Welcome to my tour of Washington! These are all my favorite places that have STUNNING views and perfect for engagement sessions, elopements, or maybe just somewhere new to explore. I can’t wait to go on an adventure with you!
BEST ENGAGEMENT SESSION LOCATIONS
These are some of my most popular engagement session locations in Washington. All of these locations don’t require any permits, hiking, or too much planning. They’re beautiful locations and can be chosen at any point of the year! If you wan’t more of an adventurous feel, you are definitely welcome to choose a location that’s under the elopement locations list.
North Bend
The location I take couples to in North Bend has an incredible view of the mountains. It’s about a 30 minute drive from Seattle and is super accessible. The trail can be a little muddy but it’s a short walk. If you like a boho feel with lots of wide open space and grass fields, but also want the perfect mountain views, this location is perfect for you.
Discovery Park is great because there are SO many options to choose from because the park is HUGE. There’s a lighthouse, beach, and tall grass fields. Discovery Park is in Seattle, so no far drive for locals.
Downtown Seattle
If you want a super urban feel, this is the spot I would choose! Parking garage rooftop sessions are some of my favorite ones. You can incorporate lots of different elements, your jeep, a picnic, eating some ice cream, whatever you want to do. We can start at a rooftop and get all the great city-scape views, then head over to pike’s place for the most “Seattle” pictures you can get!
Ferry
If you’re a Grey’s Anatomy lover like me, maybe a ferry boat is the place you’ll want to do your engagement session! Imagine this, we’re riding into Seattle right as the sun is dropping right behind the city. You + your boo, a flowy dress in the middle of summer on the deck on the ferry. The wind is catching the dress, you go in for a little kiss, the water and the Seattle Ferris Wheel is behind you. BOOM. MAGIC. We can talk further about which ferry we might want to take depending on the day.
Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood features 340 varied acres of flat and rolling terrain. Trails lace the forest and fields around it, and it’s complete with a little lake encircled by a paved path that offers bird watching, historical sites and views of Mount Rainier and the Olympic mountains. Fort Steilacoom is about one hour from Seattle.
This is a hidden gem in Kitsap County. If you love the olympics, but don’t want to go out that far, this beach offers seriously the most magical views of the mountains. Plus, you get a really diverse gallery of images with it’s deep forest leading into the beach. Scenic Beach is about 2 hours from Seattle and requires a parking pass.
I know you’re probably thinking, a golf course, really? Trust me on this one. You drive down the hill and it feels like you’re transported to a whole other place. The course feels so natural and the rolling hills aspect is by far my favorite part of this place. There’s also a really fun bridge that people put locks on, and access to the beach down below for even more places for pictures. Chamber’s Bay is about one hour from Seattle.
Studio/In Home
Maybe adventure isn’t really your thing, maybe you guys are just stay home and chill people. I feel ya, I have an unhealthy addiction to Netflix and love my couch and time spent in the kitchen. Let’s hang at your house! If you don’t feel confident in your home, or your going for a different vibe, we can check out some studios in your area to rent. I have a few that I love, but PeerSpace is great to look for studios.
I will only suggest this location during the spring when the wildflowers are in season. The lupine fields are FULL of super gorgeous flowers and there’s tons of people getting their photo taken. Van Lierop is about 40 minutes from Seattle.
Fort Worden is about 2 hours from northwest of Seattle up towards the Canadian border. It’s one of my favorite beaches to take clients to because the sunsets are crazy beautiful and there’s a variety of spots to take photos. There’s a beach, some cool structures, open fields, a lighthouse, and SO much space to wander around. Fort Worden does require a parking pass.
BEST ELOPEMENT LOCATIONS
By far my top favorite location for elopements + engagement sessions. The views are endless and extremely diverse. You can get wildflowers, the mountain, hillsides, rocky streams, lakes, and waterfalls. It’s absolute heaven on earth for sure. Depending on the location, you may be doing a lot of hiking, or just a little. You will need a permit to get married at Mount Rainier, HERE is where you can find out more about that process. There are a couple of cons to Mount Rainier… It gets really snowy and stays that way most of the year. I really would only recommend visiting the park between July-September, even then some spots may be closed because of the snow. If eloping here, I would recommend going on a weekday because the mountain can get pretty crowded. Check out my full Mount Rainier Wedding Guide coming SOON. Mount Rainier is about 2 hours from Seattle, depending on where in the park you’re going to.
