Moody North Cascades Elopement at Barclay Lake

Lakeside Elopement Near Leavenworth | North Cascades Elopement Photographers

Bride and groom couple portraits at North Cascades elopement

The Couple and Their Decision to Elope at Barclay Lake

This North Cascades elopement was all about the little moments. About being flexible and celebrating love despite the unexpected circumstances that surrounded us.

Deana and Tam described themselves to me as non-traditional Vietnamese Americans. They loved their culture and their traditions, but they did not want to have a traditional American or Vietnamese wedding. Instead, the couple wanted an intimate elopement surrounded by beautiful scenery.

Early on they had a vision for their day that included their two fur babies and a great adventure.

We spent months planning their elopement but the week of we had to make some changes due to unexpected events life threw our way. That’s the thing not many people see. It’s easy to look at beautiful images and compare, but those images are just the highlight. Not the whole story. Not the struggles. Not the things people have to do to get there. This is why I want to share it all. The truth behind beautiful elopements. Not just the shiny parts, but all of its parts.

Bride and groom exchange vows near Barclay Lake

From Hiking Across the River To a Moody Forest Ceremony, this Is How To Elope In the North Cascades Adventurously

For Deana and Tam’s North Cascades elopement, we had to change everything just days before their elopement because of how crazy the weather has been in the Pacific Northwest.

The whole month of June felt more like November in Washington. It was cold even down in low elevations which meant that it was freezing cold in the mountains. Because of the temperature, our original trail was covered in snow with the prediction of a crazy snowstorm on their elopement day. So I found an alternative option, changed the timeline last minute, and presented it to the couple.

It wasn’t easy to accept the new reality. It never is especially when it’s about your DAY, the day that means everything to your new chapter together. But Deana and Tam welcomed it with all their hearts.

I met up with the couple at their Airbnb cabin and started documenting their getting ready photos. I met their fur babies and, if you’ve been following us for a while, you know that fur babies are going to be photographed like CRAZY!

The couple did a sweet first look outside the cabin before we headed out for our hiking adventure. The hike was sooo moody and magical and we had to cross a sketchy bridge over the river but that’s the PNW for you.

We arrived at their ceremony location in the forest and it was one of the most magical moods for a ceremony I’ve ever experienced! After the couple exchanged vows, we took moody couple portraits before hiking back to their cabin in the dark.

I like to think that when one door closes, there will always be another door. When life throws something at me, I like to remind myself to take it, feel it, process it, but try not to let it drag me down because there might be other possibilities I might not have known at that moment. For Deana and Tam, their elopement day did not look like we originally planned, but we went with the flow, created a new plan, and had the most intimate, magical day celebrating love.

Thank you to Deana and Tam for trusting in me. I am so grateful for you both 🙂

– Henry