K+G traveled across the country from Texas to celebrate their wedding at Mt. Baker with family and friends. They were already familiar with some of Washington’s mountains and wild places, having visited Olympic National Park and gotten engaged at Mt. Rainier. However, they hadn’t yet visited Mt. Baker or Artist Point, making this area the perfect choice for their microwedding.

They chose a midweek day in July for their celebration. We recommend choosing a weekday for a Washington mountain elopement to help avoid the crowds that visit popular locations on weekends. There will usually still be other visitors around, but there are often fewer people, making it more likely that you’ll have a few quiet minutes to yourselves for photos or private vows.

K+G held their elopement ceremony at Picture Lake, a beautiful spot in the Mt. Baker area. There is a lovely ceremony location with stunning views of Mt. Shuksan in the background, accessible via a paved, ADA-accessible path. The ceremony area has a small bench for guests who need a place to sit, while other guests can stand in a semicircle on the paved area to witness the ceremony.

Picture Lake and the ceremony area are open to the public and cannot be reserved. However, I’ve found that most visitors are respectful of ceremonies and give couples space to celebrate their wedding.

After exchanging vows and signing their marriage license, the couple made their way to the Austin Pass Picnic Area, just a five-minute drive down the road. This area has several groups of picnic tables and is easily accessible from the parking lot. Like Picture Lake, it is open to the public and cannot be reserved, but we can usually find a table to set up at during the week.

Although this was a small wedding, the couple still wanted to personalize their celebration. They brought a national park sign, mug favors featuring their logo, and cork place cards. We also incorporated decor from my decor library, flowers from Humble Bouquet, and table settings borrowed from the NE Seattle Tool Library.

The celebratory meal was pizza from Chair 9 Woodstone in Glacier, Washington. In an attempt to keep the pizzas warm during transport, my assistant and I picked them up in chest coolers lined with towels for insulation. The pizza wasn't piping hot when guests arrived, but it wasn't cold either!

The meal included several types of pizza, salad, drinks, and cake from Saltadena Bakery in Bellingham. It was a fun way to celebrate together without the formality of a traditional wedding reception.

After cutting the cake and sharing heartfelt words from family, the couple headed to Bagley Lake to fly-fish. Later, they hiked to Artist Point to take in the mountain views and enjoy a beautiful sunset, with alpenglow illuminating Mt. Shuksan to close out the day.

This Mt. Baker microwedding was such a relaxed and special day for the couple and their guests. They were surrounded by nature, love, and the freedom to celebrate without stress.

Eco-friendly actions that the couple took:

One of the biggest ways to reduce a wedding's environmental footprint is to keep the guest count small. With an intimate celebration like this, there was less to coordinate and less waste to manage from the start. Because both the ceremony and meal took place outdoors, we followed Leave No Trace principles.

After the meal, my assistant and I did a thorough walk-through of the picnic area to make sure we hadn't left any trash or food behind. I also packed out all the recycling and compost from the celebration.

The area has a healthy population of Canada jays, sometimes called camp robbers. These clever birds are quick to steal food, so we made sure not to feed them or leave food behind.

Other eco-friendly choices included:

Borrowed and rented decor: All decor was borrowed or rented rather than purchased new.
Locally sourced flowers: The flowers came from a local florist with a backyard flower farm.
Reusable tableware: Plates, glassware, napkins, and utensils were borrowed or rented for reuse at future celebrations.
Sharing leftovers: Leftover pizza, drinks, and flowers went home with guests to enjoy at their cabins for the rest of the week.

“Thank you again for everything you did to make our wedding day so special. It was absolutely perfect, and we truly couldn’t have asked for a better experience. We’re so happy we chose to work with you and absolutely loved how everything turned out!” K+G