Gold Creek Pond is a GREAT option if you’re looking for a jaw-dropping view of mountains and a big pond with minimal hiking. One of my favorite things about Gold Creek Pond is that there are multiple areas to take great pictures. The pond is the main view, but there’s also tons of other spots to explore. I would typically only recommend this location from May – October as it can get very snowy outside of that. If you are looking for a winter hiking elopement option, this is the spot for you! You can watch an elopement I filmed HERE. The park is roughly an hour from Seattle. Great option if you want to bring pets too! You do not need a permit to get married at Gold Creek Pond, but you will need a parking pass.
Hurricane Ridge – Olympic National Park
Hurricane Ridge is definitely a location that’s on the top of my favorite places list. It’s located in Olympic National Park and is a 3 hour drive from Seattle. You will likely only want to plan your elopement here between July-October if you don’t want to deal with crazy amounts of snow and unpredictable weather. In the winter, the park is only open on weekends. During the summer, Hurricane Ridge is super accessible! There isn’t much hiking to do, we can wander around the park and find a good view spot to stop and do your ceremony at. Hurricane Ridge requires a permit to get married there.
This location is an unknown gem. Not a lot of people know about it which is great because then you can have more privacy! Once you get there, you’ll drive over this hill and coming down the side of it feels like you’ve stepped into a different world. It’s got Iceland vibes for days! You’ll park down by the rocky beach, and then head up the side of this cliff that overlooks the ocean. It’s a very small hike but there quite a few steep stairs to start out with. Ebey’s Landing is on an island so you’ll have to take a ferry over there. The location is roughly 2 hours from Seattle and is accessible anytime of the year. You do need a Discovery Pass when parking at the beach.
Deception Pass is known for one popular hiking spot where you can see a giant bridge that spans across Whidbey Island and Fidalgo Island. The sunsets are incredible and you get views upon views everywhere. You can hike as much or as little as you would like. You can even camp if you want to! It’s one of the most popular spots in Washington and for sure worth the trip to see it! Deception Pass is 1.5 hours from Seattle, requires a parking pass, and a permit to get married there. Deception Pass is a great option for anytime of the year.
Lake Crescent – Olympic National Park
Lake Crescent is located in the Olympic National Park and is 3 hours away from Seattle. This lake is MASSIVE and has epic 360 views of the mountains all around. You will not be disappointed coming out here. If you want to camp or swim on your wedding day, this is for sure the spot for you! You will need a special use permit to get married at Lake Crescent.
Ruby Beach – Olympic National Park
Ruby beach is located in the Olympic National Park and is 3.5 hours from Seattle. If you’re looking for a beach with really cool rock structures, this one is for you! Plus, if you want to do multiple locations for your wedding, the Hoh Rainforest is about 45 minutes away from the beach. You will need a special use permit to get married at Ruby Beach.
La Push Beach – Olympic National Park
Where are my Twilight fans at!? Forks has multiple beaches for you to visit, but this one is frequented because of Twilight lovers. If you really want to play even more into the Twilight feel (or even just a super moody PNW vibe) there’s a venue just down the road from La Push called Fern Acres and it is one of the coolest venues around! You will need a special use permit to get married at La Push Beach.
Franklin Falls is an epic waterfall one hear east of Seattle near the Snoqualmie Pass. The coolest part of this waterfall is that you can hike right down to the bottom of it! Once you reach the end of the hike, you’ll be standing at the base of the waterfall. Trails can get crowded so I recommend we only use this location in the mornings, and only during the summertime as it gets icy in the winter. It’s about 2 miles round trip.
Rattlesnake Lake is a super cute lake in North Bend, WA about .5 hours from Seattle. It’s most popular for “Rattlesnake ledge” where you can hike to the top of a mountain that looks out over the lake. The hike is about 5 miles round trip and the end view is INSANE. If you don’t want to hike, the lake is just a few feet away from the parking lot! Since it’s a state park, you have to have less than 30 people in your party. You will also need a Discover Pass to park.
North Cascades National Park is one of Washington’s greatest treasures, alongside Mount Rainier. This location is surrounded by mountain peeks and over 300 glaciers. If you’re looking for a place to hike, swim, boat, camp, see wilderness, this place has it all!! I would only recommend getting married here throughout the months of July-October. Months outside of that can be full of snow, trails may be closed, and weather is unpredictable. You will need a permit to get married at North Cascades.
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