harbor overlooks, the gardens above town, the stone walls and eucalyptus, and the walk back down into Avalon afterward for dinner.
For a ceremony with a roof and a guest list, the Catalina Island Company venues — Descanso Beach Club, the Casino ballroom, Hotel Atwater, the Catalina Country Club — handle their own permitting, which removes a whole category of problem.
You can be married and eating by seven without arranging a single vehicle.
Worth knowing: Avalon is a small town and can get busy among travelers. Spring and Fall seasons are the best time to elope on the island compared to the busy Summer months.
5. Take two days
Elope one day, mini-honeymoon the next morning before the ferry home or your actual honeymoon.
This is among a popular choice. You get the ceremony without a clock on it, and then a second morning where nobody is nervous, the light is different, and the photographs look like two people on honeymoon rather than two people getting through a schedule.
Elope one day, mini-honeymoon the next morning before the ferry home or your actual honeymoon.
This is among a popular choice. You get the ceremony without a clock on it, and then a second morning where nobody is nervous, the light is different, and the photographs look like two people on honeymoon rather than two people getting through a schedule.
Planning an Elopement on Catalina Island
Getting there. Three mainland ports: Long Beach (about an hour), San Pedro (about 90 minutes), Dana Point (about 90 minutes, fewer departures). Build a buffer of at least two to four hours before anything is scheduled. Miss the last ferry and you’re staying overnight.
Getting around. There are no rental cars. Plan on golf carts arranged in advance, taxis, or walking. Factor that into timing between locations and into what anyone can carry.
Work with mainland florists. There are no florists on Catalina. Anything fresh comes from the mainland, which also means it survives a ferry crossing before it reaches you.
What you can bring is limited. Ferries cap size and weight. Arches, large installations and anything bulky need rethinking before the day, not at the terminal.
Marriage license. Los Angeles County, and you can get one on the island — the Catalina Branch Court at 215 Sumner Avenue in Avalon issues them by appointment. No California residency required. A public license runs roughly $90, a confidential one slightly less. Both of you appear in person with ID. Your officiant returns the signed license within 10 days for it to be recorded.
Permits — nature still has a landlord. Eloping outdoors here doesn’t mean booking a venue, but it does mean knowing whose ground you’re standing on. Avalon’s beaches, bay front and parks belong to the city. The interior — the ridges, the trails, Wrigley Memorial — belongs to the Catalina Island Conservancy. Both route photography permits through the same office, Love Catalina Island, so it’s one inquiry rather than two. Your hiking permit is separate and free. Private venues handle their own permitting, which is why Two Harbors and the Avalon venues are the simplest paths.
Bring the dog. This is the question we get asked most, and the answer is better than people expect. Dogs travel on the ferry, and a leashed dog with current vaccinations is welcome on the Conservancy trails — which means yours can walk out to the ceremony with you and be in the portraits. The one hard limit is beaches: dogs are prohibited on every beach in Los Angeles County, Catalina included. So plan the ceremony inland and the dog can join the whole thing.
Two rules that shape the day more than any permit. No drones on or above Conservancy land without prior written authorization — and FAA clearance doesn’t count. And no open flame of any kind: no candle lanterns, no sparklers, no unity candles.
If you’re walking to your ceremony. The trails out of Two Harbors are real trails — dirt, uneven, and often uphill. A dress can absolutely handle it, but plan the footwear you’ll actually walk in and carry the ones you’ll stand in. Twenty minutes gets you somewhere genuinely private; an hour gets you somewhere nobody has photographed. Rattlesnakes are most active April through October, poison oak grows in the canyons, and nothing you find to drink out there is safe — carry about a gallon per person for a full day. If you meet a bison, keep a distance and never get close to it.
Guest count changes everything. Two of you is a ferry booking and a dinner reservation. Six or eight is still simple. Twelve or more and you’re into lodging blocks, transport that has to move together, and a venue conversation rather than a location conversation. Decide the number before you decide the place — it changes which of the five options is even possible.
If you’ve never been here. A good share of the couples we worked with are planning from out of state, having never set foot on the island. That’s normal, and it’s fine. We know the island and can scout on your behalf per your personal preferences, we send you photographs of the actual spots at the actual hour we’d be there, and you arrive knowing what to expect rather than hoping for the best.
