Last Minute Wedding – Seattle Wedding Officiants

Discovery Park Elopements

September 4, 2019/0 Comments/in Elope or Last Minute Wedding, Elopement Style wedding, Elopements, Last Minute Wedding, Seattle Elope, Seattle Wedding Officiants /by MissElaine

If you are looking for a beautiful in-city park for your elopement or small wedding, look no further. Discovery Park Elopements have been some of my favorites because the park is so large with so many beautiful back drops.

Discovery Park is a 534 acre natural area park operated by the Seattle Parks and Recreation. It is the largest city park in Seattle, and occupies most of the former Fort Lawton site. Situated on Magnolia Bluff overlooking Puget Sound, Discovery Park offers spectacular view of both the Cascade and the Olympic Mountain ranges. As a result, the site is one of breathtaking majesty. Discovery park also includes two miles of protected tidal beaches as well as open meadow lands, dramatic sea cliffs, forest groves, active sand dunes, thickets and streams.

Whether it’s spring, summer, winter or fall, you can get married surrounded by nature and you won’t even have to leave the city! Check out the beautiful photos below captured by Rick Takagi Photography. In addition, you can read more about my elopement services here – Small, Elope or Last minute Wedding.

Seattle Wedding Officiants, Elope Seattle, Seattle Elopements, Discovery Park Elopement, Rick Takagi Photography, Wedding Officiant, Washington Elopements — Discovery Park Beach Summer

Elope with Seattle Wedding Officiants

January 13, 2019/0 Comments/in Elope or Last Minute Wedding, Elopement Style wedding, Elopements, Last Minute Wedding, Seattle Elope, Seattle Wedding, Seattle Wedding Officiants, Small Wedding /by MissElaine

Are you getting married but you don’t want to spend a lot of money or deal with planning a big wedding? There are many reasons why couples choose to elope, but here are the reasons you should Elope with Seattle Wedding Officiants:

You want a small, intimate wedding with just close friends and family
One or both of you have been called on military deployment
Seattle is your vacation destination, and you want a perfectly planned, short-notice destination wedding
Going to the courthouse to get hitched is just too impersonal

I can help you plan the perfect Pacific Northwest elopement, hassle free! My services include the following:

Unlimited communication before, during and after your wedding
Sample ceremonies for you to choose from, which will be our starting point for your personalized ceremony
A guide to writing your own vows
A draft of your ceremony for review
My services to officiate your ceremony at your location
Skip the courthouse! I am a licensed notary, and I will take care of all the paperwork and the running around that goes with it. (Please note: there is an additional $67 fee for the actual marriage license that goes to the county auditor.)
Afterwards, filing paperwork with the county courthouse
Please note: Travel fees may apply outside of Seattle

Following are some of the fantastic locations we went to in 2018:

Elope Seattle, Elope with Seattle Wedding Officiants, Seattle Wedding Officiants, Seattle Elope, Wedding Officiant, Wedding Minister, Last Minute Wedding, Snoqualmie River

Snoqualmie River

Snoqualmie Falls

Kayak Point

Franklin Falls

Washington Park Arboretum / Lower Woodland Pond

Enchant Seattle

Skykomish River

Kirkland Marina Park Pavilion

Franklin Falls trail

Washington Park Arboretum/Pacific Connections

Whether you live in Seattle or are traveling from out of state or out of the country, I can help you plan the perfect elopement! Contact me today for all the details.

Elopement Concierge

November 2, 2016/0 Comments/in Destination Wedding, Elope or Last Minute Wedding, Elopement Concierge, Elopements, Last Minute Wedding, Seattle Wedding, Small Wedding /by MissElaine

Welcome to Elopement Concierge!

Elopement Concierge was loosely developed in 2012 when Washington passed Ref 74 for same gender marriage. The Seattle wedding industry experienced a huge increase in weddings that year with dozens and dozens of couples traveling to Seattle, WA to enjoy marriage equality. Many of my couples didn’t know a thing about Seattle. As a native of Seattle, I was able to share epic location ideas for the ceremony. In addition, couples made special requests for flowers, cake, champagne, hair/make-up, and photography.

