MEDITATIONS FOR YOUR INTIMATE ADVENTURE WEDDING

(AND THE REST OF YOUR LIVES, TOO)

on Being Present

In the whirlwind of life, it's easy to get caught up in the details, the what-if's, the should-be's. But what if we took a moment to simply BE? What if we chose to celebrate and commemorate love in a mindful way, fully immersed in the present moment?⁠

Eloping in the great outdoors is about way more than the stunning landscapes and the dope photographs you end up with. It goes far beyond the gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, the chase of light and epic grandeur.

It’s about cherishing the journey as much as the destination. It's about noticing and savoring every little detail – the crisp mountain air, the sound of wind through trees, the sun on your eyelids, the warmth of your love's subtle touch. Feeling the earth beneath your feet, the wind in your hair, and the love in your heart.⁠ The sensation of peace.

It's about experiencing these sensations, old and new, and letting them nourish you.⁠

It's about the day you get married, for sure, but it's about more than that, too. It's about the commitment you're entering into, and the future you'll share together. Starting it off with intention. Paying attention.⁠

Choosing to be fully present with your partner, your surroundings, and your emotions, and being in tune with all of it.⁠ Making space for space.

Embracing the unpredictable elements of nature and finding beauty in imperfection. Seeing it as an analogy for our own humanity, our own marriage. Learning from the world around us. Letting it guide us.⁠

On an elopement day that's crafted with mindfulness in mind, you get to savor all these tiny details and lessons – and carry them with you the rest of your days.⁠

Intimacy over Extravagance, or, Less is More

By shedding the big-wedding weights of expectation, tradition, obligation, all those extraneous distractions and frills, you reveal more and more focus on things like: Connection. Honesty. Intimacy.⁠

Space and time to share your vows, in a heartfelt and intimate way that you just can't do at a big wedding in front of a hundred-plus people.⁠

Slowness to enjoy and savor the moment. By planning less, you give quality to each moment. Maybe instead of visiting three or four locations on your adventurous wedding day, you slow down and visit only one or two, but really spend some good quality time in each.⁠

Uniqueness and memorability. Maybe you visit somewhere you've never been, or try something you've never done, for the sake of experiencing something new together and sharing in a totally new experience. Newness enhances experience. We never forget the first time we did something.⁠

Screw tradition. Screw expectation. Figure out what's most important to you, and do that.⁠

Your elopement is an opportunity to create a day that reflects your love, values, and individuality. It's about crafting an experience that's authentic and extraordinary, a telling of your love story. Whatever that means to you.

Take those into your marriage with you, as you go.

ON intentioN: carving out intentionality

The best thing about eloping is that you can truly make your wedding day your own, and bring intention to every detail, big or small.

Even if you’re eloping in a place you’ve never been before, or trying something new that you’ve never done, there are ways to make your elopement day personalized to you.

Ways to create an elopement day with intention:

If you’re inviting anyone along, ensure these people are invited with intention—not out of obligation or expectation.
Personalize your ceremony and vows. Consider writing your own vows out by hand. Personalize your ceremony with a ritual, a reading, or an activity.
Incorporate meaningful rituals from your day to day life. Maybe you two drink tea every morning together, or enjoy taking a bubble bath together. Maybe you keep a scrapbook together of all your best adventures, or take the same selfie in different locations. Carve out time for these rituals on your wedding day too!
Do activities you love to do: Love to hike and sight-see? Awesome. Love to be lazy and watch old movies? Don’t bother doing stuff you don’t absolutely love, just because other folks do it.
Wear what you want. You don’t have to wear the traditional wedding garb if that isn’t your thing. You don’t have to wear a dress or a suit. You don’t have to wear white. You don’t have to dress overly formally.
Dine with intention: Pick food that you love, even if that’s takeout pizza or tacos. Maybe you two cook together, or assemble your own charcuterie board. Treat your mealtime as a ritual that demands your complete attention and intention, and eat mindfully!
Incorporate meaningful and important details. Maybe it’s a coffee mug or teacup you just can’t NOT drink from. Maybe it’s a picnic blanket that brings back special memories. Maybe it’s a piece of heirloom jewelry, or a guitar pick, or some other prized possession. If it’s important and you’re able, bring it with you!
Make something together: If you’re crafty, you could consider making or crafting something together for your wedding day, like a ceremony arch, a DIY floral bouquet, or even forge your own wedding rings like this class in Seattle can teach you to do!
Spend money only on things that are important to you. Don’t care about linens or place settings? Don’t bother. Go minimal, or consider hiring someone like us who takes care of all that for you.

On intention: Setting (FUTURE) intentions

Setting intentions is an act of purposeful creation. Picture your intentions as seeds planted in the fertile soil of this day, nurturing the growth of your shared journey.

Even on a day full to the brim with adventure, make sure to find some stillness. Find a quiet, calming place and sit with each other, hand in hand. Consider bringing a journal to write and reflect on your intentions together.

This might take the form of your handwritten vows, but in earnest there are also intentions that should be shared. Make promises to one another that you agree upon as a couple. Find commonality in your goals, dreams, and intentions.

