North Cascades Elopement

Another one of my weddings that pivoted and turned into an elopement was Kelly and Jared’s wedding. They had originally planned on a big wedding at Woodland Meadows Farm which I was so excited to document a wedding there. The couple had decided to move the wedding to the backyard instead but as covid kept making wedding planning hard the couple pivoted again and chose an adventure elopement in the North Cascades.

What is amazing about this North Cascades elopement was the group who came with Kelly and Jared to help celebrate the big day! 20 people came on this 7-mile hike to be part of Kelly and Jared’s North Cascades Elopement! They all were made up of the couple’s immediate family and their best friends.

I drove into Winthrop the day before as we had originally had planned for a 4 am start time but as the couple kept checking the weather it became clear that the clouds were going to fog us in until mid-morning. So we changed the start time to 7 am with the hope that by the time we go to the top and the place where the couple had planned the ceremony spot it would be clear.

Because of Covid, we broke the group up into 2 groups and I traveled with the first group that included the couple so I could document the hike up to the ceremony spot. The trail the couple chose was a popular one so getting an early start was so we could all park in the parking lot at the trailhead, get a ceremony spot with no other hikers in it, and so the lighting would be better for photos.

As we headed up the trail we were roughly alone which made it nice so we could travel at our own speed and not be rushed by groups of hikers. We also didn’t want to rush up to the ceremony spot because we needed time to let the clouds burn off. Well, when we got to the top we were still fogged in by the clouds so we hung out enjoyed our amazing snacks bags that the couple’s moms put together for everyone.

We waited about an hour to see if the clouds would burn off then we gave it another 30 minutes with the plan we would move forward with the ceremony even if the clouds didn’t burn off. The couple changed into their wedding attire as we waited for the clouds to burn off and right when it was time for the first look it magically became clear enough that you could see all the beautiful mountains in the North Cascades!

The couple did a first look so Jared could see Kelly’s dress before it was time for the ceremony. Jared’s reaction to Kelly was so perfect! After some hugs and kisses, it was time for the ceremony. We ended up choosing the same spot for the ceremony that we did the first look at as it was private and had some amazing views!

The ceremony was officiated by Kelly’s brother. What was great about the ceremony spot was everyone had a good place to sit and it was kind of a natural amphitheater so everyone could hear the ceremony. After their vows, they were announced married and there were cheers from our group and other hikers who had stopped to watch the ceremony take place.

After hugs from their friends and family, we did a big group portrait and then the family and friends groupings. Then it was time for the couple’s portraits. We decided to do the entire loop and the couple just stayed in their wedding attire till it was time for the hard hike down.

I am so excited to share Kelly and Jared’s North Cascade elopement! It was such a fun day and I hope in the future I can do more elopements in the North Cascades!

Check out the amazing review the couple gave me:
“Choosing Jenny as our photographer was one of the best decisions we made in our wedding planning process. Her flexibility when plans changed from a large venue to a backyard wedding to a small group hike in the North Cascades was amazing. We were thrilled that she agreed to follow us up a mountain to document our day. Throughout the event, she was easygoing and positive and put us totally at ease. The photos she took were stunning and we couldn’t be happier. We were originally recommended her by a friend who loved her work on their own wedding, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone getting married.”