Wedding Photographers & Videographers at Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Farmington

A wedding at Fort Necessity National Battlefield in Farmington puts you in a wide, open meadow in Fayette County, about 60 miles south of Pittsburgh by the park's own count. The small round wooden stockade stands in the grass, and the long views around it give your photographer and videographer room to work: the two of you walking across the meadow toward the fort, your wedding party lined up along the stockade, or a quiet moment with the tree line behind you. Mount Washington Tavern, also part of the park, gives you a second historic spot for wedding pictures.

With the park's approval, a small wedding ceremony on the grounds is possible. The National Park Service lists weddings among the special events that may need a special use permit, and the park asks you to apply well ahead so it has time to review the request. Many couples come for portraits on their wedding day instead. The park's note to photographers says wedding parties usually don't need a commercial photography permit, but one may be needed for groups of more than eight, for props or larger lighting and tripods, or for areas normally closed to visitors. Filming falls under the same rules, so share the page with your videographer too.

There's no reception hall at the battlefield, so plan dinner and dancing at a venue nearby. The pavilion on the path from the visitor center to the meadow can't be reserved; it's first come, first served when park programs aren't using it. Expect other visitors on a nice day, and remember that this is a place of remembrance as well as a beautiful one.

• Call the park's special use permit coordinator before you set your date.
• Read the park's permit page with your photographer and videographer.
• Visit at the hour of your ceremony to see the light on the meadow.

A little about Fort Necessity National Battlefield

The battle fought here on July 3, 1754 was the opening action of the French and Indian War. The circular stockade served as a supply depot that summer, and today the park is open year round.