What do you wish to cultivate within yourself and your partner? What have you built that you are proud of, and how could you do better in the years to come? What feelings, promises, and energies do you desire to infuse into this special occasion? What does it mean to be married? How will you hold each other accountable, and hold yourselves accountable? Where do you align, and where do you differ? How can you reconcile these differences?

The most important thing you can do after setting intentions… is meeting them. Seeing them on a regular basis, and reminding yourselves. Carry them with you as you go. Envision them like roots, grounding you two as one. Allow them to guide your actions and decisions through your years together.

Be like the willow

Raindrops fall. Clouds come in and obstruct the view. Wind blows. Temperatures cool and expand. These things will occur no matter what kind of celebration and jubilee us earthlings have planned.⁠

This all to say: it might rain on your wedding day. (Or, like my elopement this past week, it might rain. And snow. And hail.)

This is okay.⁠

What do we do? We make do.⁠

My dad gave me some really amazing advice recently (on my elopement day), he told me: "Be like the willow."⁠

Bend. We have this amazing ability to be flexible, yet sometimes we forget that we can. We get stuck in positions and forget to stretch. We lock up and harden and forget we can soften.⁠

Things rarely go the way we anticipate. Sometimes, things end up even better. Sometimes, we encounter hardships that test us and challenge our strength, and sometimes, we grow from it. Sometimes, we learn things about ourselves that surprise us. Sometimes, we gain inspiration from ourselves. Lessons from our surroundings.

On a day that symbolizes and encapsulates so much of what your love is and means to each of you, your wedding day, listen to the earth. Be like the willow.⁠

Ultimately it is up to us to decide what to make of the world around us. What shall we make of it?

Forest bathing

Shinrin-yoku, or "forest bathing", is a term that emerged in Japan in the 1980s as a way to take in the forest atmosphere for its healing and grounding properties.⁠

It seems simple, and it is, but it has many physiological and psychological benefits.⁠

It's been linked to lower blood pressure and heart rate, reduced inflammation, better sleep, decreased anxiety and cortisol levels. Breathing in the forest air means breathing in its volatile essential oils, phytoncides, which have antimicrobial properties that help fight disease, even helping fend off cancer.

The act of practicing mindfulness in this way can drastically improve your physical and mental health, especially if you do so regularly.⁠

How to forest bathe:⁠

Find a spot. Look for some trees, and go to them. When it comes to your elopement, plan for some time among the trees, whether it’s a dedicated visit to the rainforests of the Olympic peninsula, or experiencing them along the trails as you walk through the mountains of the North Cascades or around Tahoma (Mount Rainier).

Outside of your elopement day, know that this can be anywhere—we are fortunate enough to find nature and greenery even in our biggest and densest cities. If you have trouble accessing totally forested places like wilderness areas or national parks, know that that’s alright. A quiet corner of a city park, a botanical garden, an arboretum, a backyard—all of these will do. Anywhere that's green, and ideally silent from human-made sounds.⁠

Next, take some deep breaths. Begin to feel your heart rate slow. Hold your lover’s hands. Close your eyes. Breathe. Open them again.

Engage your senses. Not just sight, but the others too: what do you smell? Hear? Taste? Feel? Use your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hands, and feet. Focus on these sensations and feel yourself begin to calm.⁠

Stay a while. Maybe take a slow walk, maybe sit at the base of a tree for a bit. It's recommended to stay for at least twenty minutes if you have the time, to let the healing effects do their magic. Stay longer if you can.⁠

If you get bored of just sitting, do something else. Write a poem. Do some yoga. Draw some plants. Eat some snacks. Bring your boo and tell them all the things you love about them. Have a wedding ceremony.⁠ Profess your undying love. Set new intentions, make resolutions.

Anyone can do this. You don't need to hike or exert yourself—all you need to do is go be, amongst some trees. Your body, mind, and soul will thank you.⁠

It's something I love to encourage of my couples who elope in the great outdoors—being able to actively listen and open your senses can help not just in one's own individual health, but in your relationship too. It's a moment of grounding and listening, and a beautiful and highly intentional way to begin your marriage. Plan some forest bathing into your adventure elopement!

Your first wedding gift

In a world brimming with distractions, expectations, and obligations, an adventure elopement offers what I like to think of as your first wedding gift: the profound gift of presence.

When you choose to celebrate your love in the great outdoors, you embark on a journey of mindfulness and connection.⁠ It's about feeling the earth beneath your feet, the heartbeat of your partner, the weather of the season. It's about the shared breath of anticipation, the silent promise of forever.

Not necessarily knowing what the future will hold, but trusting. There are problems to solve and troubles that await you down the road, but here, on this day, there is a chance to let it all go, to celebrate, to be thankful. To be in love. In moments like this, nothing else matters but the love you share and the world that surrounds you, shelters and nourishes you.⁠ Love, and trust.

Embrace mindfulness in your elopement, and in every day after, for in stillness, you'll find peace. In the ordinary, you'll see magic.⁠

As your first wedding gift, give yourselves the gift—the present—of presence.⁠ It’s something you can carry with you all your days.

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!

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