MEET THE Crew
Seattle-based adventure elopement photographers & PLANNERS
Hello there!
We are Ashton, Tess, and Dale, a mostly-queer trio of creators, artists, photographers, planners, and event coordinators!
Ashton and Tess plan and photograph adventure elopements all over Washington state, while Dale runs our studio, helps plan our events, and helps with the big-picture ideas and dreams of our business.
In our free time, we love exploring the city, getting out on the water, and going on spontaneous adventures around the Pacific Northwest!
Ashton
HE/HIM
SPECIALTIES: PHOTOGRAPHY, FILM, OFFICIATING, PLANNING, CHARCUTERIE, WRITING
When I introduce myself, I usually call myself a photographer, but I think a better term is creator. I thrive in multimedia, with passions for design and décor, event planning, writing and poetry, music and audio, video and visual arts.
My journey as a photographer began waaay back in middle school (in the dark room!) learning from my mom and helping her around our family photo studio. After college, I started this here biz and began photographing weddings—the big, traditional kind. But I quickly grew tired of the stress and paegentry involved… and since finding my way into the adventurous and intimate world of elopements, I have not looked back!
When I’m not behind the camera, you might find me writing, reading, road tripping, camping, skiing, paddling, exploring fire lookouts, or spending time with my husband Dale, whether a spontaneous wild adventure or a cozy night at home dreaming up our next big idea. I’m a hopeless romantic, introspective, introverted, queer, unabashedly heartfelt and sappy, viewing the world through lenses of poetry and pleasure in an effort to seek out the beautiful things in life—so that I may share these beautiful things with others. With you!
TESS
SHE/HER
SPECIALTIES: PHOTO+VIDEO, OFFICIATING, PLANNING, DÉCOR & STYLING, PAINTBALL, PETTING DOGS
I started shooting weddings when I was 16 years old, and I’ve shot everything from 300-person Catholic ceremonies to 5-day Indian weddings and everything in between. But my absolute favorites are the couples who choose each other and choose adventure over everything else—couples who value their experience together over things like décor, outfits, or least importantly, what their families or friends want.
That and—I eloped myself! In May 2022, I woke up next to my love in a little cottage in Northern Ireland. We wrote our vows next to a field of sheep, and read them in front of an ancient castle on the Atlantic cliffside. We shared a luxurious picnic, ran through fields of wildflowers, and danced with locals at an Irish pub. It was the most incredible wild adventure we’ve ever been on and by far my favorite day ever! So I can personally attest to how empowering and unique an experience it can be, and think there’s simply no better way to get married.
When I’m not photographing, you might find me out on the paintball fields, repping Canada’s first all-female pro paintball team (go Northern Lights!) or out adventuring with my husband and our two rescue pups, exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest any chance we can get.
DALE
HE/THEY
SPECIALTIES: VIDEO EDITING, ELOPEMENT & TRAVEL PLANNING, MARKETING, OFFICIATING, VOW WRITING, GIFT WRAPPING, SKEE-BALL
I mostly work with Wilderpines behind the scenes with our marketing, travel planning, gear rentals, studio development, video editing, ceremony writing, and helping couples find just the right words for their love.
My approach to elopements is ensuring the union of two lives in the way you want is at the forefront of the adventure. Even if you are unsure, feel like there are too many choices to make, or that there’s not enough time, just know that with enough discussions, good intentions, and having fun, we can make magic happen! Love learning new answers to life’s questions every day and love the opportunity to help others find them.
Outside of the elopement world, my passions in life are trains, typography, film, Seattle history, politics, public transit, poetry, gift wrapping, typewriters, French cooking, tiny houses, and Skee-Ball. Graduated from Seattle University in 2011, Go Redhawks! Love living in the Emerald City and believe it to be the greatest city in the world!
between the team
YEARS OF PHOTO+VIDEO
EXPERIENCE
30+
WEDDINGS & ELOPEMENTS
PHOTOGRAPHED
600+
CEREMONIES
OFFICIATED
50+
on inclusivity, queerness,
compassion, & love
As a majority-queer team of photographers, creators, lovers, and human beings, it’s incredibly important to all of us that our couples feel safe, welcomed, loved, and appreciated.
It brings us a lot of pride to be able to serve and create with diverse couples and marginalized minorities. I know firsthand what it’s like to be unsure—and we don’t want you to feel that way, especially on a day that’s meant to be one of pure celebration and exultation of joy and love.
In other words, we’re SO HERE FOR YOU.
We wholeheartedly believe we have the best job in the world, and we love the people we get to create and adventure with. There’s really nothin’ like it—it’s truly a kind of magic, and very much the reason we do what we do and LOVE doing it.
We also know we can deliver our best to you on your elopement day, because we’re proud to stand behind values that are meaningful and personal to us, and principles by which we try to live our entire lives.
Which leads us to…
WILDERPINES
BRAND VALUES
THE THINGS WE HOLD DEAR + OUR PROMISES TO YOU
Intentionality & experience
crafting & creating personalized experiences with intention and mindfulness
giving you space to be vulnerable and be your most authentic selves
valuing experience over all else
INCLUSION
celebrating love and humanity in all its wonderfully diverse forms
offering safe welcoming space and service to all, regardless of color, race, size, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, relationship style, religion, ability level, or otherwise
Transparency & Ease
offering transparency with our scheduling, pricing, booking, & planning processes
making things easy to understand and follow along at every step
SUSTAINABILITY
practicing outdoor stewardship & Leave No Trace
making eco-friendly choices to keep our carbon footprint low
giving back our time & money to organizations like The Nature Conservancy,
Washington Trails Association, and Stripe Climate
