North Cascades Elopement Guide

We highly recommend finding a photographer first to make sure that he or she is available during the timeframe that you plan to elope in Washington. We recommend choosing a photographer that you feel relaxed and confident that you’ll be able to be your natural selves. Every photographer has a different approach to how they capture moments throughout the day, so we think that it’s a good idea to ask how the photographer will guide you throughout the entire experience.

Our photography style is documentary focused to create a safe space for you and your other half to share authentic moments on your wedding day. We create a balance of guiding you if we have a specific vision for a shot, and allowing you both to melt into a private moment or experience. Our goal is to make you feel as if you’re adventuring with good friends that happen to take epic photos as we explore together!

The best time to elope in North Cascades National Park is between mid-July and early October. Winter elopements are magical, but slushy snow isn’t that romantic or pretty. Planning an elopement during this time means you’ll miss out on some of the gross half-snow sludge in the spring. Depending on the year, most of the snow will have melted by mid-July. 

Wildflowers blossom in the mountains starting in August and last until early September, though the wildflower season depends on the amount of rain that year. If there has been above-average snowfall that year, expect a truly wild wildflower season with shades of blue, purple, and pink scattered across the meadows in the mountains.

If you don’t like the idea of eloping in the summer, consider getting married in the fall! The seasonal foliage in the North Cascade mountains is out of this world, and would be amazing for your wedding day. There are these larches which are deciduous conifers that change color in the fall when they shed their pine needles.

We will provide a detailed guide for you immediately after booking with us! The elopement guide will have our recommendations from years of visiting this incredible part of the country. We’ve worked with several other wedding vendors that we highly recommend, which helps speed up your research process and allows you to book whichever vendor that you connect with the most.

We do not recommend booking an all-in-one elopement package because it doesn’t allow you to have options. We’ll share recommendations for videographers, officiants, florists, hair + makeup artists, musicians, and specialty bakeries.

In Washington, you’ll need an ordained officiant to sign your marriage license. Your officiant doesn’t have to be traditional. You can pick an elopement-friendly officiant, or you can ask a family friend or family member if they’re ordained. You will need two witnesses, and we can help out signing if you are not bringing any guests to your ceremony!

You’ll need to decide whether you want to get legally married in Washington or your home state. Depending on the section of the park, your wedding permit will fall under different jurisdiction. 

If you plan to get legally married in Washington, you can file your paperwork in either Pierce County or King County for the most part. Here’s a fun fact about Washington marriage licenses: you can get your license from any county, and the license will be valid in any part of Washington. The only thing you need to do is return the license to the county by mail or in-person drop off. 

Regardless of where you want to file, Washington state has a three day waiting period for marriage licenses. Licenses cost $69 and the fee is nonrefundable. Once you receive your license, it will be valid for the next 60 days.

If you’re planning to elope in North Cascades National Park, we can help! You’ll need a special use permit for the park. Here’s what you need to know: 

• You’ll need to fill out a Special Park Uses application
• Pay the $50 non-refundable application fee online
• The National Park Service will send back a draft of your permit for your review. If it looks okay, you will have to sign it and send it back. 
• You’ll then receive your official permit to bring on your wedding day!

You can do this up to a year in advance! It takes officials around a month to process the paperwork, so don’t get too worried if the process takes a while.

There are two easy ways to get to North Cascades National Park, and the option you pick will likely depend on where you’re flying in from. 

The closest airport to North Cascades National Park is the Bellingham International Airport in Bellingham, Washington. It’s located north of Seattle, close to the Canadian border. From there, you’ll need to rent a car and drive about an hour and a half to the park.

If you’re coming from further away, consider flying into the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Seattle is south of the North Cascades National Park, but it’s a much larger airport, so you’ll probably be able to find an affordable flight. Plus, you can schedule in a few days to explore Seattle, too. From here, you’ll rent a car and drive three hours north to get to the park.