Rainy Mountain Elopement at Packwood, WA Airbnb

July 9, 2021

Kristi & Kyle got the most Mount-Rainier weather possible: all-day rain. And more rain. What else could you expect from the PNW? But their mountain elopement at this cute Packwood, WA Airbnb was the most special day!

Their intimate elopement in the rain

October in the PNW – you cross your fingers that you’ll get a magically sunny day, but in the back of your head you know ya need to set real expectations. You’ve kinda gotta be prepared to go with the flow (rain – get it?) if you’re planning a PNW wedding anywhere from October through April. And that’s just what these two did.

It POURED for Kristi + Kyle’s October elopement day. And I mean it rained and rained and rained!

I monitored the Packwood & Mount Rainier weather super closely on the Weather Underground app while they got ready. And once they were ready & we saw a patch of no rain, we quickly hopped onto the porch of their Airbnb for them to say their vows! The rain was still holding off a little bit once the ceremony had wrapped up, so we walked down to the water for some portraits by the river.

Kristi + Kyle were SUCH dang troopers, they were my kinda people. The weather doesn’t stop for any of us, even if it’s your wedding day (or a Mount Rainier summit that you’ve been planning for for months – thanks, PNW weather for messing up those plans recently). So I always always make sure my couples know I’ll be by their sides with a backup plan + to truly just go with the flow.

A family-only celebration

Kristi + Kyle decided to only invite their immediate family, including their daughter of course. They kept it simple with just their most special family members who they wanted to be present on their big day. It’s always my favorite when couples realize they don’t have to invite anyone, or *everyone* in their lives – you can invite the humans that mean the most to you and will celebrate you every step of the way. That’s just what Kyle & Kristi did!

Details on details

Kyle and Kristi not only put together the most special celebration for their loved ones, but they also put so much thought & intention behind every single detail of the day. You can tell just by scrolling through the photos that every single dollar they spent was so well thought out!

From Kyle’s brown hat, Kristi’s rust-orange hat, and their little girl’s black hat with a flower crown, to the bohemian floral setup at their ceremony, to the insanely pretty bouquet full of warm jewel tones, it was an absolute dream to witness.

Sunset portraits

And finally, as if avoiding the rain for their ceremony wasn’t enough, the rain got so bad that we decided to do their mountain portraits another day. And I’m so glad we did, because we ended up getting the smallest bit of sun to shine behind these two, who so deserved it!

The day we did their Rainier portraits, the park rangers told us they were closing and locking the gate at 4pm. So it was a mad dash to get some photos with the mountain while it was still light enough outside!

We started at the famous Mount Rainier sign at the Nisqually Entrance of the park and ventured into the snow to get some gorgeous portraits for these two.

Kristi & Kyle really went through it with their planning and the weather on the day-of. But the way they kept their spirits high made it all worth it – they were so stoked to finally be married.

A cute & comfy Packwood cabin in the woods

And I can’t go without mentioning their rad cabin in the woods – this Cozy River Cabin in Packwood is the perfect woodsy stay (+ location for an adventure elopement). It sleeps 6 guests, so it’s perfect if you want to invite your closest loved ones to stay with you around your elopement day – or if you just want a ton of beautiful space to yourselves!

More Mount Rainier elopement inspiration + resources

Mount Rainier wedding vendors

If you’re considering having a Mount Rainier elopement or wedding of your own, be sure to check out the awesome vendor team that brought Kristi + Kyle’s big day to life!