Mt. Rainier Elopement with Wildflowers

“We wanted to have a simple, stress-free wedding. Jeff is terrified of people looking at him. We didn’t want to spend months planning every detail of an event that isn’t fun or doesn’t represent us. We didn’t want to resent the processes.” – Katie & Jeff

After deciding that a courthouse ceremony wasn’t quite what they wanted, Katie and Jeff reached out to me wanting something more intentional on the shoulder of Mt. Rainier. The Washington Cascades are important to these two. They got engaged at Mt. Baker (Katie asked), and both of them have a deep love of snowboarding (we were briefly debating on a summer snowboarding elopement at Mt. Hood instead!). The only thing missing from this day was some fresh powder. Though I think K&J will agree that endless fields of technicolor wildflowers is an okay substitute.

Scroll down to read more about their adventure elopement in Mt. Rainier on a nearly perfect August afternoon…

My Approach & Starting Pricing

sam@samstarns.com @samstarns

Ceremony in Sunrise

Katie and Jeff opted out of getting ready photos on their 8 hours of coverage, so we met with their small guest list in the Sunrise part of the park. Both embraced getting changed in pop-up tents in the parking lot as the unconventional start to their day!

Despite it being a Sunday in August, we were able to find a moment of peace without the crowds as the couple said their vows as Tahoma watched on in the background. Jeff has serious anxiety about being photographed, so finding that solitude was crucial.

To infuse a little magic and them-ness to the day, Katie and Jeff brought a standee of their beloved cat Magpie. While the officiant may have been the one to sign the license, I suspect Magpie was the one who was truly presiding over this ceremony.

Afterward, as their family went to set up their charming and wildflower-inspired picnic, K&J had a private dance to the accompaniment of Christie Beckor, a professional violinist. We caught some final views of Mt. Rainier before the clouds hugged it too close, and were even greeted by a melanistic red fox.

Picnic

Katie’s mom had packed and prepared a beautifully curated picnic spread, complete with two cakes Katie had purchased. Yes, they had the stylistic genius to purchase matching velociraptors as cake toppers.

A Moody Lakeside Sunset Among Wildflowers

After their Mt. Rainier picnic, we headed just outside the park to a nearby wildflower meadow for their private vows. Their vow books were full of the most beautiful memories and promises to one another— Katie’s being thoughtful, loyal, and generous and Jeff’s sweet and smart.

Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for technicolor fields of wildflowers and Katie’s mod tea-length dress with sleeve cape!
Be sure to stay on trail—all of these images are on established trails with the perspective merely obscuring it.