The perfect day starts with a fall hike and ends with hot chocolate in the back of your car 🍁☕️ Just trust me – Julie and Ryan’s Mt. Baker elopement at Heather Meadows will prove it to ya!

Julie + Ryan’s Hiking Elopement at Heather Meadows

The most beautiful fall day at Mt. Baker

Nothing ever beats a sunny fall day exploring Mt. Baker! It’s what everyone dreams of when they visit the Pacific Northwest: blue skies and green trees, dramatic mountain views, and wildflowers galore. Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate, but when she does we are GRATEFUL! You never know what you’ll get in the mountains… but even if the sun is nowhere to be seen and you’re surrounded by the densest fog ever, believe me: it’ll still be magical af. If you don’t believe me, just look at how beautiful Ally + Lauran’s fog-covered elopement at Mt. Rainier turned out!

A glorious first look at Picture Lake

Anywayyy, back to the sunshine and warmth that Julie and Ryan lucked out with at Baker. We met up on the side of the road (sketchy? nah!) by Picture Lake, where they were going to do their first look. J and R hopped out of the car, got dressed in their elopement attire without the other seeing, and Ryan headed down to his waiting spot by the water!

Julie looked like an absolute princess walking his way, with the most gorgeous layers of tulle fluffed up all around her. I honestly just let these two do their thing once Ryan turned around to see his beauty of a bride; they twirled each other around, admired the stunning views, and grabbed each other for plenty of kisses + snuggles. And Ryan stopped to bend down and help Julie retie her hiking boots, like the gentleman he is! 

(if you’re looking for the best hiking boots to wear for your adventure elopement, here are my faves)

Picture Lake is always one of my favorite locations for an elopement near Mt. Baker, because it’s a super easy, short, and ADA-accessible trail that most anyone can do. After just a short 0.3-mile walk from where you parked, you get the most incredible views of Shuksan reflecting in the water, as well as greenery and wildflowers lining the water. 10/10 recommend if you’re looking for a place to elope with classic Washington views, and don’t mind crowds (or getting up early to avoid them)!

Want to see more of this PICTURESQUE lake?? Marissa and Stanley’s Romantic Picture Lake Elopement never disappoints!

Hiking elopement portraits around Heather Meadows

We continued to explore and take tons of portraits around Heather Meadows: in the trees, by the water, on the quaint little stone bridge (my favorite)… it’s kinda giving Pride Rock from The Lion King with how majestic these two look!

Glowing mountaintop vows at sunset

It was getting warm outside in that late afternoon fall sun, so Julie and Ryan swapped their elopement attire for their hiking gear once again until we got to their ceremony spot. We meandered along the trail up the mountain, taking our sweet time to enjoy the amazing views, bask in the sunlight, and admire all the beautiful fall colors that were showing up + showing OFF. 

Once we arrived at the perfect viewpoint, the elopement attire came back out and the sunlight was a dream for their vow exchange. No one was around but us and the wildflowers, with sun rays practically shining down just for them as they made their promises to one another! With the lake glistening in the background, the layers of mountains in the distance, and the peace and quiet of the forested hills, it was like nobody else existed in the world except for Julie and Ryan!

As soon as the ceremony was over, they brought out their tote bag and unloaded the cutest picnic to celebrate, with charcuterie and local ciders from Bellingham. I loved that Julie came prepared with a cozy little shawl to throw on when the evening started to get chilly – functional and stylish for the win.

Check out this blog to read my top tips for planning a romantic elopement picnic just like this!

We patiently waited for golden hour to arrive, and once the glowing light hit juuust right, Julie and Ryan did a cutesy champagne pop on top of the mountain. Big fan of making your champagne moment as unreal as possible with epic light and views like these!

Hot chocolate under the stars (in the car!)

We didn’t dare end the adventure once the sun had set – blue hour still had yet to show itself! I looove staying out past sunset and taking advantage of the soft, cool-toned hues of blue hour, especially in the mountains. Sooo gorgeous with the glow of the lanterns and the slight blues/purples/pinks that painted the sky.

And finally, as I promised at the very beginning of this blog: hot chocolate in the back of the car! Julie and Ryan hopped into their trunk, got out their camp stove, and whipped up some super fancy mugs of hot chocolate to warm up. It was already pretty dark at that point, so of course we had to step out of the car for some portraits under the stars, too. The best end to a great day with these two, at one of my fave places in the PNW!

→ Check Out My Ultimate Mt. Baker Elopement Guide

It’ll help you plan your very own adventure in this beautiful place, just like Julie and Ryan!

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Heather Meadows Elopement Photographer

Hey I’m Bree! Your friendly PNW elopement photographer who’s always down to hike around the mountains until that golden hour sun hits JUST right… and until the stars appear in the night sky.

Whether you wanna hike a few different trails like Julie and Ryan did for your elopement, or you’d rather drive up to a pretty place, I’m the gal who you want there to capture it all (and Artist Point is the perfect place to drive up to)!

 Let’s get to know each other a little more so you don’t feel like you’re just meeting up with a total stranger on the side of the road lol.

And if you feel like we’re the right fit for your elopement (no matter if you want to go to Mt. Baker, Rainier, or any other epic destination in the PNW), get in touch here + spill the tea of what you’re picturing!