Weather. Fog and swell cancel ferry crossings. Have a second alternative date you’d genuinely be happy with.
The Cost
The cost of an elopement at Catalina Island really depends on a few factors, and not every couple want to experience the same things, so it comes down to the priority on where you choose to spend more or less.
If you are looking for an inclusive planning and photography package, it starts at $3,800. Typically includes a planning consultation on how you both envision your day to look and feel like, number of hours coverage time with the photographer to document your intimate ceremony, create beautiful portraits, and after all the fun, sneak previews within 48 hours delivered via a private gallery for you both to relieve the memories.
From there it scales with how much of the day you want documented. Generally speaking, couples spend between $4,800 to $8,800 for an elopement afternoon to half day with us.
What else a Catalina elopement costs
Photography is one line item that captures the moments and memories. The rest, roughly:
- Ferry — per person, round trip, from Long Beach, San Pedro or Dana Point. Multiply by everyone coming
- Marriage license — around $90 through LA County, obtainable in Avalon
- Officiant — varies; some travel from the mainland
- Permits — free for hiking; photography permits through Love Catalina Island; private venues build theirs into the package
- Transport on the island — golf cart, taxi, or the Safari Bus if you’re going to Two Harbors
- Florals — from the mainland, since there are no florists on the island
- Lodging — at least one night for anyone who doesn’t want to race the last ferry
- Venue, if you’re using one
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you get married on Catalina Island?
Yes. Couples get married in Avalon, at Two Harbors, at private venues and on the water. Ceremonies in the Conservancy interior are a separate question — the Conservancy’s permit categories cover hiking, photography, research and road access, not weddings. The constraint is rarely permission. It’s logistics.
How do you get a marriage license for a Catalina wedding?
From Los Angeles County — and you don’t have to do it on the mainland. The Catalina Branch Court in Avalon issues licenses by appointment. Both of you appear in person with photo ID. A public license is around $90; you don’t need to be a California resident. The license is valid for 90 days, and whoever performs the ceremony has 10 days afterward to return it for recording.
Do you need a permit to elope on Catalina Island?
Usually, and which one depends on who owns the ground. Private venues — Descanso Beach Club, the Casino, Banning House Lodge at Two Harbors — handle it for you, which is the simplest path. Avalon’s public beaches and parks fall under the City of Avalon. The interior is Catalina Island Conservancy land. Helpfully, photography permits for both the city and the Conservancy go through one office, Love Catalina Island, so it’s a single inquiry. Hiking permits are free and separate.
How many guests can you bring to a Catalina elopement?
As many as you can move. Ferry capacity, charter options and lodging are the real limits, not the ceremony.
What happens if the ferry is cancelled?
Fog and swell do cancel crossings. Build a backup date and, if guests are travelling in from out of town, keep lodging flexible.
How much does a Catalina Island elopement cost?
With us, photo only package starts at $3,800 for two hours and runs to $8,800 for a seven-hour package that includes an heirloom album, + tax and travel fee if applicable. Beyond photography, budget for ferry tickets per person, a marriage license at around $90, an officiant, island transport, florals brought from the mainland, and at least one night’s lodging. A two-person elopement with a short ceremony and portraits is a meaningfully different budget from twelve people and a venue — the guest count drives the total more than anything else.
Ready to plan your elopement?
Every wedding is uniquely different in their own way, while there are often overlaps when it comes to locations, traditions, and experiences, what’s different about yours will be the intention behind the decisions you make to make your wedding day belong to you and your partner.
What we bring is everything that carries across our experience working with couples in helping them plan their surprise proposals, elopements, micro weddings and full wedding days throughout Los Angeles and Orange County, and beyond. Knowing how a timeline slips and how to bring it back without anyone noticing. What to do when the fog doesn’t lift. When to make a suggestion and when to stay entirely out of the way.
Catalina Island is a place we happen to know fairly well — the crossings, the permits, which overlook is empty at six in the morning, where the light lands in the last hour. Think of that as a head start rather than the reason to hire someone.
Most of the couples we’ve photographed, we hear from again — sometimes years later, for a new chapter in their lives. That’s the continuous part of this work for Stephanie, the owner and visionaire, cares about most when it comes to the couples she works with.
If that sounds like your kind of person to spend time with on your most important day in your life, let’s chat!
