If you’ve decided eloping outdoors is your jam, there’s no doubt you’ve thought “what if the weather is horrible on our elopement day?!”

I know it can be super nerve-wracking to be at the mercy of Mother Nature when planning such an important day. You’re worried about so many factors that the weather can change, and I see you and hear you!

But I’m here to tell you that you’ve got this.

With these steps, you’re going to feel more prepared to face icky weather head on AND be reassured that you’re still going to have one kickass experience and get some seriously kickass photos, too. Pinky promise!!

I’ve got advice, tools, and good old years of experience to help prepare you for any kind of weather you might experience.

I’ve seen some shit - like that time an atmospheric river dumped trillions of gallons of water all across Washington for a week straight, or that time the wildfire smoke was so thick you could barely make out the mountains, orrrrrr that time the fog was so thick we could feel the mist moving around us.

Wanna know what all of those elopements had in common (other than not-so-fun weather)? It’s this:

Every single couple embraced the conditions and still had the most memorable, beautiful elopement.

And I have full faith that you can, too!! I’ll be right by your side the entire elopement day making sure you’re comfy, stoked about our backup plan, and confident that your day is NOT going to be ruined.

We’re going to go over planning ahead, shifting your mindset, and what to pack so you feel 1,000% ready for getting married outdoors. You ready?!

Research Your Elopement Location and Typical Weather

Everyone thinks of the PNW as the super duper rainy corner of the country, but did you know that Washington gets less annual rainfall than places like Boston or Miami. We just happen to get the majority of that accumulation in a few short months over the winter!

When you’re planning what time of year and what season you want to elope during, make sure you know what the typical weather can be like so you know ahead of time what you might be signing up for! Weather Spark has great info about what you can expect each month as far as rain and temperatures go:

You can also look at National Park websites to see what their seasons are like and use the info to decide what time of year is going to be best for your elopement!:

Give the park rangers a call to ask questions - they’re extremely knowledgable and love talking to folks to help them feel more prepared!

Shift Your Mindset

This one can start as early as the day you decide to elope, and continues on through booking vendors, choosing locations, deciding on your outfits, allllll the way through the elopement day.

Plus, you can’t reliably predict what the conditions are going to be like months in advance, so don’t spend your precious time and energy worrying about it right now. Sometimes Mother Natch’ just throws you a curveball anyway!

I know what it’s like to want to plan every finite detail to make sure the day is absolutely perfect, but there is such a thing as overplanning. Just know that no matter how much you prepare, SOMETHING will go differently on your wedding day than you expected, and that’s okay. Being able to roll with the punches (regarding weather AND every other thing out of your control!) is key here. So your cute little cake gets smushed on one side because it was jostling around in the backseat on a bumpy road. You wanna know what you’re going to remember more than the smushed side? How it tasted. Same goes for outfit malfunctions (or just getting them dirty!), backup locations, forgetting something at home you really wanted to have with you, or whatever else could go not according to plan.

Focus on the mega important thing: Getting married to your favorite person. Everything else falls to the wayside when you compare it to this commitment you’re making. It’s all a part of the adventure, baby!

Lean Into Your (Expert!) Vendors

If you’ve hired me to photograph your elopement, you’ve got it goooooood, friend. I’m watching the weather WEEKS in advance to make sure I can prepare myself properly but also so that I can keep you in the loop! Plus, I’ve been taking notes about seasonal road closures and openings, expected construction, trail closures, and snow depth for years so that I can look back and know what to expect (roughly) this year. I take this pretty seriously, if you couldn’t tell 🤓

Reach out to your photographer to talk about the weather and what to expect! I will give you honest and detailed information about locations that might shape how your day unfolds or make you choose to elope at a different time of year.

Pack Like Bad Weather is Guaranteed

Even if it’s the middle of July and we’re going to be in a dense, woodsy area, pack an umbrella and a rain jacket, plus an extra warm layer. You might not even touch your emergency weather stash, but you’ll have about 10x more peace of mind if you’ve got these items already in your backpack or trunk. It can be hard to find the exact items you’re looking for when you’re away from the big cities, so creating a packing list ahead of time is going to be key!

How to prepare for a rainy elopement day:

If there’s even an inkling of rain expected on your elopement day, I highly recommend getting two clear umbrellas to pack just in case. If you’re having guests, pack some for them as well! Clear umbrellas photograph well, keep you relatively dry, and are an inexpensive way to keep dry and look cute!

For in between photos, make sure to pack rain layers! Look for Gore-Tex material in rain jackets, it’s 100% waterproof AND still breathable (incredible, right?!), durable hiking shoes or boots that are at least water resistant (or also have Gore-Tex material!), hand and feet warmers, and an extra towel just in case. If you’re hiking, make sure to pack a rain cover for your backpack, too.

And honestly, there’s nothing wrong with packing a few disposable ponchos. They do the trick, even if they’re not the cutest. I’ve always got a couple in my emergency client kit that lives in my car!!

