Discover the Hidden Gems: Planning Your Washington State Elopement

One of the most common questions I see as an expert elopement photographer is: “how do I elope?” and I love that because I am here to give you all the nitty gritty details!

Take it from a girl who eloped herself, eloping is freaking confusing + often times portrayed in a more complicated way than it needs to be. If you’re thinking of eloping in Washington state, then you’re in the right place! Washington is a dream elopement destination with some of the United States’ most breathtaking views. If you’re in the market for gorgeous green forests, breathtaking coast views, snowy mountains, + spectacular sunsets; this is the place for YOU!

If you’re considering a Washington elopement + NEED the how to’s, KEEP SCROLLING!

STEP ONE: CHOOSE A LOCATION

If you’re reading this, chances are you are either entertaining the idea of eloping in Washington or you have chosen Washington for your elopement destination already. If you’ve already chosen Washington, feel free to skip ahead to the rest of the steps here.

However, if that’s not you, + you’re seeking guidance on the best places in Washington to have your intimate ceremony, this is for you!

Let’s start with the easy stuff – in order to begin your elopement planning process, you really need to know where in the Pacific Northwest you want to get married. Below, I’ve shared a list of my top 5 places in Washington that will give you some seriously breathtaking views!

• Mount Rainier National Park
• Olympic National Park
• Washington Coast
• North Cascades National Park
• Hoh Rainforest

How to find Your location:

Finding your elopement location can be tricky – simply because Washington has SO many beautiful landscapes that it can be extremely hard to choose! Hopefully, my list above makes your decision a tad bit easier, but here are a list of things to consider when you’re deciding what is best for you and your partner.

1. Scenery – it’s important not to just pick something that looks pretty; you’re going to want to choose a location that you feel connected to + scenary that you want to be surrounded by for your elopement. (Pine trees, wildflowers, ocean, forests, hills, moutains, lakes, etc.)
2. Activities – Believe it or not, this is the most important part! Choosing what you want to do with your partner when you’re eloping is SO key to how you are experience is going to go. You want to make sure you’re choosing things that feel authentic to you guys (hiking, biking, camping, exploring, road tripping, swimming, eating, etc.)
3. Adventure – Are you willing to hike and make it an adventure or would you something more accessible? If you are willing to hike, you need to know how far you are willing to hike as well.
4. Driving – How far are you willing to drive from your hotel/air bnb to the adventure ceremony spot? Most everything in Washington is roughly two hours or more from Seattle.
5. What’s Important – The most important thing to decide is what is the most important thing to you on your wedding day (time with each other, vows, landscape, etc.)

Some key things to pay attention to when you are finalizing your elopement location are:

• Make sure to check permit requirements for the location you are interested in before you make your decision! Different parks and locations have different requirements for wedding permits + rules/regulations for weddings.
• Don’t feel pressured to pick one type of scenery! SO many locations in Washington state provide multiple types of scenery including wildflower fields with mountain backdrops, bodies of water, etc. If you’re wanting more than one, picking a place with the ones you are most drawn to near each other may be beneficial for a variety of landscapes.

STEP TWO: DATE + TIME

After you’ve got your location figured out, the next step is choosing a date and time. No, I don’t mean time of day; although that’s important too! I mean the time of year you’ll be heading to Washington to exchange vows. Washington has a variety of different types of weather and the four seasons are much different in the Pacific Northwest than in any other part of the country. Knowing this is KEY in picking when you want to elope. Most people want to elope in the mountains which is more toward the Eastern Washington area.

This is what the season’s look like for that area of the state:

• Winter: November-April (harsher cold, ice, snowy – more rain)
• Spring: May-End of June (less rain, colorful blossoms + mild temperatures; light snow possible into late March)
• Summer: July-Mid September (warmer weather; 60s + high 70s)
• Fall: Late September-Late October (temperatures begin decreasing + the fall colors are gorgeous)

The Best Time of Year to Elope in Washington:

The best time to elope is Washington is summer or fall (from July-to late October). This is when the weather is the BEST; the forests are filled with gorgeous greens, wildflowers are in bloom + the trails aren’t bogged down with snow. It depends on the weather trends, but often, the mountains are still covered in snow in early summer. As i’m sure you’re aware, the Pacific Northwest is known for rainfall and this is especially true in Washington – this time of year is when the rainfall is the least that it will be all year and that’s not even to mention that all the gorgeous plants and flowers are in bloom! I know the summer/fall is not everyone’s favorite season, so this is not to deter you from a winter elopement if this is what you’re more interested in. Winter elopements are beautiful and guarantee less populated areas and breathtaking winter landscapes.

How to Avoid Crowds on Your Elopement Day:

Because the summer and fall are the most beautiful times to elope in Washington, they are also the most popular times to elope in Washington. This is a great thing, but it can make avoiding crowds on your elopement day very tricky. But, lucky for you, I know all the secrets!

Here is my list of ways to get around the crowds:

• Consider planning your special day on a weekday – this helps a lot if you’re eloping at a popular location and reduces the amount of people you would otherwise be encountering while you’re trying to celebrate something so intimate.
• Consider eloping in the early morning if you aren’t able to do it on a weekday!
• Elope during off-season (after Labor day)

This is something to be conscious of if you are not comfortable with others nearby during such a special moment.

