Stacey & Welmen’s Rainy Elopement Adventure at Lake Crescent, Falls, & Ruby Beach

When Stacey and Welmen began planning their wedding, they quickly realized that a big, traditional celebration wasn’t for them. Instead, they craved something intimate, adventurous, and entirely their own. That’s when they decided to elope somewhere neither of them had ever been before—Olympic National Park in Washington. With the stunning backdrop of moss-covered forests, cascading waterfalls, and misty beaches, their day unfolded as a true Pacific Northwest adventure. From a quiet first look at sunrise to heartfelt vows on a secluded beach in the pouring rain, Stacey and Welmen embraced every moment. Get all the details below.

Are you ready to elope? Check out our Washington elopement packages. 

About This Elopement

Photography by Julia Goldberg Photography

“‘Stacey and Welmen found me and told me they wanted to elope some place they’ve both never been before, the stunning Olympic National Park in Washington.

We started planning! I presented them with a few amazing locations around the park that I thought fit with what they were looking for, and we came up with the whole plan for their day.

We met at sunrise at the beginning of November where they did their first look on a pier out on a beautiful and calm lake. Next, we hiked through a moss-covered forest to a beautiful waterfall. The rain fell gently through most of the morning as we explored the park.

The next stop on our day was over on a coast where we did a short, but slightly challenging hike, climbing over massive logs on the beach before we got to the perfect spot for their private vows. On the hike back the sky opened up into a torrential downpour! But this did not dampen the spirits of anyone on this perfect day (though, we were definitely physically soaked haha)

Finally, we ended the day at Ruby Beach. Stacey’s parents were there to officiate their little ceremony, which they did under the protection of umbrellas as the rain dumped down on us. But rain on your wedding day is good luck, right?” [Julia, the photographer]

Permits and Top Tips When Eloping in Olympic

“You can apply for a permit on the Olympic National Park’s Website. We also, of course, leave nothing but footprints behind!

To tips? Layers! This is the Pacific Northwest of course and weather can be unpredictable! It rained quite a lot over this elopement so having raincoats, umbrellas, and hot hands was definitely needed! Also, make sure you check the tide schedule if you’re shooting on the beach.

Finally, Olympic National Park is HUGE and takes quite a while to drive from one part to another, so make sure you check how long it will take you to drive to each location and really give yourself a whole day (or more) if you’re planning on eloping here. It’s such a beautiful park with so many different and stunning parts to it, so to enjoy it all you need TIME.” [Julia, the photographer]

Learn how to leave no trace during your elopement. 

Deciding to Elope

“We honestly went back and forth on this because we wanted to celebrate our marriage with our family, but it ultimately came down to cost. We just couldn’t justify spending at least $20,000 for one day, especially since we wanted to buy a house. Plus I was following so many elopement photographers on Instagram and I just loved all those pictures.

Choosing our location was not easy. We had looked into doing a micro wedding and eloping somewhere close where we could still have some family and friends, but even a micro wedding was still going into the $12,000 range. So we nixed that idea and started looking at places further away.

I really loved Olympic National Park and all the different landscapes it offered. I loved how all the pictures were gorgeous in every season, rain or shine. Also, I’ve always wanted to go to Seattle, Washington so we could also make that our honeymoon. We had looked at eloping there in the summer but flights and hotels were just more than we wanted to spend. So I looked at other places like Utah, California, and even Las Vegas, but I kept coming back to Washington. I realized that flights and hotels were cheaper in November which is their off-season so we just needed to find a photographer who would book with us last minute to elope in Washington. Thankfully, we found Julia!” [The couple]

Check out these reasons to elope. 

Planning Process

“The planning process was so fast.

We decided on Washington with a little over a month before our elopement date. So once we booked with Julia, we started booking flights, hotels, and a rental car. I applied for my marriage license online and was able to get that in the mail before the trip so I didn’t have to pick it up when we got there.

