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Washington
Eight of these places are available as Easy Elopements with a set price and a published guest limit. Everything else on this page is built as a Signature Adventure.
Region one
Seattle gardens and city
The most accessible option, and the most underrated. Kubota Garden, the Woodland Park Rose Garden, the Volunteer Park Conservatory, Discovery Park, Washington Park Arboretum, the Ballard Locks, Gas Works and the waterfront. Paved paths, restrooms nearby, and a restaurant twenty minutes away for dinner.
- AccessPaved or level gravel; wheelchair-friendly routes at Kubota, the Rose Garden, the Conservatory and Discovery Park
- Best monthsApril to June for blossom, late September to October for colour, any month for the city
- Guests8 to 30 depending on the site’s permit
- PermitsSeattle Parks special-event permit; Tess files it
Region two
Mount Rainier
Paradise, Reflection Lakes, Tipsoo Lake, Sunrise, the Grove of the Patriarchs, and half a dozen meadows that most visitors drive straight past. Wildflowers in late July and early August, larches and low crowds in late September, and snow on the ground until June.
- AccessSeveral ceremony sites are within 200 feet of parking; the best ones are a half-mile to two miles
- Best monthsLate July to early October; the road to Sunrise opens around the Fourth of July
- GuestsPark permits cap most sites at 12; a few allow more
- PermitsNational Park Service special-use permit, applied for 30+ days ahead
Region three
Olympic Peninsula and coast
Ruby Beach, Second Beach, Rialto, Kalaloch, the Hoh rain forest, Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent and Sol Duc. Sea stacks, drift logs the size of cars, and moss so thick it swallows sound. Tides decide the timeline here more than the sun does.
- AccessRuby and Kalaloch are short walks; Second Beach is a 0.7-mile trail with roots and stairs
- Best monthsJune to September for dry days, November to February for drama
- GuestsUp to 12 on most beaches
- PermitsOlympic National Park wedding permit; tide tables checked before any date is confirmed
Region four
North Cascades and the passes
Diablo Lake, Washington Pass, Blue Lake, Maple Pass, Artist Point and the Mount Baker highlands. This is the most dramatic country in the state and the shortest season. Larch gold arrives for about ten days in late September and people plan whole years around it.
- AccessOverlooks are roadside; the alpine lakes are two to four miles of real trail
- Best monthsMid-July to early October; Highway 20 closes for winter
- GuestsTwo to eight; trails are narrow and permits are strict
- PermitsForest Service or National Park permit depending on the exact site
Region five
Snoqualmie Valley and the foothills
Snoqualmie Falls, Rattlesnake Ledge, Twin Falls, Franklin Falls, the valley farms and the mossy second-growth forest between them. Forty minutes from Seattle and it feels like three hours. This is where most of the forest photography on this site was made.
- AccessFalls overlooks are paved; forest sites are short flat walks
- Best monthsYear round; the mossiest months are October to April
- GuestsUp to 20 at several sites, more on private farmland
- PermitsVaries by parcel; some private sites need only the owner’s consent
Region six
Eastern Washington and the dark skies
The Palouse hills, the Columbia Gorge, Steptoe Butte, the shrub-steppe outside Vantage and the wheat country south of Spokane. Dry, warm, wide open and the only part of the state with reliably clear night skies — which is where the meteor shower and eclipse concepts in the Dream Book get built.
- AccessMostly roadside or short walks on farm tracks
- Best monthsJune for green hills, August for gold, August to November for dark skies
- GuestsTwo to 40 depending on the parcel
- PermitsUsually private-landowner permission, which Tess arranges
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