Stunning Stevens Pass Private Elopement
Meet J + C! These two came to me with so much enthusiasm for getting married and with a ton of excitement about planning their elopement. We immediately clicked and started the journey towards putting together the most incredible, the most eye-catching, the most lovely elopement I could have imagined. When I asked why they chose to elope versus having a big wedding, they said “Stress. We love our families SO much, but this is about us and all of them are very supportive of our decision.” Amen to that. Stress ain’t no thang around here.
Now, typically I’m the one giving my couples location ideas either because 1. They’ve never been to the PNW or Washington before, or 2. They’re overwhelmed with SO many spots that it’s impossible to narrow things down. This was absolutely not the case with J+C: They came to ME with locations they already loved, and boyyyyyyyyy were they incredible. “We love this area! We would describe it as mystical, ferry-like forest floor, where moss and fern covered fallen trees are nursing the forest floor. Big tall trees. There's easy access (from the trail) to the creek (not a river like I've called it!). A pretty log bridge over the creek. 2 big moss-covered boulders with a fallen log wedged between them as the entrance-way to our ceremony location. We love the privacy of our ceremony location, the sound of the creek, and the beauty of the forest. Cute chipmunks, too!” Couldn’t have said it better, this ceremony spot kicks ass.
We started our day with a short hike to a very secluded waterfall that I hadn’t been to before! Not a single car was parked at the trailhead, and we didn’t see another soul for the entire hike. Dream situation! We were tucked deep in the forest along a bright blue river with the sound of rushing water right next to us. Along the way there were SO many different types of mushrooms scattered along the forest floor and fallen trees (there’s a photo of one special mushroom if you keep scrolling!). Once we found the perfect spot for their ceremony, J + C got into their elopement outfits, set up their ceremony, started recording on their phone that was stashed in a tree, and read vows to each other.
I was barely 10 feet away from them both during the entire ceremony and couldn’t make out a single word they said - the sound of the river drowned out everything, but I didn’t need to hear the words they said to feel their love. They way J looked at C while he read his vows, the way C held J’s arm during her vows, and the sheer amount of smiles let me know that they were speaking from the heart. Their pup hung closeby to watch them commit their lives to each other, and eventually wound up laying down on J’s train!
We spent time climbing down rocks getting closer to the river after their ceremony and took in the views. J + C made their way out to a footbridge that crossed the river and it made for some seriously epic photos with them as tiiiiiny little humans! Eventually we packed up and headed back to the trailhead to start on the second leg of our adventure.
This riverfront spot was another that I hadn’t been to but one that J + C scouted the day before while they were in the area. When I say this IMMEDIATELY was logged away in my brain as a spot to bring future clients, I’m not joking. Watching the sun go down behind a ridge, seeing the salmon try to swim upstream, and climbing all over rocks in shallow water to get amazing views with Stevens Pass mountains behind them. We stopped shooting for a few minutes just to watch the salmon, something I had never experienced before!!
After playing in the water and along the shore for a while, we headed back to J + C’s cabin to meet their best friends who were ready to celebrate with them. Their view of the river was phenomenal (you could see the salmon from the yard!) and the last of the light was illuminating everything in sight. We signed their marriage license, hugged one last time, and ended our adventure together. What a memorable day with such sweet humans!!
Some super sweet words from J+C after their full elopement gallery was delivered:
“Van, we can't express enough gratitude for making our elopement day truly magical. Her expertise, spontaneity, and genuine excitement turned every moment into something extraordinary. From the initial planning to capturing the day, her support was truly remarkable – she is absolutely amazing!
Van's willingness to go above and beyond (within LNT parameters, respectfully so!) made the experience exceptional. Her ability to capture each moment and emotion in her photos is impeccable, and we are absolutely blown away by our gallery!
Choosing to have an intimate elopement just the two of us (and our doggo!), with our families and friends in support, was important to us. Van not only captured the essence of our day but also ensured that our families and friends could feel and experience the same magic through our gallery.
Van, thank you for being an integral part of our journey! It was hands down the best experience we could have ever dreamed up. We can't thank you enough!
<3 J + C
P.S. Give Fern a pet from us! Mac says hi!”
I’m actually crying over here as I type this, even though their elopement was so long ago. Man, I’ve got some wonderful clients.
