The Ultimate Zion Lodge Lawn Wedding Guide
The Zion Lodge Lawn, surrounded by towering sandstone cliffs and majestic cottonwood trees, offers a breathtaking backdrop for a wedding ceremony. This location is ideal for couples who want to get married inside the National Park with a larger group and also want amenities close by. It's not an ideal location for couples who want privacy and those who don't want to stay at the Lodge. If you're researching which wedding location in Zion National Park is right for you, read on for the ultimate guide to planning a Zion Lodge Lawn wedding from a local!
Zion Lodge Lawn Weddings
Of all of the six sanctioned wedding locations in Zion National Park, the Zion Lodge Lawn boasts the most available amenities. Many couples love the Lodge Lawn for its wider view of Zion's canyon walls and its easy proximity to lodging, food, and wifi, among other things. For each of Zion's approved wedding locations, you'll need to apply for a permit and abide by the rules and regulations.
Permit Details
Maximum Number of People: 75. This number includes anyone present at the ceremony. So make sure you count yourselves and any vendors, like your officiant, photographer or videographer!
Shuttle Required?: Yes, during Shuttle operation season (March - November), unless you are staying at the Lodge. Check the schedule HERE
Are chairs permitted: Yes. During shuttle operation season, folding chairs are required as standard chairs are not allowed on the shuttles.
Delivery of chairs or other rentals allowed: No. Any chairs and decorations must be transported via the public shuttle system.
Permit Application Fee: $100
Permit Application Due Date: At least three weeks prior to the requested date
Permit Application Open Date: 1 Year in Advance
Get all the details for the permit from Zion National Park HERE.
Regulations
Weddings in the Park must follow all of the regulations laid out in the permit. Here are a couple of examples of regulations you'll find on your permit:
Non-exclusive: You won't get exclusive access to your wedding ceremony area and you can't interfere with other visitors' enjoyment of the area.
All decorations and props must be approved via the approval process
Signs, banners, (like signs to show your guests where to go), etc. cannot be erected anywhere in the Park
You cannot use any amplified sound. So make sure you choose an officiant with a loud voice! Only music from an acoustic musician is allowed.
The Lodge facilities are not to be used for wedding preparation unless it's within a room or cabin you've rented.
Make sure you thoroughly read through all of the regulations under the permit, you can find a sample of these regulations from Zion National Park HERE.
About the Zion Lodge Lawn
Located in front of the historic Zion Lodge situated in the heart of the canyon, the Lawn provides couples with an incredible wide view of the surrounding canyon walls! The Lodge was constructed in 1925 by a Union Pacific Railroad subsidiary to promote tourism to the area. The Lodge boasts a fascinating history including a tragic fire and impressive rebuilding, we highly recommend reading about the story behind the building on the Zion National Park website! The Lodge Lawn features a massive cottonwood tree at its center that provides much appreciated shade during the hot summer months.
How do you get to the Zion Lodge Lawn?
The Zion Lodge Lawn sits in the heart of Zion Canyon, at shuttle stop number 5, down the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. Visitors staying in the Lodge can drive a car and park for free in the Lodge parking area. Prior to your stay, you'll receive a parking pass with the gate code, which allows you to open the gate to the Scenic Drive, typically reserved only for the shuttles. If you are not staying in the Lodge, you can access the Zion Lodge via the free Zion Shuttle System which starts at the Visitor's Center. The Visitor's Center has the closest parking lot to the shuttles. Other parking areas in the park include:
The South Campground/Nature Center is approximately .6 mile (1 km) away via the paved Pa'Rus Trail
The Zion Human History Museum is approximately .85 (1.3km) away via the Museum Trail to the paved Pa'Rus Trail
Limited Road Side Parking along Zion Park Blvd which all require various distances of walking. The Park patrols and hands out heft parking fines, so make sure you park in designated parking areas.
Parking in the park often fills up early in the day. When parking in the park fills up, you can park in the town of Springdale and ride the free Springdale Shuttle Line to the Zion Pedestrian entrance.
What amenities are at the Zion Lodge Lawn?
The Zion Lodge Lawn boasts the most amenities of all of the sanctioned wedding locations:
Lodging: Yes
Bathrooms: Yes
Cell Service: No
Wifi: Yes, though very slow
Food: Yes. Red Rock Grill provides an incredible dining experience while the Castle Dome Cafe offers a more laid back, casual fare. Hours vary.
Water: Yes
Some of our past clients were able to rent chairs directly from the Zion Lodge, though we have not been able to independently verify if this is a consistently available service. Even though there are bathrooms here, you cannot use them to get ready or get changed in. If you are not staying at the Lodge, you should arrive ready for your ceremony!
How busy is the Zion Lodge Lawn?
