Alison & Mark’s Artist Point Elopement and Galbraith Mountain Bike Wedding Session

Alison and Mark wanted their wedding to reflect everything they love most: their friends and family, the North Cascades, their pup, and Bellingham’s local singletrack. 

To fit it all in, we decided to split their celebration across two days. The first day would include a trailside ceremony at Artist Point with family. The second would be a mountain biking elopement session on Galbraith with just the three of us.

Artist Point Elopement Surrounded by Family 

We kicked off Alison and Mark’s wedding day with a small gathering of family at their home in Bellingham. Their parents, siblings, and grandparents had all flown in from around the country, and the house was buzzing with that morning-of-the-wedding energy when I arrived. Alison and Mark were running around the house to corral everyone, while also trying hard to avoiding seeing each other in their wedding-day attire—they were excited to do a traditional first look in the backyard with family looking on.

After the first look, we piled into cars and drove up the Mount Baker Highway to Artist Point. I had previously scouted Artist Point in the summer for Katherine and Adam’s Artist Point couples session, so I knew about several spots we could go to that would be accessible for Alison’s grandparents and still offer stunning views of Shuksan and the rest of the North Cascades.

We stopped just a short way up the trail, already away from most of the crowds, and set up for the ceremony around a small tarn with a rocky pedestal for Alison and Mark to stand on. Surrounded by their family and with Mt. Shuksan right behind them, Alison and Mark exchanged vows in a short, beautiful ceremony.

After tying the knot and celebrating with a champagne toast, Alison and Mark and their pup—who was decked out in a doggie tuxedo to celebrate his parents’ big day—hiked further up the trail to Huntoon Point while their family headed back to Bellingham. We had set aside some time to take photos of the new couple in the mountains, and spent an hour posing, laughing, and taking in the views before it was time for us to head back to town as well.

Mountain Bike Elopement Photos on Galbraith

A few weeks after their wedding day, I re-connected with Alison and Mark for a mountain bike elopement photoshoot on Galbraith Mountain.

Alison had taken her wedding dress to a tailor to have the pantsuit legs cut high so she could comfortably pedal, while Mark rocked his wedding suit. They were both riding e-bikes, while I was on my hardtail — so I had to push hard to keep up with them on the climbs!

Unfortunately, Mark’s front tire flatted right as we started to ride. He had been dealing with a recurring tire issue, and he knew as soon as it happened that we wouldn’t be able to fix it in the field. We talked about rescheduling, but Mark had a tire insert and was confident he could make it work. So we decided to go for it.

We pedaled up the main road to Unemployment Line, a classic Galby flow trail that riders travel from all over Washington for. The trail kicks off with a steep wooden bridge roll, which Alison and Mark had been practicing just to ride for the photoshoot. Alison sent the wooden roll in her wedding dress while Mark rode the trail underneath it. The result was a set of wild, unique photos of the two of them mountain biking together. Afternoon sunlight in the forest made for tricky lighting, but we nailed the shot and we were all stoked on the result.

After the U-Line roll, our original plan had been to head to Double Vision so Alison and Mark could hit a massive over/under gap jump they’d also been practicing. Mark was riding so well that I nearly forgot about his flat tire, but he wisely suggested that sending a huge jump wasn’t in the cards until that got fixed.

Instead, we traversed the mountain over to 187, a connector trail that’s nestled in the woods under massive trees and surrounded by lush ferns. It’s one of my personal favorite spots on Galbraith since it really brings the PNW vibe. From there, we dropped into Stinky Dual-uxe, a dual slalom track packed with high berms and small jumps. Alison and Mark were able to ride side-by-side and race each other down the mountain in their wedding outfits.

We finished the session with a cruise down SST, one of Galbraith's most popular downhill trails and one that Alison and Mark were intimately familiar with - their house is nearly at the bottom of the trail. Halfway down we reached a clearcut that offered spectacular views of sunset over Bellingham and the bay, which made for a great way to wrap up the day!

Looking to plan your own mountain bike wedding or need a Washington elopement photographer to tell your love story? Get in touch and let’s start planning your next big adventure.