Elopements

Kayleigh and Nathan’s Artist Point Adventure With Family

Kayleigh and Nathan only wanted four things on their wedding day: mountains, sandwiches, hiking, and homemade pasta. They got all that and more during their elopement adventure at Artist Point in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Park.

“They wanted mountains because they love them, sandwich toasts with their friends and family to carry on the tradition of using the hashtag #SandwichesInSweetPlaces (which started 7 years ago on a trip to Switzerland), hiking because it’s a passion, and homemade pasta, because it’s their favorite food of all time. When they reached out, they said they wanted their wedding day to feel like summer camp. Adventurous, fun, and casual. Boy did they make it happen.” [Brianna, the photographer]

Are you ready to elope? Let’s start planning your Washington State elopement.

About This Artist Point Elopement Adventure

Photography by Brianna Parks Photography

“The day started in an Airbnb at the base of Mt. Baker. After some getting ready shots, it was time for a ceremony where Kayleigh and Nathan’s nieces and nephews surprised them by wearing custom camp shirts embroidered with their names.

A short hike took us to the ceremony spot, a perfect platform overlooking Mt. Shuskan. After a few tears and heartfelt vows, the rings were passed and blessed by each family member. The first kiss was celebrated with a family toast of Rainier beer and sandwiches.

It was then time for the hike. We geared up and hiked a total of 5 miles to a gorgeous alpine lake, where the bride and groom shared a picnic by the water. After full bellies and pictures, it was time for sunset portraits where Kayleigh and Nathan got to experience an epic alpenglow on the mountain and golden light by Mt. Baker.

The day ended at the Airbnb, where the planner created the most beautiful tablescape design, modeled after their favorite Pendleton blanket. Of course, sticking to the summer camp theme with mugs, wooden napkin holders, and lanterns. And of course, to top everything off, homemade pasta prepared by a private chef, making their wedding day experience one they’ll truly never forget.” [Brianna, the photographer]

Planning Your Elopement Adventure + Top Tips

Since this location was within a national forest, a permit was not needed since the couple didn’t have more than 75 guests. Please remember to stay on the designated trails and don’t pick the wildflowers.

“Prepare to share the stage. This specific location (Artist Point) is incredibly busy for pictures. It’s not uncommon to run into other couples getting married there. It’s also important to note that this location is only accessible from late July to early October. While it can be accessed in the winter, snow conditions make the roads dangerous and often leads to closures.” [Brianna, the photographer]

Explore more places to elope in Washington State.

Deciding to Elope

“We’ve been together for 11 years…we felt like an intimate wedding made sense for us. We both agreed traditional weddings can feel really ‘performative’ and it favors things we didn’t really feel were important to us. We wanted a chance to both reminisce on the past while also get excited about the future – our elopement gave us the space to slow down and do just that. We also love doing cool shit together and…mission accomplished.” [The couple]

Explore these reasons to elope.

Planning Process

“Part of Brianna’s package is a curated list of both Ceremony Spots and Hikes. It was literally so easy to pick our favorites and send them over to her to start to assemble our timeline and options. Brianna and Melissa crushed the elopement timeline. Both of them offer this as a service and they did everything possible to create a day that flowed, got us our entire ‘wish list’ and also made sense for our family.” [The couple]

Estimate Costs For This Elopement

This couple spent ~$20K. This included airfare from Ohio, Airbnb, dress, suit, etc.

Here are rough estimates:

Photography ~ $9,000
Planning ~ $2,500
Floral ~ $1,000
Chef for 15 – $4,500
Rentals – $1500
H&MU – $750

Learn more about elopement budgets!

Memorable Moments From This Elopement

From the photographer:

“Some of my favorite highlights included the actual ceremony, where the couple had a ring warming ceremony, meaning they passed their wedding rings around to each family member for good luck. After the ceremony, where everyone was handed a sandwich and a Rainier beer to toast with. Lastly, the dinner really stuck out in my mind. Not only was it beautifully designed, but the speeches were so heartfelt and genuine. Everyone felt like they had known each other since birth.”

From the couple:

“N: We had incredible weather. It was surreal to come down from our hike at sunset, still in our wedding clothes, and take in the 360 view of Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan.

K: The hike was so great. But I think my favorite part was how we got to bring this experience to our family. They’re all big hikers but NO ONE had been to the PNW. We got to share one of our favorite places with our closest people (not 200 people). I remember the little hike up to the ceremony spot and how fun it was to see all generations making their way ‘down the aisle’ with us.”

Final Words of Advice From the Photographer

From the photographer:

“Invest in your experience. Every time I photograph an elopement, I look back at my own wedding and wish I could go back in time to truly make it about my relationship and what we loved vs. being so preoccupied with making everyone else happy.”

From the couple:

“There’s just so much good stuff. Nathan says ‘ball out on food!’, which I agree with.

Really, I dont see it happening any other way for us. We had a wedding that was wrapped with everything that makes our relationship special: a slow morning with coffee, words from the deepest parts of the heart, an amazing view, a slight physical challenge and AMAZING Italian food. Something like this cant come to life when you also have to consider the needs and logistics for 200 other people, its just impossible and not sustainable.”

Vendors

Photography | Brianna Parks Photography