Cam + Bree's Mt Rainier Elopement

Oh man, Cam and Bree’s Mt Rainier elopement. Where do I even begin?! We first met Cam and Bree last summer, when Bree (who’s also a fellow adventure wedding photographer) reached out to me about a meetup while her and her new boyfriend Cam were out in Colorado. What started out as a fun afternoon taking adventure photos of the two of them and hanging out in the late summer sun turned into the most amazing friendship with two people Ed and I have the honor of calling our best friends.

Ed and I were the first people to photograph Cam and Bree as a couple. They had just recently made their relationship official, and we had the honor of documenting this awesome time for the both of them. On the drive down to meet up with them, Bree was texting me excitedly, telling me how they’d just said “I love you” for the first time. This stranger, whom I’d spoken to for only a couple weeks leading up to the day was all of a sudden sharing so much of her life with me, and I loved every minute of how open and honest she was. 

She shared about her sweet little son, Beckett (who’s now basically my favorite human alive). And she shared the hilarious story about how Cam sparked the first conversation with Bree from an insult she made about “small town boys” while he was walking behind her at a wedding (which Cam couldn’t help but chime in, since he’s a small town guy himself and had to stand up for himself).

In the months that followed our little meetup and adventurous couples shoot, Bree and I spent waaaaay too many hours on FaceTime, going back and forth chatting about everything from all natural beauty products to photo editing to which lanterns are the best for camping trips. I remember the day Bree told me that her and Cam would love to have me be their elopement photographer, when the day came. No date yet, or anything. Just a thought put out into the universe. Let’s just say, we all had no idea that day would be right around the corner.

Well, fast forward to late December: Ed and I were sitting at Whole Foods, snacking on some late night Mochi ice cream when Bree messaged me asking to FaceTime. Nothing out of the ordinary, I thought. We chat all the time, so I had no idea anything was up. I told her I’d call her back once we got home.

Man, was I in for a surprise. Bree, with an excited spark in her voice, told me that Cam and her wanted to have an adventurous mountain elopement THIS SUMMER, and they wanted to bring us along to Washington state to do it. Now, at this point, I’d already spent hours upon hours scoping the trails within a few hours of Seattle, and I already knew the perfect spot for them to have their Washington state elopement. 

We decided on a Mt Rainier elopement, by a little alpine lake that is basically overflowing with wildflowers during the late summer months. We chatted for hours about logistics and what they wanted their Mt Rainier elopement day to look like. For the next several months, we went back and forth planning elopement timelines, arranging travel, getting the necessary national park elopement permits, and finding the cutest A-frame cabin for them to get ready in.

If y’all know anything about my husband Ed, you know he’s the master of cracking dad jokes, and Cam and Bree can’t get enough of them. So they actually asked him to be their officiant on their Mt Rainier elopement day. I just about died when Bree told me that, after they got their photos back, one of their friends had asked how they managed to get Jesus to officiate at their adventure wedding (peek Ed’s long brown hair and full beard in the ceremony photos and you’ll see what they mean).

Y’all. This Mt Rainier elopement day couldn’t have been more amazing. These two got up a couple hours before sunrise to get ready in their cute little A-frame mountain cabin right outside of Mt Rainier National Park. We drove to the trailhead in the park, where they had their first look on the most gorgeous bridge, surrounded by wildflowers on every side. The alpine lake where they had their Mt Rainier elopement ceremony was steaming and fogging up at the surface, making for the most ethereal vibe while they said their vows. And to make it all even better, Mt Rainier was just hanging out right behind the lake, an ever-present witness of this moment.

ALSO, cutest news ever! A few weeks before they flew out to Washington State for their Mt Rainier elopement, Cam and Bree found out they were pregnant! They’d been hoping the timing would work out for them to have a kiddo soon, and it absolutely did. And they were even able to get an ultrasound with the little one before flying out, so we were able to sneak in some photos with those later in the evening.

After the Mt Rainier elopement ceremony, we all made our way back to the A-frame, where these two had a little non-alcoholic toast on the back patio, hung out on the awesome little white Jeep they rented for the week, and made some brunch in the cabin kitchen. Once we wrapped up the mountain cabin festivities, we all made our way out of Mt Rainier National Park and back to Seattle for some pizza and ice cream in the evening. You guys, the pizza place we went to had live chickens, and they let Cam and Bree feed them. I’ve gotta say, photographing an eloping couple feeding chickens is definitely a first in my book. Best. Day. Ever. Y’all are just going to have to see it to believe it…

Turns out I’m not the only one in love with these two and their elopement day. Cam and Bree’s Mt Rainier elopement was also featured in One Fab Day.