Cape Cod National Seashore

Permit Information

NPS Special Use Permit required for every wedding ceremony and vow renewal. Submit NPS Form 10 930 by emailing caco_permits@nps.gov with the $50 non refundable application fee. Approved ceremony locations include Coast Guard Beach, Nauset Light Beach, Marconi Beach, Head of the Meadow Beach, Herring Cove Beach, and Race Point Beach. The park does not grant exclusive use of any beach, and amplified sound, arches, chairs, and tent setups are restricted. Guests pay the standard $25 per vehicle sea…

Planning Your Day at Cape Cod National Seashore

One-Spot Day

Cape Cod one spot days work beautifully, the beach is vast enough that you can stage a ceremony and portraits in the same 90 minute golden hour without moving locations. Pick the beach by light: Race Point for sunset over water, Coast Guard for sand cliff drama, Herring Cove for the easiest access.

Ceremony + Portraits Split

The six approved ceremony beaches run the length of the Seashore from Eastham to Provincetown, roughly 40 miles of coast. Two beaches in one day is doable but adds 45 to 60 minutes of driving. Most couples pick one beach and use the variety within that beach (wet sand, dunes, overlook, tidal flats) as the second setting.

A Note on Light

Race Point is one of the few Atlantic beaches where you can get a true sunset over water, the tip of the Cape wraps far enough west. Coast Guard and Nauset face east, so sunrise is the golden window. Midday on any of these beaches is flat and bright with no shade. Wind is constant on the Seashore year round, so plan for hair and fabric to move.

Ceremony Spots at Cape Cod National Seashore

• Race Point Beach — Wild, wide open Atlantic beach at the tip of Cape Cod with sweeping dunes and spectacular sunsets
• Coast Guard Beach — Dramatic sand cliffs and a historic former Coast Guard station overlooking wild Atlantic surf