How to prepare for a snowy elopement day:

A lot of the same principles are going to apply as a rainy elopement day, because snow can be just as wet! In addition to a waterproof jacket and shoes, I would definitely pack ankle or shin-high gaiters, microspikes, and an additional layer for warmth. Pro tip: put on long underwear or fleece-lined leggings under your outfits (pants or dress!) to be extra cozy!! You absolutely could rent these items from a local outfitter or REI ahead of time if you don’t think you’ll use them in the future.

One way to get super cute photos while still staying warm is to get a jacket, shawl, or blanket that’s warm AND looks like it photographs well. When you’re not being photographed, you’ll want your warmest puffer jacket nearby to warm up!

How to prepare for a hot elopement day:

My best advice for mid to late summer elopements is to plan to be outdoors either super early in the morning, or much closer to sunset! You’ll be able to bask in more bearable temps and get great light at the same time.

Bring more water than you think you need. And then bring a little extra just in case! Hydration packs like Liquid IV or Nuun are stellar for replenishing lost electrolytes. Make sure to bring sunscreen (or wear face makeup that has a high SPF in it), sunglasses, and even a washcloth or bandana you can get wet to cool off mid-hike.

If you’re planning on changing into your wedding outfits after a hike, I highly recommend wearing a sun shirt while hiking. They’re super lightweight long sleeve shirts that have SPF protection and typically a hood that will keep the sun off of your face, ears, and neck.

How to prepare for a smoky elopement day:

When you decide to elope in the PNW in the summer and fall, there’s a good chance there will be at least a few wildfires happening across the area that can drastically effect air quality and visibility. That’s just something we’ve come to expect every year at this point!

But that definitely doesn’t mean you can’t get married outdoors when wildfires are happening, I promise. I know by now to keep a very close eye on wildfires, where they have potential to spread to, and what the air quality is going to be like based on how close we are to a wildfire. You can check this interactive map for the latest info about PNW wildfires.

As for photographing in smoke, we have options! At a certain level, the air quality becomes fairly unhealthy to be in for long periods, but at lower levels I typically will go through with our original plans, as long as you’re comfortable with it (that’s always gonna be my top priority, duh). The only, and I mean ONLY, upside to wildfire smoke is that it can make for an incredibly interesting and dramatic sunrise/sunset. The orange haze from wildfire smoke turns the saturation up to 15 in most situations, which means you’d get pretty memorable photos.

How to prepare for a foggy elopement day:

As for fog, that ain’t no thang!! I know, I know, hiking to a summit and being 100% surrounded by fog isn’t ideal, but we are at the mercy of Mother Nature yet again. We can always pivot to another location that seems to be less foggy or stay in lower elevations to beat the fog altogether. Or if you’re a big fan of the PNW and all it’s dramatic, moody vibes, fog could make for the most perfect backdrop for your elopement.

Have Plan B Ready to Go

This is one thing I’ll always have ready to go at the drop of a of a hat, because shit happens! Whether a road is closed, a park is at capacity, a mudslide takes out the trail we were going to hit, or the weather takes a turn for the worse, I will not show up to your elopement without a solid plan B in my back pocket. Spending the last few years scouring hundreds of miles of trails, tens of thousands of miles of roads, and some fierce Google Earth searching has made me confident that I can find something that will work for your elopement without much trouble.

Make sure to loop in your guests about the plan B ahead of time so they’re prepare as well! Drive times might be effected, you may need a different parking permit for the day, or we might have to shift your timeline a little bit. We’re gonna do whatever it takes to make plan A happen, and if it’s out of the question, then we’re putting all that effort into plan B!!

My favorite tools for keeping an eye on the weather

Over the years I’ve accumulated a few great resources to get reliable information about the weather, and you should try them out!!

Weather.gov tends to be very reliable - it’s the NOAA after all!
Download the NOAA app to your phone
NWCC fire map linked above plus fireweatheravalanche.org
AQICN has thousands of air quality readings
Download the AirVisual app to your phone

Also, did you know that tons of places around the PNW have webcams that let you see live footage of certain national parks, highways, and other popular areas? Mount Rainier has quite a few, you can see downtown Leavenworth any time of day, even Stevens Pass that crosses over the North Cascades has their own webcams along the interstate.

Embrace the Conditions and Get Married Anyway

If there’s one thing you take away from this blog post, it’s that setting your expectations for the potential of bad weather is crucial. It’s just the reality of doing anything outdoors!

If you’ve ever watched This is Us on Hulu, you’re probably familiar with the “when life gives you lemons” analogy with a twist: “you took the sourest lemon that life eloping has to offer and turned it into something resembling lemonade”. We’re gonna do just that, friend.

Plus, you’ll end your day with an exciting story about your wedding day that you can tell friends and family for years to come. Like, how cool does it sound to say “yeah, we totally got married in the middle of a rare thunderstorm, so we chose to embrace it and jump in puddles together”? Not many people can say something like that, can they? It’s all part of the adventure, baby.

I swear to you that no matter the weather, no matter the conditions, no matter the amount of pivoting we have to do, I’m going to do everything in my power to make your day remarkable, memorable, and get you some stellar photographs along the way. If you vow (😎) to trust me with your day, I guarantee you’re going to love the day, regardless of the weather.