An adventure hiking elopement in Olympic National Park, Washington State featuring tide pooling, waterfalls, Hurricane Ridge, the rainforest, and Lake Crescent.
When I chatted on the phone for the first time with these two, they wanted to make sure their day was an experience (which we absolutely love around here). And boy, did we plan the most fun day.
Olympic National Park is the place to go if you’re looking for a bit of everything. The Pacific Northwest has so many epic backdrops it can be hard to pick one location. Olympic National Park in Washington solves this by giving you ALL the PNW has to offer in one place. The cherry on top? This park isn’t nearly as busy as some PNW hot spots like Mt. Rainier.
If you want to hear more about why Olympic should be on your elopement short list, check out this blog about how to elope in the park.
Check out this very sweet review these two left me!
To put it simply Miki was just the upmost perfect fit for us as a couple. When I was scoping out elopement photographers who were offering the “whole package”, the planning, coordinating, suggestions, tips, etc. It was honestly really intimidating. Many of these photographers, while capturing beautiful images, just honestly didn’t suit our tastes. We aren’t movie star influencers who were basically just getting married to have the perfect pictures to post on insta. We’re nerdy introverts from the Midwest, and we were excited at the prospect of having a relaxing day where we could be ourselves without feeling like we have to “perform” for friends, family, or anyone for that matter.
That’s why I love Miki, she is simply just a very real person. She is kind and compassionate and takes her job incredibly seriously, even to the point that she only takes on a limited number of couples every year in order to ensure she can provide them the upmost attention. She is unbelievably detail oriented and regularly emailed me back every time I reached out to her with any question, often I even got several responses from her within the same day. She had amazing recommendations and an extensive knowledge of the areas where she is available for elopements, and she helped us narrow down our locations to what worked best for us based on what we wanted our day to look like. With us living in the Midwest I essentially needed recommendations for all of my vendors and every one the Miki suggested was thoroughly vetted and were fool proof.
Our day was simply magical. I felt like because of Miki and her photography style my husband and I really felt like we got to just be in the moment with each other all day, experiencing beautiful sights along the way. Miki made us feel incredibly comfortable and I genuinely didn’t even notice she was taking all of the simply gorgeous photos she caught throughout the day. Like I cannot put into words how GORGEOUSLY she captured our day, she simply made us look amazing.
As two science nerds, my husband and I also LOVED how knowledgeable she was about all of the flora and fauna we saw all day. We met to go tide pooling the morning of our wedding before getting ready and it was just such a beautiful slow way to start our morning together. Miki guided us that morning while somehow also capturing so many beautiful moments, and this helped us get acquainted and warm up to each other before the real events took off.
In the months running up to our elopement day, Miki regularly checked in with us, had already perfectly crafted our timeline for the day to our liking and specifications, and was making sure we had everything that we needed to make our day go perfectly. She was prepared for almost anything to go wrong and took care to uphold a leave no trace and low waste philosophy while working in the outdoors which really is a plus.
I really could ramble on all day about how every moment of our time working with Miki was a joy, but honestly her photography alone really does speak for itself. She is amazing at what she does and I would elopement with her again and again if I could. I would not change a single thing when it came to working with her, it was simply perfect, and I am endlessly grateful for her and the memories she helped us create.
I worked with a great group of vendors for this elopement! Check them out here:
Photo: Venturing Vows
Super8 Analog Video: Sabrina Fitz Photo and Film
Hair and Makeup Artist: Anne Timms
Officiating: Outshined Elopements
Florist: Anthera Floral
Cake: Florida Peach Sweets
Vacation Rental: Sol Duc Serenity
Custom Hand Fasting Cord: Ceotha
Bride’s Ring: Oore Jewelry
Wedding Dress: Brides by Young
Check out this super8 analog film video Sabrina Fitz Photo and Film captured of the day!
Tide Pooling on the Washington Coast
We started these two’s day bright and early so we could explore the tide pools. This is one of my favorite activities to add to an elopement day. It gives you time to get comfortable in front of the camera in a more low key setting and allows you to see the amazing wildlife in the area. Tide pools can be a bit tricky because not all low tides are created equal. To maximize your chance at seeing wildlife, you need to go during especially low negative tides. If you want to include tide pools in your day, make sure to plan ahead! This usually requires picking a date around the tide schedule. Thankfully, I’m here to help you find those low tide dates as well as help you find all the critters hiding out on the rocks.
If you’re hoping to explore tide pools as part of your day, check out this resource on tide pooling in the area! I’m a bit of nerd for tide pools and I’m here to make you love these funky invertebrates. 😉
Getting Ready Near Port Angeles
Rainforest and Lake Crescent Photos in Olympic National Park
After getting ready at their beautiful vacation rental, we moved onto some hiking. Olympic National Park has all sorts of hikes for all levels. This particular trail is my favorite for catching the rainforest and lake with less crowds. It’s one of my top hidden gems. 😉 While the Hoh Rainforest and Hall of Mosses are amazing, I usually recommend them for visiting as a tourist because it can get very busy.
(Access to Hall of Mosses is closed indefinitely as of January 2025 because of significant road damage. Check updates on access on the Olympic National Park webpage!)
Waterfall Hike in Olympic National Park
There are SO many beautiful waterfalls throughout the Olympic Peninsula. My favorites are the short hike, lesser known falls. This spot is not only 0.25 miles roundtrip but dog friendly. This is why I always recommend hiring a PNW local for your elopement who has experience in whatever location you select. The most popular falls are far busier and require significantly more hiking. A local, even if it’s not me, can help you go through ALL your options, including hidden gems.
Hurricane Ridge Elopement Ceremony
On our way to this location, we drove through the worst fog I’ve experienced. I had to slow down because I could barely see the road in front of my car. I was so anxious that my couple was going to miss out on this epic mountain view for their ceremony.
As we reached the very top of the mountain, a little patch opened up. As we hiked out, we slowly got more and more mountains until we got this gorgeous inversion. I’ve been to this spot many times and this is the best lighting and view I’ve had there.
Since they didn’t have any guests, they had loved ones write them letters to read before their ceremony. This is a great way to include loved ones while still having a private experience. If you want more ideas on various ways to include family and friends in your elopement, check out this blog for more!
Stacy at Outshined Elopements officiated and I can’t recommend a custom ceremony enough. An elopement day has a lot of emotions and a lot going on. Having an officiant to take you through a custom ceremony that looks back at your relationship can make all the difference in your experience. Check out this blog about why you should hire a professional officiant for your elopement
Sunset Portraits at Hurricane Ridge
Olympic National Park Elopement on 35mm Film
All of my elopement packages come with one roll of 35mm film. While 95% of galleries are in digital, that roll of film adds something special to the gallery. Here’s some of my favorites from these two’s day.
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