Mt. Rainier National Park Elopement Location Ideas + Tips + Package Pricing

Mt Rainier is just a short 1-2.5 hour drive from Seattle or Portland, and is full of epic mountain views, lakes, cute cabins, and great hiking. It’s the perfect spot for an intimate elopement for just you and your fiance, or for you + the fam. I’m here to guide you through the process, from picking your location, to planning for the trip, to execution.

Helpful Info:

National Parks Pass - You'll need a National Parks Pass, $80 per vehicle, lasts for a year and works at all of the Nat. parks)

Ceremony Permit - The park requires you to request a ceremony permit, which costs $60. You can apply for one HERE. 

Marriage License - Washington marriage licenses are done by county, and will cost around $70. After you pick up your license, there is a 3 day waiting period before you can use your license. From there, you’ll have 60 days to use your marriage license. Mt. Rainier is located in the Pierce County OR the Washington Lewis county, depending on where you choose to elope. Click HERE for Pierce County’s marriage license form. Click HERE for Lewis County’s marriage license form.

Spring & Fall Elopements - We'll want to use lower elevations of the park as the upper areas m ay have snow. You'll have snow-capped mountains in the backdrop. Be sure to plan on bringing coats, etc. just in case, to put on when we aren't shooting if you're cold. During the fall, plan on leaves changing and beautiful colors. Misty views are common during this time.

Summer  - All areas of the park are useable. Mid-July to early August is wildflower season. Expect warm weather and clear skies.

Winter - Cold, but beautiful! Certain access points to the park are closed. Misty views are common.

Camping vs. Air BNB/Hotel - If you are die hard campers, I say to go for it! If not, I'd recommend staying in an air BnB or hotel nearby. After you pick your elopement location, head over to Air BnB and just start looking! I recommend looking for spots with lots of wood and lots of windows for great lighting! Feel free to run the spots by me if you’re not sure!

Weekday Elopements - I highly recommend planning your elopement for a weekday. The park is much less trafficked during the week, so you won’t have to worry about large crowds. Monday through Thursday is best.

Time of Day - Depending on the location you choose, we’ll either want to shoot at sunset or sunrise. If we choose sunrise, we’ll want to start shooting about 30 minutes before the sun rises. If you choose sunset, we’ll shoot until about 20 minutes after the sun sets.

Have an umbrella back-up plan. If it’s two week before your elopement, and it’s looking like rain, I highly recommend snagging some clear bubble umbrellas off of Amazon. When guests bring their own umbrellas, you never really know what you are going to get. Someone might show up with a bright pink umbrella. Black umbrellas are pretty, but it’s hard to photograph your guests faces throughout the day because they usually end up getting blocked. Clear umbrellas are super pretty, and they ensure that your photographer will be able to capture guests’ expressions.

Guest Count - You’ll need at least two witnesses + an officiant. I am more than happy to sign as a witness! You can also have up to 60 guests. Once you reach 60, you can only hold your ceremony in campsite amphitheaters.

Example Elopement Schedules

Here are some examples, but keep in mind, we’ll want to adjust this based on sunset or sunrise time. Most elopements are 2 hours, but you can also add 1 hour at the beginning for getting ready photos, and/or 1 hour at the end for dinner coverage.

SUNSET SCHEDULE:

6:00pm - Meet at location

6:10pm - Ceremony

6:30pm - A few group shots (if you have guests)

6:40pm - Portrait time

7:40pm - Sunset

8:00pm - All done!

SUNRISE SCHEDULE :

Note: we will want to do your portraits with sunrise light, so it’s best to do a first look, followed by portraits, followed by ceremony. See below.

6:00am - Meet at location, start with a first look, then portraits of the two of you

7:20am - Guests start arriving

7:30am - Ceremony

7:40am - Group shots

8:00am - All done!

Here’s The List:

Easy Difficulty Level:

— Silver Forest Trail —

This trail has stunning views of the mountains, lots of pine trees, and is known for having beautiful wildflowers during the summer (typically, end of July to early August). Only light walking required—we’ll find a spot at the beginning of the trail for the ceremony. There are plenty of beautiful views right from the start.

— Summerland Trail —

This area is known for wildflowers. It's heavier trafficked, so plan on working around tourists a bit. Only light walking required—we’ll find a spot at the beginning of the trail for the ceremony. There are plenty of beautiful views right from the start.

—Tipsoo Lake —

To-die-for! Just some light walking required. On a sunny day, you can see Mt. Rainier in the backdrop. Expect lots of pines in the area, cool tunnels nearby, and big, grassy meadows. I like to start with the lake, then drive a little further up to get some epic mountain views.

— Grove of The Patriarchs —

If you are into Redwoods, this is your spot! This area has tons of old-growth redwoods, as well as tall pines, providing for a nice, shady area to shoot. There are also lots of cool bridges and paths to shoot with.

Medium Difficulty Level:

— Naches Peak Loop Trail —

This trail goes to a beautiful, crisp lake with stunning mountain views. The hike is 4.5 miles with a 700 foot climb. Think rocky cliffs, pines, and wildflowers.

— Gold Butte Fire Lookout —

You can either book the fire lookout, or just hike up to it and shoot with it. You can see every cascade peak from Mt. Hood to Three Sisters from this lookout. The hike to the lookout is .75 miles, and requires a climb of 400 feet. The views are incredible. Dates are open from June 27-October15th. For information on how to book a fire lookout, click HERE.

— Mt. Fremont Lookout —

You can either book the fire lookout, or just hike up to it and shoot with it. This hike is 5.6 miles roundtrip, with a 900 foot elevation gain and epic views of the sunrise and sunset. The views are honestly incredible here as well. For information on how to book a fire lookout, click HERE.

About Me:

Hi, I’m Alix! I am a wedding and elopement photographer living in Portland, Oregon and servicing the PNW. I would describe my style as editorial meets adventure, meets documentary. I love a dramatic portrait just as much as I love an epic backdrop, and as much as I love real/authentic moments. I love to incorporate all of these vibes together, in order to create a full and dynamic story of your day.

My Pricing:

$3,300

Includes:

—2 hours of coverage

—Travel to Rainier National Park

—Access to my location and planning guides

—Help with planning.. I gotchu!

—A min. of 200 edited images

—An online, downloadable gallery

—Full printing rights.. you can print through me, or anywhere you’d like!

—Full gallery delivered 2 weeks after elopement

*Request pricing for 3 or 4 hour elopements.

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