Written by our rad team member, Kiersten Roy
A Washington micro wedding is the perfect way to plan an elopement-style wedding while also including your closest loved ones! Ellen and Zack traveled all the way from Florida for their best day ever and witnessed some of the most beautiful scenery Washington has to offer! Keep scrolling to see more from their moody Washington micro wedding and learn our top three outdoor micro wedding locations in Washington!
The Story of This Moody Washington Micro Wedding
For their Washington micro wedding Ellen and Zack (along with a handful of their closest loved ones) traveled all the way from Florida to celebrate their special day. They chose to get married in the North Cascade mountains but, being from Florida, it was also really important that they included water (or, more specifically the ocean) in their day. They opted to stay at a historic hotel in Bellingham with views of the bay all around. While staying away from the mountains did add a little bit more drive time to their day, it was totally worth it for the views and for its significance to the couple.
After getting ready at the hotel, Ellen and Zack shared a first look outside by the water while their family observed from one of the hotel room balconies (seriously, how cute is this?). Afterward, a shuttle drove everyone up to the mountains. This was an extra special touch as Ellen and Zack wanted to make sure everyone felt like they were a part of the day.
Once they got dropped off, everyone made the short trek to the ceremony location at Picture Lake. Being late summer, the fireweed was in full bloom making for the most gorgeous ceremony setting! Ellen and Zack exchanged vows by the lake (with a family member overseeing the ceremony) and after saying “I Do” the newlyweds and their guests headed over to one of our favorite picnic areas where a delicious meal from Miere Catering was waiting for them.
After their celebratory meal (complete with family toasts) Ellen and Zack headed up into the mountains for sunset photos. It had been pretty cloudy all day, but as the sun set over the horizon, the clouds cleared making way for some really dramatic blue hour photos.
Kind words from the couple:
“Before Zack even proposed I had already fallen in love with the work of Mollie and her team at Between the Pines from following them on Instagram, and as soon as he popped the question I reached out to them to get the ball rolling. The initial meeting with Mollie went so well and immediately put me at ease. She has so many years of experience, understands every type of bride, sees your vision better than you do, and knows exactly what logistically needs to happen to pull off an adventure elopement. I used every vendor that she recommended, and loved that they were all local/familiar with the area. Once we nailed down the timeline and ceremony location, I had a few months to sit back and relax before I started working with our photographer, Dawn on the day of details.
Fast forward to our wedding day, Dawn arrives and brings the perfect hype girl energy. Her excitement and professionalism make her exceptional as a person, and her work speaks for itself. She captured the most wonderful intimate moments that I continually swoon over, and we felt like movie stars in front of the camera. By the end of the day we didn’t want to say goodbye because we were having so much fun together.
My wish for every bride & groom is that they get the opportunity to work with Between the Pine, because I know they will love it just as much as we did!”
“We had the privilege of working with Dawn for our special day. Dawn works closely with Mollie, the owner of Between the Pine. I think the photos speak for themselves. Dawn’s work is absolutely incredible. We couldn’t be more pleased with how our photos came out. Dawn was such a pleasure to work with as well. She was fun, energetic, happy, and she’s an absolute pro at this stuff. Even when we were concerned the wildfires would ruin our ceremony at Picture Lake, Dawn already had backup plans in place. She was smooth, calm, and collected during that stressful time in the lead up to the wedding ceremony. Fortunately, the smoke cleared so we were still able to have our ceremony at Picture Lake as planned.
Dawn knew all the best spots and angles to capture all the precious moments throughout our day. And when we went into the mountain for our photoshoot, we ran into Mollie who was busy photographing another couple. We got to meet Mollie in person, and she is just as fun and light-hearted as Dawn. They make a great team. I would highly recommend them to anyone. They’re professionals at what they do, they’re easy to work with, and the pictures they supply are absolutely breath-taking.”
Check out this post on Instagram to see more photos from Ellen and Zack’s Washington micro wedding!
What is a Micro Wedding?
While the exact definition of micro weddings may change from photographer to photographer, here at Between the Pine, we consider a micro wedding to be any wedding ceremony with around 15-30 guests. Micro weddings are an amazing choice for couples who want to experience the feel of an elopement while also being able to include a handful of your favorite people!
Three Places to Consider for a Washington Micro Wedding
When it comes to planning a Washington micro wedding, the biggest thing to look for is a location that offers privacy and is easy to access. This way you and your guests will be able to easily get to the ceremony site and you won’t have to worry about strangers watching while you exchange your vows.
Luckily, Washington has some pretty incredible places to choose from when it comes to planning a micro wedding. A few of our favorites are:
- North Cascades National Park (specifically the national forests surrounding the park)
- Snoqualmie Pass
- Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park
Washington Micro Wedding Inspiration
This rainy North Cascades wedding was full of mother nature’s gifts! Visit the blog to see more and learn 3 things to know when planning a wedding with guests.
Alisha and Max’s two-day family elopement in the North Cascades was the highlight of 2023! Visit the blot to see more and learn our top 3 things to consider when planning an elopement with guests.
Click to view this stunning Mount Rainier wedding and read our top 3 things to consider when getting married at this beautiful national park!
Alaska is an amazing location for an adventure elopement! Visit the blog to learn why & see part one of Jo & Mike’s two-day Alaska elopement.
What You Need to Know About Packages For Your Washington Micro Wedding
When choosing to have a Washington micro wedding, we highly recommend the two-day elopement packages to our couples. This is the package almost all of our micro-wedding couples choose and for good reason. The thing we love about this package is that you will get to enjoy one day with family and friends, and another day for you and your partner to go on an adventure and do your own excursion. Click here to learn more about our packages for your Washington micro wedding.
Meet Your Washington Micro Wedding Photographers
We feel most at home in the outdoors, so it’s no surprise that is where we gravitate towards as your Washington micro 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 Washington micro wedding photographers!
Meet the Other Incredible Vendors From This Washington Micro Wedding
Photographer: Between the Pine
Videographer: Splendent Films
Hair and Makeup: Anne Timss
Cake: Antler Baking Co.
Flowers: Alison Wiebe
Catering: Miere Catering
Wedding Dress Shop/Designer: CC’s Bridal Boutique + Essence of Australia
Rings: Mavilo
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