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New trend in weddings: camping, hiking and everything outdoors!

Ok, so I can already hear a big sigh of “here she goes again” from my colleagues in the wedding industry, but I’m really feeling a trend lately.  That trend is creating a magical wedding day with friends and family at a rustic cabin in the woods, beach house or anywhere outdoors!  I don’t mean the kind where you book a farm location and have it catered by folks from the city or a big lodge in the mountains.  What I am referring to is gathering just close friends, family and the dogs; perhaps hiking a mile or less to a log cabin or beach house (with plumbing, of course); and decorating it in your own personal style.

Beach house with rustic decorations

I happen to LOVE this idea because I grew up in Washington state (yes I am a native) where you can go almost any direction and find numerous hidden getaways.  To the north we have waterfront, farmland and mountains.  To the south we have farmland and waterfront.  To the East we have the Cascade mountain range.   And to the west we have the Olympic Peninsula and the San Juans.   That’s just a general idea of what is available, but consider the following:

~ renting a cabin — or a couple of cabins is an alternative to the hotel or mansion where you are working within someone else’s guidelines
~having a DIY wedding/reception allows you literally a blank canvas to work out a beautiful plan for food, decorations, music and more!
~everyone loves to get out of town!  The entire feeling of your “getaway” wedding will be more relaxed — sort of like a mini vacation!

Wedding night bonfire on the beach!

Please do not misunderstand me.  I wouldn’t be in business if there weren’t any large hotel-style weddings.  But I would like you to consider the alternatives because the sky is the limit!  Be creative, take risks and mostly have fun planning your wedding!!

Me officiating wedding on Tiger Mountain, Issaquah

Check out these links to Seattle parks AND Washington trails: Seattle Parks and Recreation, Washington Trails Association-Seasonal Hikes

Take a hike for your wedding

Do you love the outdoors?  Do you love to hike?  Would you like to get married in front of a waterfall in the North Cascades or old growth in the Olympics?  If you are a couple who likes to do things “out of the box” like  get married on a hike with your friends and dogs, you have come to the right place!

I also love to hike and I also have a dog and it’s the perfect time of the year to get out in the wilderness for a wedding!  Whether it’s under a the canopy of a forest or on a ridge in the mountains I would love to be your officiant for your nature wedding.  I also snowshoe and cross-country ski so if it’s a wintertime snow day you have chosen for your nuptials, count me in!

Check out the Washington Trails Association for a favorite hike and give me a call to plan your  wedding day in your favorite natural setting!

Get married in the North Cascades!