STEP 3: FIND YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER

This is no small feat! There are tons of photographers in the PNW and that means there’s tons of research to do to find the right fit for you. Here’s a few tips to streamline that process:

• Make sure you vibe with your photographer – you have to like them to spend atleast a few hours with them on your elopement day + it’s a bonus if you choose someone you feel like you can be friends with.
• It’s more than pretty photo’s – do some research on your photographer’s social media and ask yourself if you feel like they are trustworthy and can guide you through the elopement process. They NEED to add value you to you through this experience. One example of this is helping with planning by sending guide’s + how to’s. This is a service i provide with each elopement package. Your photographer needs to be an expert on the area you’re eloping in and help you through the process of doing things correctly and according to the law’s in Washington state.
• The thought of doing all of that by yourself is freaking overwhelming! Trust me, I get it as someone who eloped themselves. That’s what I’m here for! I help my couples with permits, locations, outfits, + I design customized guides to walk you through your elopement day. This is a vital part of my process! If you’re interested in hiring me, fill out the link below and we can make it happen!

STEP FOUR: FIND YOUR CEREMONY LOCATION + OBTAIN YOUR PERMITS

Once you’ve got your date/time, location, + photographer – it’s time for the not so fun stuff to really begin! It’s important to start with your ceremony spot. Figuring out where your ceremony will specifically be held, simplifies a lot of the process. A lot of parks have a list on their websites that includes where ceremonies can be held but photo’s can usually be done anywhere in the park after the ceremony is completed. Make sure to do your research as each park is different. This is something that I help my couples with as well.

Marriage Laws in Washington State:

Elopements can be done one of two ways: you can choose to legalize your marriage during your ceremony or you just have a symbolic ceremony and legalize your marriage at another time. For example, my husband and I chose to do a private ceremony the day after our “elopement day.” This allowed us intimate vows that we didn’t feel pressured to say in front of anyone but ourselves and our officiant, but still allowed us to get our dreamy images! Both ways are astonishingly perfect ways to celebrate your union.

Regarding Washington marriage laws, there are some important things to note.

• To legalize your marriage in Washington state, two witnesses and an officiant are required to sign your marriage license.
• There is a three day waiting period for your marriage license to be active. I see couples often choose from two options: picking up the license three days before the ceremony OR mailing the license in notarized from their home state. In the event of the latter, two witnesses are still required to sign the license.

STEP FIVE: FIND LODGING, NAIL DOWN ACTIVITIES, + BUILD A TIMELINE

Finding Lodging:

I highly recommend finding where you’re going to stay as soon as possible once you’ve decided where you’re going to elope. There are so many great options in the PNW, but specifically around the national parks and other popular locations. I have tons of recommendations when it comes to different locations and part of my process is helping my couples decide which one is best for them. Wherever you decide to stay, remember these few important pointers.

• Pick somewhere that you’re going to want pictures of! This is so important and isn’t talked about enough – 9/10 times you are getting ready at your cabin, air bnb, or hotel and we are getting a few getting ready photos in that space. You’re going to want to make sure you choose somewhere that you want photograph’s taken in; make sure the lodging is your style before booking.
• Another important pointer is to remember to choose somewhere in the vicinity of your ceremony location unless you are planning in advance for travel. This can take so much of the stress of the day away!

Activities:

Like I stated at the beginning of this guide, it is important to know what you want to do on your big day! Whether you want to kayak, hike, go swimming, or just stay at your air bnb, we need to know this in advance to the day of so we can prepare your timeline correctly.

It is important to remember that this is not just any other day, YOU’RE GETTING MARRIED! As such, you want to make this an experience to remember and that’s what adventure elopements are known for and the entire reason behind them! What makes elopement days so freaking special is the ability for you to do whatever you want on your wedding day. There’s nowhere you need to be other than with your partner and whomever you choose to accompany you. I challenge you to think about what your dream day would be from start to finish when choosing your activities.

These are some really cool things i’ve seen with elopements:

• overnight backpacking
• morning yoga
• stargazing
• visiting a brewery

You do not have to choose any of these, but they are great options!

Timeline:

Once you’ve got the where down, you can start planning your timeline for your big day out! This is vital to a seamless elopement and it’s another service that I provide to my clients. Whether you’re booking me or another photographer, you need a good timeline. A photographer’s help with this is vital because we have a good idea of what photos will be taken when and how many hours we will be together in total.

This is a sample timeline for what your elopement could look like:

4:00 pm – Meet at the location (trailhead before we begin your hike) + begin walking up.

5:45 am – Get to the top + start getting dressed

6:15 am – Sunrise first look + exploring during golden hour

7:30 am – Break (head back to air bnb + have breakfast)

8:30 am – Start heading to second location

9:45-10 am – Ceremony (usually between 15-20 minutes, can be shorter)

10:30 am – Photos (this is the time to adventure!)

11:30/11:45 am – Hike down

1:30 pm – Arrive back at air bnb + start activities (lunch, hot tub or other activities you chose + celebration)

3:00 pm – Photo coverage ends

It’s important to note this is contingent upon the package you choose with your selected photographer. You may opt for full day coverage like this timeline displays or you can have half day coverage which is usually about 4 hours.

If you’re looking to start your Washington state elopement process, shoot me an inquiry here and let’s get to planning!

xx, Tanner