Maddy and Tori's elopement in the mountains was something from a dream. They chose Earthlight Villa as the backdrop for their adventure, an enchanting Airbnb tiny house overlooking Lake Chelan, where they found a quite solace amidst a world blanketed in snow.

The morning was intentionally unhurried, as they luxuriated in a steamy bath with rose petals, allowing themselves to savor the serenity of the moment and each other. As they prepared for their special day, they helped each other get ready then stepped outside for a ceremony in the snow.

Venturing out into the snow-covered landscape, they marveled at the winter wonderland that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a surreal experience, where they felt like they were the only two souls in a world of serene white. Surrounded by the grandeur of nature, they exchanged their vows with only each other as witnesses—wondering what kind of large cat made the tracks we saw in the snow.

Afterwards we continued our explorations down the road and found ourselves in a world made entirely of snow, as far as the eye could see. The white sky horizon nearly indistinguishable from the snowy earth ocean. It was freezing, lifeless, and more than a little surreal. “Where are we?” we asked, on multiple occasions. Just a few hours from Seattle or Portland. It felt like another planet.

Dinner was simple but divine—meals we’d picked up from an Italian restaurant the night before, so as to make this elopement day totally seamless—no errands, no trips to town. No distractions. We reheated their meals in the Airbnb’s oven and they dined and drank and shared cookies, watched the sunset through the cabin’s floor-to-ceiling windows, then ended the night in the hot tub below the stars and the cool night sky.

Maddy and Tori's elopement was all in all a celebration of the present moment. Their decision to focus solely on each other, without the distractions of a large wedding, allowed them to fully immerse themselves in the now. It was luxurious, it was elegant, and yet it was extraordinarily simple, stripped down only to the things that matter most. As all weddings should be.

Words from the couple:

Q: Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day?

A: We didn’t have a specific theme, other than wanting it to be mainly black and white. We added a little bit of color here and there in the flowers and other decorations, but we kept it pretty simple. We did not have any religious or culture traditions in our day.

Q: Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY?

A: We eloped in the mountains, the ceremony and most of the day was outdoors in an absolutely stunning landscape. This made it super easy not to have to decorate. We had small accents throughout the day, all of which we put together ourselves.

Q: What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding?

A: The only flowers we had in the wedding were for a bridal bouquet, which were actually fake and purchased in a bulk set that we then made into a bouquet ourselves! We did pretty simple pale pink flowers and didn’t want anything over the top. We thought about real flowers, but logistically for where we were at and what our plan was we didn’t want to have to worry about getting them ahead of time!

Q: Did you personalize the day in any way? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding?

A: Maddy and I eloped in the mountains with no one else around! The only people there were Ashton and Tess with Wilderpines! This was very “us”, as we are the type of people that would try to host our own wedding if we had guests. We wanted the day to be about us and not worry about how anyone else was feeling. We absolutely loved being able to change the timeline and what we were doing all day and just take our time being in the moment for the ceremony and everything after it!

Q: Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail.

A: We knew we wanted a black and white wedding from the beginning. Originally the idea was that Maddy would wear a black wedding dress. Unfortunately, they are few and far between and the options mostly look like prom dresses. Maddy ended up falling in love with a white dress at a&bé bridal in Portland. I created a custom all black outfit at Indochino in Tigard.

Q: How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal.

A: Maddy and I met on Tinder. We actually started planning our elopement before I proposed. Originally, Maddy was not going to see the rings until the day we got married. We thought it would be fun and something different than most people do. When I created and purchased the rings from Malka Diamonds I knew there was no way I could wait months to show Maddy. I planned a proposal with some friends at a beautiful waterfront restaurant a few weeks later!

Q: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

A: Reading our vows to each other! We both wrote our own vows and were really excited to tell each other whatever we wanted in them since no one else was listening!

Q: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?

A: It was 1000% worth it to not have a big wedding. We never had to worry about accommodating anyone else, which took a huge stress off of us throughout the planning!

Shoutout to the vendors who helped bring their vision to life!

Lodging: Earthlight Villa - book on Airbnb
Attire: a&bé Portland & Indochino
Jewelry: Malka Diamonds
Hair & makeup: Anne Timss
Flowers: DIY with faux florals
Dessert: Wenatchee Cookie Co.
Planning, photography, & officiating: Wilderpines Elopements

NSFW WARNING: The following gallery contains boudoir portraits—no explicit nudity, but extremely steamy and revealing.

THINKING OF ELOPING IN WASHINGTON?

