What was already going to be an incredible celebration of Melissa & Collin’s love turned into the most magical Mount Rainier wildflower elopement I’ve maybe ever witnessed. From the fields of still-vibrant late-season wildflowers to the damn show the mountains put on for us at sunset, M & C lucked out with pretty much the perfect day to elope at Mount Rainier. I hope your heart is just as full as mine is when I look back on these photos of their beautiful Myrtle Falls elopement ceremony, their dreamy sunset photos at Paradise, and the immense amount of love that was shared between them & their few guests. Enjoy!
📍Land Acknowledgement: Taken on the stolen ancestral land of the Puyallup peoples.
Melissa & Collin’s Dreamy Adventure Elopement at Mount Rainier
A peaceful morning at their Ashford Airbnb, the Tahoma Canyon Home
Melissa & Collin started off their adventure elopement day just as many couples do, spending the morning getting ready in a cozy Airbnb close to the mountains. They chose the most lovely Airbnb in Ashford called the Tahoma Canyon Home, a super beautiful house located just 3 miles from the national park, filled with homey decor that create the perfect atmosphere for a cozy cabin getaway for any couple. This spacious, custom-built, mountain home would be awesome for a post-elopement reception, with picnic tables for casual meals galore, 11 acres of land to explore, and, of course, beautiful views! Just imagine coming from your adventure in the mountains back to this warm, welcoming cabin in the woods to eat, drink, & celebrate with your closest loved ones.
P.S. Shoutout to Alex at Glam Beauty Bar for helping Melissa’s natural beauty absolutely shine through her minimal yet super elegant hair & makeup!
Their Myrtle Falls elopement ceremony in the warm summer sun
After a lovely first look, we made our way to Myrtle Falls for Melissa & Collin’s elopement ceremony, which they kept super intimate with just their parents and one grandparent. Myrtle Falls is a fantastic spot for an elopement ceremony at Mount Rainier due to how easy it is to access, located just ¼ mile from the Paradise parking lot with barely any elevation gain. They were able to wheel Grandma in her wheelchair up the paved path, and we lucked out with not too many other tourists around us!
Melissa & Collin exchanged their vows under the bright sun (a rarity for Mount Rainier in the fall) as a few of their closest loved ones watched, with Rainier shining ever so brightly in the backdrop. Not quite sure who was the bigger star of the show – M&C or the majestic peak standing out against the vibrant blue skies behind them!
If you’re looking for a wheelchair-accessible trail at Mount Rainier National Park for your ceremony, I can’t recommend Myrtle Falls enough. If you can, have your ceremony at Myrtle Falls on a weekday, or early in the morning, to do your best to avoid the other tourists who also want to visit this stunning, easily-accessible spot in the park.
Champagne toasts with their loved ones at Paradise Inn
We headed back down to the parking lot by Paradise Inn once they had wrapped up their ceremony, to celebrate with their guests. Collin actually used to work at Paradise Inn, and so did other folks in his family – how special is that! With cups of champagne in hand, Melissa, Collin, and their families toasted to their new marriage, and to the absolutely phenomenal day they were fortunate enough to get for their elopement day.
A sunset hike & the most magical wildflower elopement photos
To end this beautiful day, Melissa, Collin and I headed back up the trail for more of a hike and let me just say, we were NOT disappointed. When we planned their elopement for Mount Rainier in September, we weren’t expecting wildflowers to still be lingering from their typical August bloom. But thanks to a late snow melt, these beauties still traced the trails of Paradise, and we could not have been more smitten! Keep in mind that zero photos were taken on the meadows, despite how some of these may look – just a little camera angle fun. Be sure to stay on the trails in these sacred meadows to protect the vegetation that is so important to the ecosystem!
Not only were we gifted these vibrant fields of wildflowers, but we also got one of the most incredible sunsets I’ve ever seen. The views of Rainier/Tahoma were amazing, glistening under pink skies & a pink alpenglow you could only dream of – and the Tatoosh range put on a show for us, too. We took photos, ate snacks, and they even celebrated with this cool Dutch “bride’s tears” drink from when they lived in Amsterdam a few years back! (they’re supposed to be happy tears haha)
We truly could not have asked for a more magical end to the most incredible day – thankful I got to be there to witness it all with Melissa and Colllin!
For some more stunning Mount Rainier elopement inspiration, take a look at Carye & Kyle’s Gorgeous Sunrise Hiking Elopement!