Olympic National Park Elopement | From the Mountains to the Coast
After being engaged for a little over a year, Marissa + O’Neal reached out to us with the dream of eloping on the Olympic Peninsula. Though not big hikers, they wanted to explore and share a unique and beautiful adventure to make the day special and unforgettable. Olympic is the best place for a variety of adventures from the rainforests, mountains and beaches. They were looking to plan a stress free day, within this stunning landscape for a romantic day. We picked a few locations that would for sure be BEAUTIFUL, but we had no idea what Mother Nature would give us that day. Boy oh boy did she give them the best wedding day present you can have – incredible colors in the sky, wild flowers and sun.
Sunrise Ceremony on the Mountain
After an evening under the stars gazing up at the Milky Way, we all met to travel down a dirt road together in the early morning hours of the day. They day they had been dreaming of, sharing memories together in an intimate setting in nature getting married, was finally here. As we hiked in the dark, the weather was calm, but we knew rain was ahead in the forecast. Based on the hourly forecast we were hoping to miss the rain that morning and likely just get rained on some we hiked out. They made their way up the mountain, unsure of what all was around us.
As can happen in the mountains, weather can develop quickly and unexpectedly. As soon as we arrived to the peak of the trail the rain started to fall. Out on the mountain with only ourselves as far as you could see across all of the mountain range, the couple changed into their wedding attire and we headed for the other side of the ridge where it looked like an orange glow was appearing. Just as we topped out on the ridge the wind was calmer and the sunrise was one of the most incredible sights we had ever seen. Even though the rain was falling, it would not put a damper on their day. They embraced the weather, each other and the view.
After the colors in the sky had settled, we continued with their ceremony. They shared emotional vows, bonding forever their strong relationship filled with unforgettable memories, moving across the country and so much more. A few happy tears were shed along with the rain droplets that sat on their jackets. It was private and romantic. They completed their ceremony with a kiss and a big whoo-rah in celebration! You could feel the joy and excitement. We hiked back to the cars enjoy the views along the way that were now visible under the morning glow.
Once we arrived back to the cars, we chatted some over the day ahead. The morning was smooth and perfect, but with the weather we decided it would be best to re-group and then meet back up to continue our plans.
Celebrating in the Park
We met up with Marissa + O’Neal back at their Airbnb stay to sign their marriage license in dry weather, in the presence of their pup Ollie and good friend Kathy. They got re-ready enjoying time with their friend who was tagging along for the day. We played with Ollie giving him treats and taking photos with him in his cute little bow tie. We aren’t kidding when we say he is one of the must well behaved pups we’ve met! He said goodbye to her parents from the front porch wishing them a fun rest of their elopement day before headed out to explore the park.
While these two live in the Seattle area of Washington state, it was their first time to Olympic National Park together, so we wanted to be sure for their day they got to see and explore as much of it as they could. After a morning on the mountain, our next stop was a beautiful waterfall! Marissa wanted to get her dress dirty for sure on her elopement day, the stoke was high for the #adventurombre and we were for sure going to get it with the rain, waterfalls and forest trails. Her dress was complete with a little bit of sparkle and a little bit of the forest remnants on the train.
Following the waterfall we headed to the forest to have a picnic dinner with a fire. It was nice to sit down in nature and soak it all in. While Bill built the fire, we spent some time re-creating some of their favorite poses from their engagement session they had in the city. Marissa + O’Neal filled the forest with joyous laughter enjoying spending the day together, present in this space. They shared Thai food from Port Angeles, a canned Margarita and Sour Patch Kids for their wedding night meal. A toast to getting married, exploring a new place together and starting forever – their way.
Before the day came to an end we had one more stop – the coast! Since moving to Washington O’Neal had been super stoked to see the PNW coastline of the olympics. They both were excited to explore the beach. It was pure bliss – a moment of awe, excitement and play. I loved seeing their authentic reactions to the landscape and their true dynamic come out as they explored together. From massive fallen trees to climb on, rocks to explore and colorful landscapes to dance in. It was the perfect ending to a stunning, magical day. Throughout getting to know Marissa + O’Neal they both mentioned a lot within their relationship how much they enjoyed laughing together, their natural chemistry and how much they admire each other’s smiles. Without knowing this about them you could feel it on their wedding with how much laughter they shared together and smiled at each other in moments between the two of them. Before the sun dipped below the horizon they popped a bottle of champagne and went to sit on a log together. Ending the day just them two, fully taking a moment to themselves before the day ended to slow down and enjoy it.
Marissa + O’Neal shared a wedding day that was full of so much. It was full of different adventures, different views, weather, colorful sunrises + sets, but most importantly full of so much love, joy and warmth. It was a true kick start celebration to their marriage + honeymoon in Mexico. They now have a place they can always come back to on anniversaries to sit by a fire over dinner, to watch the sun set on the coast over a glass of champagne or watch sunrise in the mountains. A place of solitude to always remember their day, their love and life they are building together as husband and wife.
I wish I could give Traci and Bill more than 5 stars because it’s just not enough to capture what an amazing experience we had with them.
We found them by chance on IG, fell in love with their art, and reached out to see if they had availability for 2023. To our luck they did and right in our backyard of the Olympic Mountains. Everything from planning the elopement to the day of went seamlessly. Traci and Bill go above and beyond really getting to know you as a couple and really help planning the elopement day to what you want it to be. I loved how they stressed the importance of making it about you two and what you wanted to do.
Our elopement was the most imperfectly perfect day. We had weather against us, of all days it decided to rain in the PNW it had to be our elopement day but we made the absolute best of it and put all of our faith in Traci and Bill. They made us feel very comfortable and reminded us about the experience and to make it about the love that day. We surrendered to all the elements and had the most beautiful day. We really appreciated their flexibility in not forcing us to stand on cliffs we weren’t comfortable with, keeping our jackets on in the rain, and changing our schedule due to the rain. They made the day so fun and it honestly felt like we were running around Olympic National Park with our friends who happened to take photos of us. The sneak peeks were already beautiful but we were absolutely floored when we got the full album. I promise the photos you see are real and not photoshopped!
Traci and Bill will always have a special place in our hearts, Olympic National Park will always have a special place in our heart. They are truly so talented in what they do and the pictures really are works of art. If you are thinking of eloping with them, DO IT! You will not regret it!
Marissa