Washington state, in my opinion, is hands down one of the best places in the world for an adventure elopement. Whether you want snow-capped mountains, mossy rainforests, gorgeous coastlines, meadows blooming with colorful wildflowers or desert canyons—the Evergreen state has got it all. If you want to elope in Washington, these are a few things to know and take into consideration beforehand, and how to get started planning!

HOW TO START PLANNING YOUR WASHINGTON ELOPEMENT

STEP 1: DO SOME RESEARCH

Hey look at that, you’re already ahead of the game! The first step in planning an elopement is to do research, and that usually starts with locations. And if you know you want to elope in Washington, you’re already ahead of the game!

Once you have a general idea of what you want, you can start to get ideas for all the rest of what your elopement may entail: travel, hiking trails, elopement-day activities, ceremony ideas, and so on. It’s also a great chance to brainstorm and explore!

STEP 2: CONNECT WITH A PLANNER & PHOTOGRAPHER WHO KNOWS THE AREA, AND PICK A DATE

I recommend hiring your photographer early on in the planning process because a great photographer is so much more than a camera person—they’re also a wealth of knowledge!

You want someone who knows the area (psst, that’s us!) and who can help you find the perfect location and give you valuable insight into the area, and help you with all the logistics like travel, timelines, marriage law, and permits, provide recommendations for other vendors and activities—plus tips for what else to do and see on your elopement trip!

A few tips on finding a photographer and picking a date:

I recommend looking for someone local to the area you want to elope, since they’ll know the ins and outs of that specific region.
Look for someone who specializes in adventure elopements (like us). There is so much more logistically involved with an adventure elopement than a big wedding or a photoshoot, and you’ll want someone with the right expertise and knowledge, plus the proper gear and outdoors experience to be as prepared and safe as possible.
Even if you don't have an exact date, having a season or time of year in mind is helpful when you start looking for your photographer—but if you’re still unsure, we’re happy to help steer you in the right direction and find what’s best for you.
PICKING A DATE: Weekends can be overwhelmingly crowded pretty much anywhere you go in the region, especially in the busy season (April through October), so I highly recommend picking a weekday for your elopement. You’ll end up with less crowds and a far more intimate experience.
TIP FROM A PRO: If you have a specific photographer in mind that you’re dreaming of working with, I recommend coming to them with a flexible date range for a better chance of securing a booking with them!

Our packages are pretty darn-near all-inclusive and come with planning services, officiating services, gear and decoration rentals, even videography and custom elopement announcement design. We also offer 35mm and 8mm film!

STEP 3: NARROW DOWN THE DETAILS

After you’ve got a date, a location, and a photographer, you can start to book the rest of your vendors and get into the nitty gritty details. Make sure you’ve got an officiant lined up (psst, we’re ordained and include officiant services with all our packages!), hire your other vendors, research marriage laws and apply for your marriage license, apply for your permit (if applicable), book your travel and accommodations, get together a packing list, and craft your timeline so your elopement day can go off without a hitch.

We can also help you navigate the ins and outs of elopement logistics and provide you with personalized recommendations for vendors and more so you don’t have to feel overwhelmed with all the planning.

A few logistical notes:

FINDING AN OFFICIANT: You will need a licensed officiant for your elopement adventure. Great news: we’re all ordained, and we offer complimentary officiant services with all of our elopement packages!

MARRIAGE LAW: Once you apply for your marriage license (which you can do online), there is a 3 day waiting period before you can go have your ceremony. When it comes time for your ceremony, you will also need two witnesses to sign your marriage license. If you to learn more about finding witnesses and navigating marriage law for your elopement, read our blog post about that here!

PERMITS: Depending on where in Washington you want to elope, you will most likely need a permit. National parks in Washington require permits even for small elopements, as do some of the national forests, depending on the logistics and size of your elopement. Contact the office in charge of your location to find out what if any permits are necessary, and what the steps are to apply for your permit—or, better yet, get in touch and we’ll help you sort out the permit information and all the other logistics, too.

STEP 4: PACK YOUR BAG, GET OUT THERE, AND HAVE THE BEST ELOPEMENT DAY EVER!

HEY THERE, WE’RE

WILDERPINES ELOPEMENTS

Creating wildly intentional & intimate adventure elopements for rad couples in the PNW

We’re here to inspire you and help you create a unique, intentional, unforgettable wedding experience that reflects who you are, then to capture it all so you can relive those moments forever.

If you’re looking for more information on how to elope in the Pacific Northwest or beyond, get in touch and let’s start planning your dream elopement!

PHOTO · VIDEO · PLANNING · OFFICIATING · & MORE
DAMN-NEAR ALL-INCLUSIVE ELOPEMENT PACKAGES IN WASHINGTON STATE