Written by our rad team member, Kiersten Roy
Rainey and Logan truly got to experience ALL the sceneries during their national park elopement on the Olympic Peninsula! From sprawling mountain views for their ceremony to moody forest trails for their celebratory meal to a gorgeous sunset on the beach (complete with an outfit change), these two got to witness all of Washington’s magic on their best day ever! Keep scrolling to see more from their national park wedding and learn a few things to keep in mind when planning your own national park elopement.
Meet Rainey & Logan: The Couple of This National Park Elopement
Rainey and Logan are not from Washington, so when they decided to elope in Olympic National Park, we worked our magic and asked Mother Nature to pull out all the stops for them. (Spoiler alert – she did not disappoint!).
The couple and their family traveled to the Olympic Peninsula and stayed at one of our all-time favorite micro wedding venues – Agate Beach Lodge. (Click here to learn more about this venue and see some of our other favorite Washington micro wedding venues).
The morning of their national park elopement, Rainey and Logan woke up early for a sunrise ceremony with their family at Hurricane Ridge. They even had a deer friend make a special appearance (scroll to see just what we mean).
After their beautiful mountaintop ceremony, the couple spent some time exploring the surrounding trails before making their way back down to enjoy brunch with their loved ones. This forest trail is one of our favorite locations because 1. it’s in a campground (which is one of the most underrated places to elope), 2. we almost never see anyone else around, and 3. it has the most magical PNW rainforest vibes ever!
After their picnic meal and a little bit of time spent exploring the forest, Rainey and Logan took a mid-day break. Afterward, we regrouped for a private sunset adventure session at Rialto Beach. For this part of their day, Rainey and Logan did an outfit change into some more casual clothes, which was so fun! To top it all off, they ended the day watching the beautiful sunset and running into the ocean waves.
Check out this post on Instagram to see more photos from Rainey and Logan’s national park elopement!
Four Tips to Keep in Mind When Planning a National Park Elopement
When choosing to elope in a national park, there are some really important things to keep in mind. Here are four of our top national park elopement tips!
Work with a Local Expert
If you are considering eloping in a national park, we highly recommend working with a local expert! Working with a photographer who is experienced with your national park wedding venue will help reduce so much of the uncertainty around permits and help ensure you have the best possible experience. We may be a little biased, but if your national park elopement is taking place on the Olympic Peninsula, there is no one better suited to help you than Between the Pine’s photographer, Amy! Not only does she live at the base of the national park, but her friends are park rangers, so she has the inside scoop which we think is amazing!
Be Aware of the Rules
Speaking of permits and the inside scoop, the second thing to keep in mind when planning your national park elopement is that you will need a special use permit. Every park has different permit regulations, but for Olympic National Park, you will need to pay a $50 application fee for any elopement or wedding held inside the park. Click here to learn more about special use permits for Olympic National Park.
Elope on a Weekday
Our couples love national parks, which is why so many of our elopements take place in a national park or national forest. However, many other people also love these locations which means these areas can get very busy. One of our biggest national park elopement tips is to elope on a weekday whenever possible. Weekdays tend to be much less crowded than weekends, allowing you more privacy and freedom to explore.
Consider Time of Day: Sunrise vs Sunset
In addition to eloping on a weekday, the time of day you hold your elopement ceremony is also very important. For example, Rainey and Logan really wanted to elope at Hurricane Ridge. However, this is one of the most popular destination in Olympic National Park so we decided to plan their ceremony at sunrise so they could have this location all to themselves.
Here at Between the Pine, our couple’s experience is very important to us. We want you to look back at your wedding photos and see not just the beautiful image, but also remember the experience you had and how that moment felt.
More National Park Elopement Resources and Inspiration
What You Need to Know About Packages For Your National Park Wedding
When choosing to have a national park elopement, we highly recommend either our sunrise-to-sunset or our two-day elopement package.
For their national park wedding, Rainey and Logan wanted the best of both worlds. They wanted to include family, but they also wanted time alone. Our sunrise-to-sunset national park wedding package allowed them to include all the important moments (from first look to ceremony to adventure photos) in a single day.
If you want more time to explore your national park venue (or you plan on having more than 15 guests), then we recommend our two-day national park wedding package. This will allow you the chance to get to experience multiple locations, and it also allows you to spend time with your loved ones. Click here to learn more about our packages for your national park elopement.
Meet Your National Park Elopement Photographers
We feel most at home in the outdoors, so it’s no surprise that is where we gravitate towards as your national park wedding photographers. Between the Pine was founded by Mollie in 2018 and she has hiked hundreds of miles all over the Pacific Northwest and Kauai, to capture couples during their best day ever. Since 2018, we’ve grown our team and continue to hire even more incredible photographers!
Our team at Between the Pine is passionate about our jobs and adventuring to the most beautiful locations to document your best day ever. We know the Pacific Northwest like the back of our hands and are dying for a reason to head back to the mountains, forest, and everything in between! Click here to learn more about the Between the Pine team, your national park elopement photographers!
Meet the Other Incredible Vendors From This National Park Elopement
Photographer: Between the Pine
Venue: Agate Beach Lodge
Officiant: RJ at PNW Wedding Officiant
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