Early Summer Mount Rainier Hiking Elopement

Ashford Washington Cabin Elopement Getting Ready

The perfect getting ready space? A cute cabin. That’s what these two did for their early summer Mount Rainier hiking elopement! They got ready at this white 2 bedroom Mount Rainier Getaway in Ashford, Washington. After we took some details photos, I went upstairs to take a few bridal boudoir photos for Tasha. She had the perfect bridal set, and it was just a beautiful way to start the day. Then, she came downstairs and Dennis helped her get dressed in her wedding attire. She helped him get his suit on and tie adjusted as well.

We love capturing intimate getting ready moments. While a lot of people don’t find it necessary, we think it’s vital for telling the entire story of your elopement. Getting ready is all about setting the scene for the rest of your day. It’s a lot of little details, feelings, and intimate moments. Some couples choose to get ready alone or with family/friends (which is also awesome), but it’s just as special to get ready together.

Charcuterie + Letters From Family!

After getting ready together, these two were served the most delicious charcuterie board from Dakota Eats. It had a variety of stinky cheeses, meat, crackers, and fruit. Charcuterie is honestly one of the BEST additions to any small wedding or elopement! It’s a great way to set aside time to eat on your elopement day, while also having a picturesque display!

Tasha and Dennis had snagged a bottle of wine to open while enjoying the food as well. They cracked it open, sat down, and opened up a special album. Before their elopement, they sent out a postcard to family and friends asking people to write words of love, advice, and support. One of Tasha’s friends put all of the postcards together in a custom album. Tasha and Dennis hadn’t seen any of the letters beforehand, so they got to read them all together on their elopement day. It was such a beautiful way to incorporate family and friends without having to invite guests to their intimate elopement.

Longmire Portraits

When planning a Mount Rainier hiking elopement, it’s important to not that there are two main parts of the park to explore: Paradise and Sunrise. If you head into the park from the Nisqually Entrance with the intention of driving to Paradise, you’ll pass through Longmire. Longmire became the park headquarters when Mount Rainier National Park was created back in 1899. Now the building is home to a museum that talks about the history of the park! While Longmire isn’t usually a stopping point for people, we’ve found a lot of fun trails and places to explore that are worth the stop.

One of our favorite stops for portraits and views of Mount Rainier is this iconic wooden bridge. It’s often active with vehicle and foot traffic, but when there’s an opening, it’s an awesome place for photos. We’ve photographed here a lot, but one of our favorite sessions at this bridge is from a winter engagement session a couple years ago!

Not only is the bridge a great place to adventure, but we recommend checking out the National Park Inn or the Trail of the Shadows Loop, which takes you to a meadow with views of Rainier and some old-growth trees.

Hiking Panorama Point

After stopping at Longmire for some portraits, we ventured on to the Paradise parking lot. Once we arrived, we realized that all of us forgot to pack our micro-spikes! These two decided on Panorama Point for their Mount Rainier hiking elopement. In June, Mount Rainier is still covered in snow, and it definitely would’ve been a more comfortable hike with micro-spikes, but we managed. Don’t forget the proper gear if you’re planning on doing this trail with snow!

Panorama Point Snowshoe

• 5 miles roundtrip

• 1,300 feet of elevation gain

• From the top of Panorama Point, you can see Mounts Adam, Hood, and St. Helens, along with the jagged Tatoosh Range.
• Snowshoes are needed during the winter, but micro-spikes and poles can be used in the spring and early summer before the snow melts.
• While the hike generally takes around 4 hours, we recommend budgeting a bit more time for breaks and photo opportunities.

We loved this hike for a Mount Rainier elopement! It was the perfect length, and we had incredible views. Mrytle Falls was unfortunately closed due to restoration of the viewpoint, so we weren’t able to make a pit-stop here. But on our way, the snowmelt made a beautiful waterfall that we got to enjoy! Mount Rainier was feeling a little shy, so even though these two initially wanted a ceremony with her as the background, we found an awesome spot with clear views of Mount Adams and the rugged black peaks of the Tatoosh Range that we choose. We stopped for an evening ceremony where these two said personal vows and signed a Post-It note marriage license! Anyone seen Grey’s Anatomy??

Blue Hour Mount Rainier Elopement

Once we reached the top, the sun was setting, and we stopped to soak it all in. We were all pooped from the strenous hike in the snow, so it was nice to take a break. It was even nicer to watch Rainier peak out from the clouds! We took some blue hour portraits before running down the mountain before dark! On our way back down the trail, we saw two mountain goats that were munching on the side of the hill. It was an awesome surprise!

Full Hiking Mount Rainier Elopement Gallery

Make sure to watch the full highlight film from this incredible all day Mount Rainier elopement! And then keep scrolling to see the gallery.