Eastern Washington Elopement at Palouse Falls

The longer I live in the state of Washington, the more convinced I am that it is the most magical place to call home (and if you don’t believe me, just keep reading this post about this Eastern Washington elopement). If you’ve read any of my blog posts before, you know I’m a big fan of the Pacific Northwest and all of the beauty that’s packed into this corner of the country. If you’re a new friend of Between the Pine, welcome! To give you the fullest understanding of how honestly weird I am when it comes to the PNW terrain, know this: it’s not uncommon for me to pull over on the side of the road to stare at the perfect pine trees. So, now that you all know how deep my love for the PNW landscape runs, I’m about to blow your mind.

Eastern Washington is so beautiful.

Yep. You read that right! This blog post is all about an epic adventurous elopement in Eastern Washington. 

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What Makes Eastern Washington So Beautiful

Where the Pacific Northwest offers dense forests among massive mountain ranges (click here to see what I’m talking about), Eastern Washington offers rockier, drier terrain due to the lesser amounts of rainfall that reach past the Cascade Mountains. So, in the winter when it’s raining in the Pacific Northwest, it’s highly likely that you can find sunshine over in Eastern Washington. 

This Eastern Washington adventure elopement took place at the beautiful Palouse Falls State Park. This state park is super remote and secluded, which makes for some epic backdrops without all of the onlookers. Palouse Falls stretches down 198-feet near where the Snake and Palouse Rivers meet and was first discovered by local tribes. Palouse Falls holds incredible significance for the Palus Native Americans because their largest and oldest village once stood near the Falls.

The day of Ben and Whitney’s adventure elopement in Palouse Falls was a super sunny summer evening. I use the Sun Seeker app (click here to read more about what that is!) to track where the sun would be at different times and in different areas of the state park. Because of this, I was able to capture different shadow and dimension created by the setting sun rays along the canyon walls. We quite literally chose where to shoot based off where the sun landing.

Do these canyon shadows and stunning sunbursts have you dying? Same! You should check out my recent adventurous elopement in Snow Canyon for even more canyon drama, and click here to see a rock climbing elopement in central Oregon that will leave you wanting to pack your bags for your own Adventure Session!

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Places to Stay Near Palouse Falls

Because Palouse Falls is so remote, camping is really the only option to be able to stay close to the falls. However, once you see the beauty of a starry night in Eastern Washington, you’ll be convinced that camping is the best way to stay near Palouse Falls. Click here to find more information about reserving a campsite in this Eastern Washington state park.

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Footwear for Eastern Washington Elopements 

This is one of the most frequent questions I get asked from my couples as we prepare for their adventurous elopement (especially from my brides!), so I’m so excited to share some resources with you. The classic and natural option is to go barefoot! Julianna and Zach shed their shoes at Cold Creek Pond to end their session with a splash; click here to see what I mean! Another option you can choose for your elopement footwear are hiking shoes. These will provide the best stability and warmth under your wedding dress as we hike to your mountain elopement location. Here are some great hiking shoe options at REI. Lastly, this option is a great in-between from the bare feet and hiking boots. Outdoor sandals, like Tevas, are a great option for some stability while maintaining more laid back look with a sandal. Whitney rocked her Midform Universal Geometric sandals by Tevas during their Eastern Washington adventure elopement, and she looked like a mountain queen.

Tips for eloping in Eastern Washington

There are some important to-do’s that have to be considered when planning an elopement. First, you must obtain a marriage license! Eloping in the state of Washington? Click here to read the requirements for marriage licenses in the state of Washington. Other major factors to consider are the season and weather of your elopement. Now, I say this with a grain of salt because you truly can never predict the weather (I just had a couple elope in Colorado who almost couldn’t use their elopement locations because of an avalanche, in June!) When you are thinking about the time of year, it’s also important to consider the time of day. There are great resources, like the Sun Seeker app I mentioned earlier, that can help determine when will be the best time of day to tie the knot under the perfect golden hour rays. All that to say, my biggest tip would be to find the right adventure elopement photographer who can take care of all of these logistics for you (cough, cough, shameless plug). 

Are you planning an epic elopement? Reach out and let’s plan your adventurous elopement!

Vendors:

Florals: Down to Earth Flowers

Dress: David’s Bridal

 

ready to explore more elopements, weddings and adventures? wander away below!

Between the Pine is an adventure elopement and wedding photography brand created by Mollie Adams. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Mollie travels with her camera in hand to document “I dos” in epic landscapes including Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii.