Mount Rainier National Park engagement photos, Seattle Washington
Mount Rainier National Park engagement photos, Seattle Washington
Meet the couple of this Mount Rainier engagement session:
These two.. oh man, what can I say?! Would you believe these two are parents?? No? Me either, because they seriously do not look a day over 25 and are the MOST FUN loving, inspiring people you will ever meet. With a mutual love for dogs, traveling, and excitement about pretty much all things food, we spent the day exploring Mt. Rainier... well the afternoon hehe. We may or may not have forgotten to look at gas, and may or may not have almost ran out of gas. But if you ask me, it was well worth it in order to get these photos. We literally had to coast all the way out of the park, praying to find a gas station in the middle of these mountain cabin towns. So pro tip: always check for gas before you enter into a national park! These two kept me on my toes laughing, constantly, Devin kept making fun of Haley and her ‘poses’ for selfies while she took in all of the gorgeous scenery. Their energy bounced off of one another, and they just kept getting goofier and happier as the time went by. We felt like forever friends, but we had only met earlier that day. This is my favorite thing about my couple, they always end up being my friends, like good friends. I still talk to these two to this day!
How to plan your engagement photos in Mount Rainier:
Mount Rainier is one of the most unique and gorgeous locations in all of Washington, which is why it is PERFECT for your engagement session! Whether you want a field of wildflowers, or luscious ferns covering the grounds, or deep woods, or mountain views, you can find everything you want and more within Mount Rainier National Park. Mount Rainier does experience high levels of snow during the winter, leaving some of the park not accessible, so that is something to keep in mind when planning your elopement or engagement session! So here are a few things we can talk about in this blog to make your planning easier for you and all in one place, whether it is for your engagement session or your elopement.
places to stay
places for photos
what to pack
how to prepare
So let’s go ahead and dive on in!!
Best places to stay for your Mount Rainier Elopement
These are just a few of my favorite airbnbs around the area! You can find a list of my favorite Washington state airbnbs here on this blog post! You can also read more about locations to elope in Washington here! Mount Rainier is roughly 2 hours from Seattle, so while it is an easy day trip, I promise you are going to want more than 1 day in this national park. So that is why I recommend staying somewhere closer to the park, so that you are doing less driving! Another few options are to rent a camper van and camp out in the van, you can see more of the park this way, you can rent a camp site and stay in your van all while enjoying the comfort of a somewhat real van, but also waking up to the sunrise of Mount Rainier. If you are a little more adventurous you can reserve camp spots, and actually camp out under the gorgeous Washington stars.
Ready to elope in Seattle Washington but still need help on where to begin?
Mount Rainier photography guide: how to pick your location.
Mount Rainier National Park is full of all you could imagine and more! Which is why it may be a little overwhelming when trying to decide where to actually do your photos! So lets talk about a few options you could choose from for your photos and how to decide which one is best for you! You can choose from wild flower fields, fern filled forests, fields under Mount Rainier, or skyline mountain views, right, but like how do you choose?!
If you love wild flowers, and have a desire to just frolic in the fields, this is the spot for you! There are a few things to note about these fields, there are MANY all throughout the park, and so many options to choose from, I have a quite a few favorites one I would love to share with you!! Find out more here! But this location is a little more careful and less ‘care free’ than other locations as the wild flowers are fragile and a part of the every day life cycle in these areas! In most of the photos in this blog I had to photoshop grass and florals in order to make it look like they were in a ‘field’ because really they were on a path and it was muddy and gross due to recent rain! These fields have to be preserved, and the park rangers will even ticket you for trampling the flowers, so make sure to stay on path and find a photographer who is aware of this and able to get you those amazing shots without risking the wildlife around you!
If you love those deep greens, tall trees, and gorgeous romantic twilight vibes then in the forest is literally perfect for you! The tall ferns and bright green moss, with the huge trees and vines crawling up them, makes for the most romantic setting for your photos! Most the time you can also find huge tree stumps to stand on, that make you really realize how huge those trees around you are! The forest can get dark earlier than other areas in the park, so making sure to have enough time in your schedule to get good light in the forest is super important!
The fields along the base of Mount Rainier and the mountain skylines are two options for EPIC mountain views. With Mount Rainier being the biggest, there are also a wide range of mountains along the side that make for epic skylines in the background of your photos! So if you have always dreamed of those mountain photos of you and your love, and photos with the sun flaring over the mountain tops, then these spots are perfect for you!
What to pack for your Mount Rainier elopement:
Like I mentioned earlier, Mount Rainier is roughly 2 hours from Seattle, and once you get closer to the park resources are more and more limited. Gas and food becomes more distant between, and a little more expensive as well. So in order to make sure you have the best experience ever, what you pack can completely determine this! A lot of people do not think to pack simple things, but when traveling to a National Park, you are going to be limited on cell service, and all of your basic things you can get normally within 20 minutes so it is super important to have them with you! So here is a quick list I have put together of must haves when packing for your Washington State elopement!
rain jacket/umbrella
extra water bottles
granola and protein bars
more snacks
wireless cell phone charger
extra socks and shoes
sunglasses
flashlights/ bear spray
hiking poles/proper hiking boots
Advil/bandaids/bug spray/Benadryl in case of emergencies
plastic bag to put all trash in
toilet paper in case of bathroom emergency
wet wipes
extra gas, make sure tank is full before entering park
offline downloaded map in case of lost or loss of service
National Park Pass (or cash for entrance fees)
Your trip is going to be what you make it to be, and a lot of that experience can be from how prepared you are or not prepared! You would much rather be over prepared than under prepared when planning for your engagement photos or your wedding/elopement! This also goes with how to prepare for your Mount Rainier elopement or engagement photos! When doing photos in a national park you NEVER go what is going to come your way, or what will surprise you! It may be bad weather, road closures, overload of tourists, or more, so being prepared and being flexible is HUGE when planning your session!