Thankfully, since we had less than 5 people for the elopement and weren’t having a videographer I didn’t need to apply for a permit. My dad is an ordained minister so I knew I wanted him to marry us which saved on finding someone in Washington to do it. I wanted to save on costs so I did my own hair and makeup. I also bought my wedding bouquet at Pike Place Market instead of ordering through a florist.” [The couple]

Estimated Cost of This Elopement

“We stayed in Washington for a week so that we could make it a honeymoon as well and be able to explore more of Washington.”

• Photography | $6,300
• Round Trip Delta Flights for 2 | $793.92
• Graduate by Hilton Seattle | $244.00 for 2 nights
• Olympic Lodge by Ayres | $297.44 for 2 nights
• Coast Gateway Hotel | $299.65 for 2 nights
• Ferry Ticket | $44.50 one way
• Wedding Bouquet | $25 at Pike Place Market
• Bouquet Ribbon | $12.99 ordered it off Amazon
• Marriage Certificate | $62 for Clallam County
• Vow Books | $17.95  ordered off Amazon

Estimated Total: $8,141.95

Learn more about elopement costs here. 

Details We’re Loving

“Stacey and Welmen were so sweet to work with. Their love for each other was just so apparent and it was so fun spending the day with them. They were really down for anything I suggested we do and just fully went with the flow, even in moments of total downpour like when we were hiking. I think if you’re going to do an elopement like this it’s just so important to stay positive and flexible because things change easily with the weather.

I actually loved the rainy weather on their day! I feel like it gave a really special and moody effect to their photos. I know couples always want sun on their wedding day, but I personally think rain and gloom make for some incredible images!” [Julia, the photographer]

Memorable Moments From This Elopement

From the photographer:

“I think the biggest highlight of the day was the beach shoot. It was the biggest adventure. We had to climb over massive rocks and logs, deal with waves, and get caught in a huge rainstorm on the way back. But it really was the coolest part of the day. Watching Stacey and Welmen say their vows privately on a fully empty beach was so special and intimate.”

From the couple:

“Being able to enjoy my wedding day with my husband. Just being able to explore Olympic National Park together. From the first look of taking in the breathtaking views of Lake Crescent, to hiking to the waterfall at Marymere Falls, to hiking Rialto Beach to get to the Hole-In-The-Wall with the most stunning pictures, to finishing our ceremony at Ruby Beach in the pouring rain.

I never felt rushed, we just got to take in each moment and celebrate our love together. Plus we had the best stories to tell everyone after the fact. I mean I had to climb across logs and across rocks along the sea wall to get to the Hole-In-The-Wall, and I got hit by a rogue wave walking back to the car! We just had such a fun time and I have no regrets for not having a traditional wedding.”

Final Words of Advice

From the photographer:

“When eloping, especially in nature, just be FLEXIBLE! Locations may have to change at the last minute due to closures or weather. Just going with the flow and being there to fully enjoy your day no matter what happens is so important.”

From the couple:

“For anyone hesitant about doing an elopement I would say just go for it. We had the best time and it was so nice to enjoy our day with just the two of us and be able to take it all in. We did do a small reception back home so that we could celebrate with our family and friends. I will say that after going to the reception I was glad we eloped because I barely saw Welman the entire reception because I was talking to so many people or taking pictures and I felt if we had a traditional wedding then it would have been a similar situation.

If you do decide to elope in Washington, I will say to bring as much as you can with you.

The stores in Washington are much smaller than what I’m used to so we were limited in what we could buy, although I had brought almost everything with me. We went to the Walmart by our hotel near Olympic National Park wanting to get a small cake for the elopement but they had nothing in their bakery that screamed wedding so we skipped the cake. They also did not have a wedding section at this Walmart. Bring snacks and water for your elopement. We brought water but not a lot of snacks and I basically didn’t eat the entire day until we got back to our hotel.”

Photos From This Elopement