A Dreamlike Elopement Day at Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier gave us one of the most surreal, grounding, and dreamlike elopement days I’ve ever been a part of. Jasmine and Taylor planned a full sunrise-to-sunset adventure elopement that moved through nearly every ecosystem the park has to offer—fog rolling across meadows at Paradise, bursts of golden light as the clouds shifted, soft mossy forest floors, and wildflower fields at their absolute peak. They shared a slow morning picnic in the mist, read vows among the trees, took time to reset in their cozy cabin, and ended the day hand-in-hand with friends and family at Tipsoo Lake for a barefoot, circle-style ceremony complete with singing bowls and handfasting. The whole day felt ethereal, earthly, rooted in place.

I’ve included Jasmine’s journal entries below—she shared this set of posts over on her Instagram. I’ll let her tell the story.

Jasmine and Taylor are both incredibly creative humans, and it was so fun photographing and creating with people who bring such intention, presence, and artistry into everything they do. They share a lot of their adventures (and art, and music) on Instagram if you want to give them each a follow (@lavenderlunatic + @leopoldiam).

If you’re dreaming of a queer elopement at Mount Rainier that blends hiking, meaningful ceremony space, wildflower season, and the kind of moody light this mountain is known for, this is the perfect blueprint.

Trip Report

Timeframe — early August (peak time for wildflower blooms)
Location — Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
Weather — ~50-65, overcast, moments of fog + pops of sun
Attire — Jasmine’s dress from Selkie; Taylor thrifted attire
Jewelry — Buddha Blossom Jewels, Merchants of the Sun (plus handmade floral earrings made by Jasmine)
Hair & makeup — DIY by the couple
Flowers — DIY, sourced from Pike Place Market in Seattle
Floral preservation — Jasmine herself! (@flor.alchemy)
Photography, planning, & officiating — Wilderpines Elopements

Part 1: Vows in the Morning Mountain Mist

We didn’t intend to pull an all nighter before the wedding day, but somewhere between the travel, preparation, excitement and last minute vow revisions we found ourselves climbing into bed about an hour or so before we had to rise again for our sunrise hike. A hike we’ve done before except this time in a wedding dress.

We left the cabin while it was still dark and fog claimed the land entirely. Rolling in and out like clouds, it carried us through a dreamscape as the day arrived. The sky competed with itself for our attention. A hazy arrangement of purple and pink teasing us with moments of clarity. A break in the clouds that surrounded us. We took every chance we could get to stop and admire it all.

Eventually, we stopped for a small trail-side picnic — fitting, of course, because what milestone of ours isn’t celebrated with one?
Not long after, we decided to exchange our vows in the clearing of an alpine meadow — just the two of us — before sharing them again later that day during the ceremony. My heart was racing as Braxton discreetly clipped a microphone near my chest, unintentionally catching the rhythm of my heartbeat.

Taylor and I played a quick round of rock-paper-scissors to decide who’d go first. I was the lucky loser. I took a deep breath, exhaled shakily, and looked up to see them smiling at me. I reminded myself to slow down — to pause, to meet their eyes, to let every word land.
Both of ours were filled with tears as I finished with their hand in mine and we held each other for some moments.

“Ok your turn” I playfully interrupted and once they finished and wiped away our tears with kisses, we began our descent down the mountain. Talking, laughing, sharing stories, knowledge, jokes, pee breaks— soaking in a wonder-filled morning with each other and the team.

As we reached the trailhead, a deer crossed our path, weaving gracefully through the wildflowers. We all fell silent, holding our breath for a moment of pure magic. It couldn’t have been a more fitting way to end that hike.

By the time we made it back to the cars, the sun was already climbing high—another night blending seamlessly into day, just like the night we met. The team parted ways to rest, hearts growing full, before the story of our wedding day continued to unfold.

Part 2: Rest at the Cabin, Waterfall Explorations

The day unfolded on a blissful breeze, each moment flowing into the next with the gentlest ease. After our sunrise hike, I found myself redoing my hair and makeup for the second time, settling back into the quiet warmth of the cabin. Gentle folk music drifted through the space just as my mom, Taylor’s dad, and the rest of the team arrived—perfect timing as we wrapped up getting ready for the second and third chapters of the day.

Mom helped me arrange our bouquet with the flowers we gathered from the market. Dahlias upon dahlias in soft coral pinks and whites. Delphinium, blush stock flowers, chamomile and ferns we handpicked from the forest that held us so tenderly during our time there. My jewelry was simple: two white orchids preserved into earrings I made right before our flight, and my uncle’s charm bracelet— an intimate moment I wanted to dedicate to the man who raised me, something I always knew I wanted to carry with me on this day. My mom fastened it around my wrist, the same tiny one he made it for when I was a little girl. Just as I always intended, he was there holding my hand through it all.

