Mount Storm King and Rocky Washington Coast Elopement

When these two told us they wanted to elope in Olympic National Park, we had a lot of awesome location suggestions! But when Jen came across the Mount Storm King trail, she fell in love with the crazy views of Lake Crescent. This hike is nuts, but so are the expansive views of the mountains, lake, ocean, and Canada!

We met them around 3:30am to start the trail. We definitely all struggled a little bit, but I’d say it was 100% worth it. Keep reading their story and as always, don’t forget to check out their film!

This trail has one of the coolest views of Olympic NP and Lake Crescent ever! But it’s definitely not for the faint of heart with over 1000 feet of elevation gained in less than a mile. Plus, at one point, you have to hold onto ropes in order to scale the rock face. But since we started before the sun came up, we had the views all to ourselves until the very end.

We made it up the Mount Storm King trail, and then Jen and Jared transfered their vows into their vow books. Parker, Jen’s son, helped Jared get ready. It was such a special celebration!

Once they were ready, Jen and Jared took off their hiking shoes and carefully made their way over to the edge for their intimate vow exchange. They chose to exchange vows barefoot for a couple different reasons, but the main reason being that they felt connected to the earth this way. Having your bare feet on the soil and rocks really makes you feel safe and connected, which is exactly the feeling they have with each other. There are so many different ways to make your ceremony intimate like this! Get creative and do what feels right for you and your partner.

These two are already legally married, but they have always dreamed of eloping. So, this down-to-earth ceremony was really special for them. As the sun rose above the horizon and cast rays on the mountains, these two committed to forever together. It was perfect. Jen’s son and neice watched from afar while Jen and Jared cried, kissed, and hugged. They are such a beautiful representation of what it means to be vulnerable and open with your partner.

Afterwards, we took some sunrise portraits with epic views of Lake Crescent below. They also enjoyed some coffee before we hiked back down.

After the hike back down, we were all sweating and a little sore from the elevation gain. So, we decided to jump into Lake Crescent before Jen and Jared headed back to their Airbnb to get ready for the second half of their elopement. None of us had swimsuits, so we stripped into our bottom hiking layers and jumped in! It was such a spontaneous moment, but it made for an amazing memory! Adam and I made sure to document them jumping in, but then we put down our gear and joined them!

Anytime you’re by water in the summer, we always recommend trying to incorporate some sort of water activity. You can swim, fish, kayak, paddle board, canoe, etc. We highly recommend enjoying the water while you’re there because why not?!

To end their epic Olympic National Park elopement adventure, these two really wanted to explore the northernmost tip of Washington State: Cape Flattery. We picked out a trail and helped them both get ready in their fancier elopement outfits. Jen wore a beautiful lace dress with an epic train from Grace Loves Lace. She explained her first look vision and we helped her create it on the trail! Jen really wanted Jared to see the back of her dress first (with the low back and stunning train), so she wanted to face the ocean while Jared came up behind her.

We went out on the rocks afterwards and took some portraits before a storm rolled in. The moody weather made for some epic pictures! But it also threw a small wrench in our evening plans. After portraits, we were going to set up a small tablescape and celebrate their day with champagne, charcuterie, and cake. But a storm came off the coast and it started to rain on us. So, instead, they went back to their Airbnb and celebrated without us. This is just a reminder that as awesome as it is to have us document everything, sometimes plans change, and it’s okay to do yuor own thing. We told them to take a video, though, while they cut the cake (just so they had it for their own memories)!

All in all, it was an incredibly magical day and we will never forget these amazing humans!