A Rainy January Elopement at Olympic National Park
Driving into Olympic National Park at sunrise in January feels like the rest of the world simply does not exist yet. The mist is sitting in the trees, the light is barely there, and before I even made it to the meeting spot a herd of elk blocked the road and made it very clear who this park actually belongs to. I sat with my car in park and watched them move through, unhurried and completely unbothered, and honestly could not think of a better way to start a wedding day.
Devyin and Val were waiting at Lake Crescent when I arrived, right on time and ready for whatever the day had in store. In January, Lake Crescent is something else entirely. The color of the water, that impossible deep blue green, looks even more dramatic against a gray winter sky. We spent some time at the lake before pulling on our rain gear and heading up the trail toward Marymere Falls.
The hike to Marymere Falls is short but it earns its reward. In January, in the rain, with snow coming down through the old growth canopy, it felt like walking through something ancient and completely alive. Devyin and Val had envisioned getting married in front of a waterfall, and I want them to know that vision was fully realized and then some. When we reached the falls they shared their private vows. Just the two of them and the sound of the water. It was one of those moments where my job is simply to stay quiet and pay attention.
Walking back down to the lake, a small group of their closest friends was waiting. I had the honor of officiating, and we gathered at the edge of Lake Crescent while Devyin and Val said their vows out loud, to each other and to the people who love them most. The vows were so thoroughly soaked through by that point that reading them required a certain amount of determination, which felt very on brand for a January elopement in the Pacific Northwest. Nobody minded. Everyone was crying anyway.
After the ceremony the group packed up and headed to Port Townsend to share a meal and celebrate the rest of the day together. Port Townsend in January, full of good food and the particular warmth that comes after standing in the rain for something that mattered, sounds just about perfect to me.
Devyin and Val, thank you for letting me into your day. The elk, the falls, the soaking wet vows, and the small circle of people you chose to be there. It was exactly what it was supposed to be.
Elopement photographed at Olympic National Park, Lake Crescent and Marymere Falls, Washington. Pacific Northwest elopement and wedding photography by Leah Flores of Rare Day Photo, based in Portland Oregon and available for elopements worldwide.