Taylor helped zip up my dress—now marked with the earth from the miles we’d wandered that morning, a detail that somehow made me love it even more. There were so many little intentions woven into this day, so many secret notes of meaning, but I’ll save the rest for paper.

My mom and T’s dad stayed behind to join the rest of the group preparing for the ceremony. The trail to the waterfall was softer, gentler—like the forest knew to take it easy on us. Taylor and I ran through it hand in hand, laughter spilling as freely as the waterfall we were chasing. It took me by surprise—gloriously majestic, alive and roaring. The mist curled around us, brushing our skin, and we joined in its dance.

I lifted the hem of my dress to balance across a log, and Taylor followed. My little granola heart could’ve burst at the sight of my hiking boots under a wedding dress—quite literally the truest and most epic expression of myself. The whole hike felt light and playful, full of banter, laughter, and connection with everyone who was present.

Part 3: The Ceremony — Ritual & Release

We arrived at Mt. Rainier at the peak of wild flower season. What had been a barren ground was now bursting with life. The earth herself had dressed for the occasion— a wedding gift from the land.

We were encased in a love so abundant it seemed to lift us above ourselves. My heart overflowed with gratitude for all who stood beside us. It truly takes a village and we had been so careful, so intentional in choosing ours. To see them there, to feel their love woven into this moment— it was everything.

The image will never leave me: a procession of everyone, dressed to match the earth, filing down the narrow trail surrounded by a million flowers. Nature truly was our florist— the best one at that.

We all took our shoes off for the ceremony to ground ourselves into the land that held us as the sun started to lower in the sky. We began in a circle, hand in hand, taylor and I in the center of it as we were invited into stillness. Breathing together, as one. We asked the land for its blessing calling in the quarters of each direction. A singing bowl rang out echoing against the pines before we shifted into a crescent moon formation. Every detail of this moment imprinted itself into me— the crisp air as the sun lowered, birdsong carried on the wind, the pines standing sentinel around us, wildflowers glowing in the last light of the day.

I thought I would cry through the entire ceremony, but my joy was too expansive for tears, what I felt was beyond weeping. It was pure boundless bliss. To be there barefoot and surrounded by some of my most cherished souls, at the foot of this transition joining my life to Taylor’s— it wasn’t just magical, it was alchemical.

We shared our vows once again, exchanged our I do’s and invited our loved ones to warm our rings with their intention. They each held onto them for a moment before passing them back to us to place onto each other.

Before concluding, we bound our hands together with macrame braid @wilderpines.co hand crafted us for this day and tied the knot
“Jasmine and Taylor— in the name of the flowers and the fields, the stars in the sky, and the streams that flow down into the sea, and the mystery that breathes wonder into all these things, I now pronounce you married”

And in that instant, it felt as though the whole world exhaled with us. After pulling my lips away from Taylor’s, we all released a great wild howl— our voices echoing into the mountains as we drifted into our first dance held in the glow of twilight. T and I took this opportunity to pause and take it all in as we softly swayed in each other’s arms. I wanted to live in this moment forever, yet knowing I couldn’t only made me more devoted to savoring every fleeting second.

We turned toward the meadow, layered with mountains as the sky grew darker. Our tendency of being interrupted by the transition between night and day and day into night remains unchanged. Except unlike that the night we met—5 years ago from this very day— we walked home together, sharing a new last name.

Want to Elope at Mt. Rainier?

A few important things to know:

Book your photographer early — Especially in peak season. Even if you’re flexible on dates or locations, I help couples navigate trail conditions, permits, and the best timing for alpine light. Local knowledge matters on a mountain as moody as Rainier.
Choose a weekday — Sunrise elopements + weekdays are the secret to privacy. Weekends get crowded, and trailhead parking becomes its own boss fight—especially during peak season (July through October).
Permits & Passes — Rainier requires a special use permit for ceremonies inside the park (typically Tue–Thu only, with strict restrictions on group size and decor). You’ll also need a national park pass and, in summer, possibly a timed-entry reservation.
Seasonal access — Many high-elevation trails don’t melt out until late July. Wildflower season hits late July–mid Aug. Fall color is best mid–late September. For snowshoe elopements, winter and early spring are magical but require extra planning for weather and road closures.
Leave No Trace — Rainier is fragile alpine terrain. Stay on durable surfaces, avoid confetti or petals, pack out everything, and skip the drone—NPS rules.

Ready to plan your Mt. Rainier elopement? Get in touch and let’s begin!