Alexia and Sage first visited the North Cascades last summer—and after a week exploring Washington's mountains, they knew it was the place they wanted to be to get married.
Capturing Fall Colors at Ptarmigan Ridge on Mt. Baker
With their busy schedules, early October was the ideal window for their adventure elopement. Autumn in the North Cascades can be stunning thanks to the golden larches and vibrant red heather, but notoriously fickle weather can make it hard to plan ahead. Alexia and Sage were flying all the way from Florida, so we planned to be flexible and roll with whatever the weather gave us.
Just a week before they were set to fly out, the first big storm of the season landed and dropped a few inches of fresh snow at Artist Point. But as luck would have it, the storm was followed by an unusually long stretch of warm, sunny weather - so Alexia and Sage got incredible blue skies and summer-like conditions for their elopement
To take full advantage of the views, we settled on hiking out to Ptarmigan Ridge on Mt. Baker for their ceremony. As a North Cascades elopement photographer, I’ve shot several weddings there - most recently Cheyenne and Logan’s sunset Mt. Baker elopement. It’s easily one of my favorite spots to shoot: it’s just a short 15-minute hike from the Artist Point trailhead, there are rarely any crowds, and it offers sweeping views of both Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan.
An Intimate North Cascades Ceremony with Trailside Witnesses
We met up in the early afternoon and the October sun was blazing down much stronger than any of us anticipated, so we took our time meandering out along the trail. Throughout the hike, hikers and backpackers stopped to cheer, holler congratulations, and admire Alexia’s wedding dress, which added to the excitement around the day. We stopped first for some playful candid portraits near the base of Table Mountain, then hiked a little further to a panoramic spot with incredible views of Mt. Baker and the imposing Park Glacier.
I had the honor of not only capturing the day for Alexia and Sage as their elopement photographer, but also serving as their officiant for the ceremony. (I also helped them navigate the Washington marriage license process in the weeks leading up to their wedding.)
The one unknown heading into the day was who would serve as their witnesses, but I was confident that we’d find willing hikers who would be more than happy to help with the paperwork. Sure enough, one friendly hiker sat quietly nearby to watch the entire ceremony, while another group strolled up right as they said their “I dos” and excitedly volunteered to act as witnesses.
Golden Hour Portraits and Alpenglow on Mt. Shuksan
As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, the bright afternoon light transitioned to a softer golden glow and we took full advantage of a cloudless golden hour in the North Cascades. We spent the evening moving through a mix of poses—some from my playbook, some from a mood board Alexia had shared ahead of time, and a few spontaneous ideas we dreamed up right on the spot with Mt. Baker standing in the background.
Just as the sun fully dropped, we turned around to catch the grand finale: Mt. Shuksan lit up in a fiery shade of pink alpenglow. The newly married couple stood in awe and watched the last light fade across the North Cascades while I snapped a few final photos, then we headed back to the trailhead at Artist Point to wrap up a spectacular session.
Dreaming of your own Mt. Baker elopement? Whether you're thinking about an intimate ceremony at Ptarmigan Ridge or celebrating your love deep in the mountains, I’d love to help you bring your vision to life. Get in touch to start planning your North Cascades elopement today!
