Magical Waterfall + Beach Elopement in Olympic National Park

One of the very first steps of planning an elopement is choosing the location in which you want to get married. This stage is very exciting and fun but can also be overwhelming. Especially here in the Pacific Northwest, there’s just so many incredible options. You can elope in a dreamy forest, or on a magnificent mountaintop, or on a moody beach at sunset, or against the backdrop of a cascading waterfall…you get the picture.

But what if I told you there’s a place where you can experience ALL of those things within one region? Heck, if you’re willing to wake up early and do a little extra driving, you can experience all of this in one DAY. Where is this magical location?

The Perfect Elopement Location: Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park is truly one of my favorite places in the entire world (and I’ve done my fair share of traveling, so that’s saying something!). It’s also inarguably a gorgeous place to serve as backdrop to as momentous an occasion as you starting your marriage with your favorite person(s). Not only does it have an incredible diversity of scenery in a small, drivable area, it also:

• Has accessible and beautiful areas all year round (yes, even in winter!)
• Has options for quieter trails (which are just as beautiful as the most popular ones), if you want to get away from crowds
• Has a pretty easy to navigate permitting system

So, it’s no surprise that Laura (she/her) + Jill (she/her) chose ONP as their perfect PNW elopement venue. For them, it not only served as a beautiful location, but it held a more significant meaning. See, ONP was the very first place they roadtripped together. And Ruby Beach, specifically, was a non-negotiable for their elopement day. However, they knew they also wanted to explore more of the park and see some sites they hadn’t had a chance to during their first visit. They requested big trees, greenery, and waterfalls. And ONP delivered.

Some other important aspects to their day:

• Quiet getting ready moments together
• Connecting with nature throughout the day
• Bringing the ashes of their late pup, Georgie, to have her present with them
• DELICIOUS private chef-catered meal with a view
• Sunset vows
• Beautiful blue hour time spent exploring Ruby Beach
• And overall, a non-rushed experience where they could hike, take in the scenery, sit and relax, and just *be* together

There are so many lovely stories from this day, but instead of writing them all out, I’ll instead let you “live” the day through the images. And, as always to kick us off, here’s a high level version of the timeline for a day like this to give you an idea of what a full-day elopement experience in Olympic National Park can look like:

Example Timeline for a 10 1/2 Hour Olympic National Park Elopement

10:00 AM – 11:15 AM: Getting ready (detail photos, last touches, getting dressed, etc)

11:30 AM – 12:45 PM: Travel from resort to waterfall trailhead (1.25 hour drive)

1:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Hike to two different waterfalls (~2.5 miles total with portraits along the way)

3:45 PM – 5:15 PM: Travel from waterfall trailhead to Ruby Beach (1.5 hour drive)

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Dinner service at the beach

6:45 PM – 7:15 PM: Explore beach to find ceremony spot; then ceremony

7:30 PM – 8:30 PM: Couple’s sunset/blue hour portraits; first dance to end night

8:30 PM: You did it! You’re married!

Wonderful vendors for this Olympic National Park Elopement:

• Photographer – Nadia of Venture Ever After (that’s me!)
• Hair + Makeup – Anne Timss
• Florist – Centerpiece Floral Design
• Private Chef – Janay Newton of Supreme Eatery
• Suits for both L + J – Kirrin Finch
• Rings for both L + J – Holden
• Boots for both L + J – Danner