The Zion Lodge Lawn acts as a sort of crossroads to the most popular locations in the park as well as a resting place for hikers. So you should expect lots of people around, especially around meal times since the Lodge has the only food service in the park. Hikers will often lounge in the lawn under the shade of the cottonwood tree. If you decide to have your wedding at the Zion Lodge Lawn, you can expect many onlookers and lots of cheers from strangers when you're pronounced as married! We recommend embracing that as part of the experience! It will be nearly impossible to keep people and/or vehicles out of the background of your photos.
Planning your wedding at the Zion Lodge Lawn
We've worked with lots of couples who decided to get married at the Zion Lodge Lawn! With all of that experience, we've been able to compile some general recommendations to help with the planning process. All of our couples get specialized recommendations tailored specifically to their location, wedding date, and desired wedding experience so reach out if you need help!
The Best Times of Day for Ceremonies at the Zion Lodge Lawn
Choosing the best time of day for a ceremony involves a careful balance between what's most important to you. In terms of lighting, the best times of day at the Lodge Lawn are 1) from sunrise till a couple of hours before high noon and 2) from a couple of hours after high noon to sunset. The closer you get to sunrise and sunset, the higher likelihood you have of a lull in traffic that will reduce the number of people around the Lawn. The shuttles typically do not run at sunrise and sunset, so if lighting for the ceremony and crowd size are a major priority, we will recommend getting as close to those times as possible. If exploring more of the Park and incorporating other portrait locations, you'll need to account for the travel time required to get to and from the Lodge. In general, the mid-morning and mid-afternoon times tend to strike a pretty good balance. We often recommend planning a morning ceremony since many hikers are just starting their day so we often see fewer people in the morning. If you're not sure what time to choose, reach out so we can help!
Getting to the Zion Lodge Lawn for your Wedding
Navigating the Zion shuttle system presents a number of challenges, especially for larger groups of people. Don't be afraid though, with some planning and good communication with your guests, you'll get everyone where they need to be for the ceremony!
Stay at the Lodge
The simplest solution to transportation is to have all of your guests book a room at the Lodge, that way they can all drive directly there. The Lodge fills up pretty far in advance, especially for busy weekends, so this isn't always an option.
Parking Pass
In some cases, the Park will issue a parking pass with a wedding permit allowing a single vehicle to park at the Lodge during the time of the permit. This parking pass is not guaranteed and should not be planned on until the Park confirms it will issue one. When it does issue a parking pass, the Park prohibits this vehicle from being used to shuttle guests back and forth or to deliver decorations or rentals. If you have disabled family members who are unable to ride the shuttle, they may be able to receive a parking pass from the park.
Ride the Shuttle
We highly recommend you spend some time getting to know the Zion Canyon and Springdale shuttle lines so you and your guests will be prepared to navigate it!
Recommendations for your Zion Lodge Lawn Wedding
Embrace the crowd: So far, we've yet to photograph a wedding at the Lawn that didn't have a crowd of people around and walking through the background. We can't ask them to leave so we might as well lean into as part of the experience!
Get to know the Zion Shuttle System: If you go into this assuming you and your guests are going to have to use the shuttles, you'll be well on your way to a smooth experience!
Book rooms at the Lodge early: Staying at the Lodge simplifies a lot of logistics for a ceremony at the Lodge Lawn, book as early as you can though! Dates fill up quickly, especially during the peak season and busy weekends!
Look up the sunrise, sunset, and high noon times for your wedding day: Having this information before you apply for your permit can really help when picking what time you should put down on your permit for your ceremony!
Apply for your permit as early as you can: Once you have the info you need to fill out your permit, do it!
Hire a local to help with planning the logistics: find someone who has experience with weddings in the Park and working with the shuttle system, like us
Is the Zion Lodge Lawn the right location for your Zion Wedding?
This spot might be the right fit for you if any of the following are true:
You love the photos you've seen at the Zion Lodge Lawn
You have a special connection with the Lodge or the Lawn
You have a larger group of people and you need amenities close by, but you still want to be in the park
You don't mind random people seeing your ceremony or you think the idea of strangers cheering for you when you get married is fun
You don't mind planning some extra time to navigate the shuttles
You're already planning to stay at the Zion Lodge
You may want to look into some other location options if any of the following are true:
You want a secluded or exclusive place for your ceremony
You want more than 75 people (well, your own people) at your ceremony
You don't want to stay at the Lodge and you don't want to figure out the shuttles
You want a space to host a reception as well
Consider checking out some of the other locations available in and around Zion!
Looking for more tips on eloping in Zion National Park, check out our Ultimate Guide to Eloping in Zion National Park!
If you're feeling overwhelmed with all of this and you'd like a local wedding expert to help you navigate it all, reach out to us! We can help you decided if the Lodge Lawn is the right choice for you, and if it isn't, we can help you find the spot that is the right choice!
