Alaska - Wedding and Honeymoons

If you and your man share an itch for adventure, you'll get a real high honeymooning in America's last frontier. As far north as you can go, our 49th state is the only wild blue yonder we have left—a wonderland of windswept tundras and shimmering seas of ice. 

Inside Passage cruises offer a wealth of scenic backgrounds for romance. Cruise lines can arrange shipboard ceremonies, and localities have churches and government officials who can also perform weddings.Denali National Park is another fine setting for a wedding, offering restaurants, campgrounds, some wilderness lodges and a range of hotels. Wedding parties who head for the backcountry of Denali -- or any other public lands -- can have nearly absolute privacy. On the Kenai Peninsula, Homer is often considered a romantic location. Cloud-shrouded mountains, a seashore and Homer's artistic, iconoclastic community at the end of the road create a romantic setting.
Lodges along the turquoise Kenai River also draw praise for their settings. Closer to Anchorage, the Alyeska ski resort in Girdwood attracts wedding parties. Tram cars carry wedding parties up from the Alyeska Prince Hotel to the Seven Glaciers Restaurant, 2,350 feet up 3,939-foot Mount Alyeska with a grand view of Turnagain Arm. North of Anchorage, a viewing deck near the Eagle River Nature Center in Chugach State Park is scenic site that has seen its share of marriages. 

Anchorage is the gateway to two of the state's top sights. In Denali National Park, Mount McKinley soars above six million acres of outback, where you can paddle or hike to your hearts' content without hearing a single sound. Due south lies the Kenai Peninsula, a dazzling expanse of deep fjords, granite domes and gleaming ice fields. From there it's a short hop by plane to the state capital, Juneau, set amid snowcapped peaks with a massive glacier in its backyard. 

Juneau's the jumping-off point for the Inside Passage. Hitch a ride on a cruise ship, or do it wet-and-wild with a private guide in his-and-her kayaks. Whatever your vantage point, you'll get a real rush at Glacier Bay National Park, where blocks of ice come roaring out of the mountains to spill into the sea. 

Tying the knot in winter? Head for the slopes of Alyeska, or try your hand at heli-skiing in the Chugach Mountains. Alaska may be rugged, but there are plenty of creature comforts to keep honeymooners happy. 

License: The fee for a marriage license is $35. Both the bride and groom generally must be 18. 

There's a waiting period of three business days after the notarized application is received by the Bureau of Vital Statistics offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks or Juneau. The license is good for 90 days anywhere in the state. 

Who can marry: The Alaska Constitution recognizes marriage only if it joins one man and one woman.