Lake Crescent Elopement | Fall Inspo and Planning Tips
Fall Lake Crescent Elopement
This Lake Crescent elopement was SO DREAMY. Jillian and Jerynne reached out about a month before their elopement day. And while that’s a short amount of time to plan an incredible day, with the right team it all comes together easily.
For their Olympic National Park elopement, they wanted to be deep in a green forest, exchange vows next to a body of water, and a ceremony location that would be easy to access for their guests. The Lake Crescent side of Olympic was a clear winner.
Fall is a particularly gorgeous time for a Lake Crescent wedding, or really an Olympic National Park wedding in general.
The crowds are gone, the leaves are turning, and the vibes are giving all the moody ✨hoa hoa hoa✨ vibes.
Who should elope at Lake Crescent?
Before choosing any elopement location, you’ll want to take stock of what you want to prioritize in a location. Think views, surrounding areas to explore, outdoor adventures, vendors, lodging, proximity to areas with food options, etc.
Here’s what Lake Crescent has to offer:
Ease of accessibility: Lake Crescent is super accessible and perfect if you want a location that is easy to get to. There are also numerous trails that connect to the lake, ranging in length and difficulty.
Not far from Port Angeles: Port Angeles is super cute and has some incredible restaurants and vendors that can really enhance your day. Lake Crescent is about 30 minutes away, giving you the best of everything.
Old growth forests: Aside from the views of this pristine lake, you’ll also have old growth forest trails to wander through.
Water activities: You can rent a canoe and paddle around the Lake, swim, or even take a boat tour on Lake Crescent.
Bike trails: If you want to incorporate cycling into your day, there’s a trail along the Lake that would be perfect to explore on your day.
Waterfalls and Mountains: Along with old-growth forests, you’ll also be close to waterfalls and temperate rainforests. Hurricane ridge is also relatively close, giving you so many different landscapes to explore
Lodging options: There’s plenty of cute lodging in Port Angeles, around Lake Sutherland, and of course, Lake Crescent Lodge.
All of this appealed to Jillian and Jerynne. They wanted to be able to enjoy the fall foliage in the forest, gaze at the lake, and have plenty of yummy places to eat to choose from. They wanted a day of ease, chill adventure, and to be able to focus on each other. Lake Crescent DELIVERED.
Planning Their Lake Crescent Elopement
Planning Jerynne and Jillians Lake Crescent elopement came together crazy fast. On our first call, we already had a pretty good idea of locations that would check all of their boxes. The weather in the PNW in late October is notoriously moody and can change pretty quickly.
Not every location is ideal for moody weather, so we wanted to make sure that they knew exactly what to expect, and that we had backup plans in case the weather turned into a suffer-fest.
Steps to Plan Your Lake Crescent Elopement
Hire your Lake Crescent Elopement Photographer
Finding an adventure elopement photographer that is knowledgable about the area is a game changer, especially if you’re hoping to have some help with planning and logistics.
For all of our couples, we provide a ton of planning support in the form of resources, location guides, timeline curation, vendor/lodging/activity recommendations, guest guides, and so much more.
Not every Washington elopement photographer offers this much support, so if that’s something you’re hoping for, find a team that does!
Choose Your Locations
There are plenty of locations both along the shores of Lake Crescent and the surrounding trails. Lake Crescent is near some other really incredible locations that you could also explore! And if you want to drive a bit, moody beaches are nearby! Ruby Beach is particularly stunning in the fall and should absolutely be on your list!
Jerynne and Jill wanted to soak in the fall foliage, hug some big trees and gaze at the water. We started their day wandering through Sol Duc before meeting their guests at the lodge.
Decide on Activities + Details
Jillian and Jerynne wanted to include a tea ceremony into their day and omgomgomg it was the PERFECT way to end their elopement day before heading to a casual dinner with their guests.
We encourage couples to consider elements of their relationship that they can incorporate into their day. J+J LOVE sharing tea together and wanted to find a time to share a cup together. They also love watching squirrels, so we took plenty of chances to witness them scurrying through the forest.
Think about what feels special and unique to incorporate into your own Lake Crescent elopement to add an extra layer of connection and intention.
Curate Your Lake Crescent Elopement Timeline
Once their locations were decided, lodging was booked, and they had a solid head count for their guests, we started putting together some timeline options.
J+J wanted a day that had structure to it, but enough freedom and flow for a bit of whimsy, and to take advantage of great weather if mother nature decided to bless us. So, we put together multiple elopement timelines to make sure they had options for every scenario.
This is honestly one of my favorite parts of the planning process. You get to look at everything a couple wants to experience on their day, the logistics to make it feasible, the energy that steers the day, and put it all together like a jig-saw puzzle.
Their Ceremony at Lake Crescent
After strolling through the forest, we met their guests at the lodge and walk along the shore until they found the perfect spot for their elopement ceremony.
J+J had a dear friend lead their ceremony and it was PERFECT. They exchanged beautiful, personal vows that had everyone (us included) in tears.
After a sweet, post- ceremony celebration, we explored a nearby trail where some Douglas squirrels scurried through the forest bed. As the sun set, Jillian and Jerynne ended their day cozied up on the dock sharing tea in sweaters embroidered with portraits of their cats, Sitka and Roscoe.
This day was just so sweet. Jerynne and Jill wanted to really prioritize feeling connected to each other in their favorite landscapes, and also spend time celebrating with their family. We’d say that they definitely accomplished that. It is always such an honor to witness love like this, two folks who truly cherish each other coming together to begin a new chapter. How lucky we are to document such moments. J+J, we love you and are forever grateful that we got to document this day!
| “Sam and Kyle are THE elopement photography dream team. We called them about a month before the actual wedding day and they were always thorough, organized, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and sweet in our meetings. We chose to do a couple hikes in Olympic National Park and a ceremony by Lake Crescent. At first we had some apprehension with spending our wedding day with a stranger, but by the time of our elopement, Sam and Kyle were our collaborators, planners, hype team, and at times our confidants. Their direction allowed for a perfect mix of intimate and silly moments and drop dead gorgeous and epic shots. They truly captured the magic of the day and added to it with their own story and presence” – Jerynne |
| “Sam and Kyle worked so hard to help us plan our elopement as soon as we reached out to them (only 1.5 months before)! I was impressed with their organization and todo lists. We had several calls ahead of our elopement weekend to pick exact locations and iron out details, Sam even planned out different location scenarios for us for three different weather contingencies. They made our elopement day so easy, stress free, and fun. I felt completely in the moment and would not change a thing. They were prompt with the first look photos a week after (which were amazing!!!). We just got the final portfolio and we are so excited to pick out photos to hang and make a wedding album. They helped us look great and we got some really unique photos with them all while being able to concentrate on each other and our day.” – Jillian |
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