Kate & Abby’s Joyful Olympic National Park Elopement

Kate and Abby’s elopement in Olympic National Park was a day filled with love, laughter, and meaningful moments. From starting the day at a cozy dome Airbnb to exchanging teary vows at Sol Duc Falls, every detail reflected their relationship. They embraced the beauty of the park with hikes, picnics, and plenty of time on their favorite bridges. Get all the details below.

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About This Elopement

Photography by Marla Manes Photography

“Kate and Abby’s elopement was full of belly laughs, goofy faces, unending love and affection, and lots of bridges haha. (They really loved bridges, so we made sure to take photos on as many as possible!)

This was a full-day, 12-hour elopement that gave us plenty of time for so many activities. We started getting ready at their dome glamping Airbnb, where they helped each other into their outfits and enjoyed watching deer from the clear walls of the dome. Our first stop was Sol Duc Falls for their ceremony in the forest and portraits on the bridge. After their beautifully teary vows, we headed to Lake Crescent for a picnic lunch and bracelet-making! They loved the viral TikTok idea of making bracelets to match each others’ eyes, so they did that and read letters from loved ones (while enjoying cake and Celsius).

We explored all around Lake Crescent, starting near the lodge and even driving around to see Devil’s Punchbowl! Then we stopped by Salt Creek Recreation Area for a few more golden hour-y portraits before heading back to the Airbnb for some hot dogs and smores.

We sat by the firepit as the day turned into night, and then they ended the day with an outdoor rain shower before curling up in bed, satisfied from the day’s adventures.” [Marla, the photographer]

Learn more about eloping in Olympic National Park. 

Permits and Planning

“No permit is required for parties smaller than 5 people, and these locations aren’t super fragile– just follow typical LNT guidelines and stay on the trail! The trail at Sol Duc Falls will likely be muddy– walk through the mud, anyway. Trying to avoid mud and puddles by stepping off the trail will only contribute to further erosion!

Be prepared for mud! Your shoes and any attire that touches the ground will almost certainly get dirty and wet near the falls.” [Marla, the photographer]

Learn more about leaving no trace during your elopement. 

Deciding to Elope

“Our decision to elope felt very natural as neither of us was interested in a big party or in spending our day catering to other people’s expectations. We wanted our day to focus on our love above all else.

Additionally, as a queer couple, we had an unfortunate mixed response to announcing our engagement. While we were met with an overwhelming amount of support, there were folks in our lives who didn’t believe we should get married. While it is disappointing that they couldn’t see past their own prejudices, we then had the freedom to pursue a wedding that felt most true to us. We didn’t want anyone at our wedding who didn’t wholeheartedly support our marriage and eloping guaranteed this would be the case.” [The couple]

Check out these reasons to elope. 

Planning Process

“Our planning process was fairly relaxed. We started by writing down our favorite ways to spend time on any average day and built a day that included as many of these activities as possible. For us, this meant a slow morning to get ready together, a short hike, a relaxing picnic for lunch, and lots and lots of bridges. We also wanted time just to explore the park and to end our evening back at our lodging for s’mores and a campfire.

As for the nitty-gritty details, we looked at our location and mapped out the distances between what we wanted to see and do. This helped us narrow down the specifics because we knew we didn’t want to spend the entire day in the car. Thankfully we also scheduled a few days on either end of our actual elopement date so we could take some time to travel to the places we couldn’t fit in our day. We spent a lot of time talking about what would make the day most special for both of us and kept that as the focus in all of our planning. And the beauty of eloping is that once our day was there and we were in it, we were able to change the schedule to match our feelings and needs (which we did, many times).” [The couple]

Estimate Elopement Cost

• Photographer: $8,500
• Dress: $900
• Suit: $230
• Lodging for 5 nights: $1000
• Flights: booked with points
• Flowers: $100
• Marriage license: $62
• Incidentals: $500

Total: $11,292

Details We’re Loving

“Kate and Abby were such sweethearts! Just happy to be there. They seemed 100% at ease being themselves throughout the entire day, from their teary vows to their picnic of cake and Celsius, a day of washing muddy dresses in rivers, and frosting-covered hands in lakes.

I remember talking about bridges during one of their planning calls and hearing, “She’s really into bridges.” and thinking well, that’s perfect for where we’re going! So one thing that sticks out, strangely enough, is just how happy I was to get to show them so many bridges in ONP haha. Here’s another! Here’s another! There are some great bridges in the park.

I also love how we started and ended in their dome Airbnb. So cozy and intimate! Getting ready together, nice and slow in the morning, and then showering outdoors in the cold at night and snuggle up together in bed afterward. It was a long day and you could see that satisfied sleepiness all over them. They were ready to go home to each other.” [Marla, the photographer]

Memorable Moments During This Elopement

From the photographer:

“They made bracelets using beads the color of each others’ eyes (come on!!!) It was a trend from TikTok that I think turned into something extremely meaningful and beautiful.”

From the couple:

“The things that made eloping so memorable were the parts of the day we didn’t plan. I had no idea how much support would come from passersby on the trails or how special it would feel to receive so much love from these strangers. We had so many special surprises during the day that made it truly magical. A deer joined our picnic, we found thimbleberries on the trail, and all of the planning we did from across the country worked out marvelously.

I will say that when I asked my wife what was most memorable about our elopement day, she talked about how I had to use the most disgusting pit toilet in my wedding dress to throw up because of motion sickness. It makes us giggle every time we talk about it and I like to think that it’s proof that we still had the best day, even with a few bumps along the way (literally and figuratively)”

Final Words of Advice

From the photographer:

“I loved all the activities that we included in their day: getting ready together, easy hikes, reading letters from loved ones, making bracelets to match the colors of each others’ eyes, a picnic, hot dogs and smores on the firepit at their Airbnb, a post-elopement shower, and some snuggles to end the night. It was truly an all-day elopement. This is your permission to make the day entirely your own!”

From the couple:

“Above all, we wanted to respect the area we traveled to for our elopement. We followed leave no trace principles, supported local businesses wherever we could, and acknowledged the eight tribes that have traditional associations to lands now in Olympic National Park: Hoh, Jamestown S’Klallam, Lower Elwha Klallam, Makah, Port Gamble S’Klallam, Quileute, Quinault, and Skokomish.”

Vendors 

Photography | Marla Manes Photography

Dress | Wtoo by Watters, purchased at Tulle Bridal Shop
Suit | Suitshop
Tie | Dazi
Boots | Danner

Photos From This Elopement