August Leavenworth, Washington Elopement
The perfect day that almost didn’t happen.
Fire season in Washington. The beginning of the end. 3 days before Luke and Brooke got married there was so much smoke coming into Washington not only from local fires but from the fires up in Canada billowing southward.
The area they chose for their elopement was not only at dangerous levels that could cause severe respiratory stress and hospitalization but the two ceremony locations were not even invisible…no lake, no mountains, no ANYTHING
Welcome to fire season in the PNW
Ive said it before and I will say it again…sometime the best laid plans can well, not go as planned…
..but that’s where a little preparation comes in. Our plan B. Index. Plan C North Cascades as the smoke was being pushed the other direction. Plan C (and tbh, the most viable due to the smoke) Olympic National Park….
Now yall might be thinking—Kayla What the damn HELL.
There is no way caterers, decor rentals, etc are going to migrate plans a couple days before an event to a drastically different location without charging a pretty penny.
It’s probably good then that Adventure Pact is 95% in house which mean we ARE the florist, the caterer, the decor rentals
So the idea of having to migrate their elopement elsewhere, while inconvenient was totally possible.
Lo and behold though, despite the lack of clarity, the dense smoke and high nerves— there was some hope that the weather would at least improve. The last word between prepping to pivot…
Let’s just wait and see what happens
Welp, time to throw another overused phrase yalls way
The best things come to those who wait
A good gosh did the universe DELIVER.
A little gusty winds during their ceremony, some feisty chipmunks and and a left behind ring were the only hiccups on what ended up being one of the most jaw-dropping elopements of the year.
Brooke and Luke said I do in beautiful Lake Wenatchee State Park in Leavenworth, Washington surrounded by immediate family where they brunched and cheered with some of the sweetest details.
One very important family member, River—Brookes beloved pup—-was unable to attend so the AP team surprised her with a pillow of her bff so she could have Miss River by here side
Their wants for their day were simple. Family. Time together. Something challenging. Mountains
Post ceremony we returned to our hotels, repacked and headed off to hike and packraft in the Mt Baker- Snoqualmie national forest. 8.7 miles RT with packrafts on our packs Luke and Brooke got to spend some true quality time together with sweeping views on a gorgeous alpine lake. Perfect in everyway.
It’s always a joy and pleasure to witness moments during these long elopement days.
The casual banter and playfulness between a couple
Those side glances that turn up the corners of their eyes
A gentle handhold.
Silence.
You could see and FEEL the connection between Luke and Brooke. There was nothing forceful in their care for eachother. Laughter flowed and their energy around each other was just peaceful.
In these moments, these slow, intention moments, are where the magic lies.
You know your partner is your best friend when you find your greatest joy in the simple act of doing nothing