Even though Elopement Concierge casually began in 2012, it has grown into something that I am deeply passionate about and proud of. I love helping couples experience the glamor and excitement of a large wedding but with a small wedding cost. We will begin with the location or venue and add services provided by a hand-picked team of vendors. I will, of course, craft a ceremony you will love and remember.

Is this you:

You want to elope or have a very small wedding with just family and a few friends
You have 10 days to put together something really special and you don’t know where to begin
You are traveling from out of town and can’t wait to get married in Seattle, but you need help with a great location
You want to add a few extras such as flowers and photography to your wedding day but don’t know who to call

I can help you with all of this and I’ll even advise you on how to get your marriage license. I am a licensed notary and can take care of that part too! (Visit this page: Washington State Marriage License to find out more).

Please enjoy a few of the locations I have suggested for my couples. If you are coming to Seattle or you already live here, I would love to hear from you. Elopement Concierge is here to help with all your elopement or small wedding needs.

Space Needle

Elopement Concierge, Seattle Wedding Officiants, Elope Seattle, Jeanne Phinney Photography, Last Minute Wedding, Wedding Officiant, Small Wedding, Volunteer Park Conservatory

Volunteer Park Conservatory

Sorrento Hotel

Discovery Park Lighthouse & Beach

Snoqualmie Point Park

Franklin Falls

Lower Snoqualmie Falls

Be sure to check out my Small, Elope or Last Minute Wedding page for more information!

Small Seattle Elopement

June 22, 2015/0 Comments/in Last Minute Wedding, Seattle Wedding, Small Wedding, Small Wedding Packages /by MissElaine

In May I was contacted by Yi via my Seattle Wedding Officiants Facebook page regarding a small Seattle elopement she needed help with. She and her fiance Binyan did not have a location and wanted to pull something together in two weeks. She had a small group of about 15 friends which is the perfect number for a small Seattle elopement.

We met for my free consultation and I shared some nice ideas with them that would provide a lovely backdrop for their early summer wedding. As I was dealing out options like cards in a deck (I have quite a few tricks up my sleeve), they mentioned that they had a friend who had offered his rooftop deck at his downtown Seattle condominium. I said, “wait a minute! A downtown Seattle rooftop?” I could hardly contain myself. Being a native of Seattle I have seen some pretty sweet views from atop Seattle’s tall buildings. You simply cannot go wrong from any rooftop in downtown Seattle, and this rooftop just happened to be 40 stories up with a 360 degree view of our fabulous city. I immediately suggested we scrap my ideas and use theirs instead.

These small elopements are so much fun for me. I collaborate with my couples to pull together some wildly fun and imaginative plans for their special day. A small wedding can feel like a big wedding when you get to Skype the ceremony to your family back home, add an hour of photography courtesy of Jeanne Phinney Photography, 15 of your best friends, and sushi from I love Sushi. Enjoy!

Elope Wedding Seattle

February 17, 2015/0 Comments/in Destination Wedding, Last Minute Wedding, Seattle Wedding, Small Wedding, Small Wedding Packages /by MissElaine

This is an e-mail I just received from a couple who live in Idaho and want to have an Elope Wedding Seattle style:

“We have been scouring the internet for an officiant that would fit the uniqueness of our wedding plans and our relationship. We came across your website and what you posted really jumped out at us.”

In many cases, couples who want to elope have chosen to have their wedding day be an intimate event with just the two of them. It could also be a personal or financial decision — or maybe they have never been to Seattle and want to combine a vacation to the Pacific Northwest with a small wedding. Whatever the reason, I can help!

Just because you are eloping doesn’t mean you have to fore-go the extra touches

I love every wedding I officiate. Whether it’s a small elopement or a large event with 200 people, I always bring my passion and enthusiasm to the wedding process. Elopements are extra fun for me because I often get to act as an ambassador of Seattle — offering my expertise on different ceremony locations, restaurants to celebrate at afterwards and of course — crafting a ceremony that reflects the love between the couple. So far in 2015 ceremony locations have included the list below:

Private suite at the Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland
On a dock at Greenlake in Seattle
Private suite at the Seattle PanPacific Hotel
Private home on Queen Anne
Space Needle Observation Deck (2)
Washington State Ferry
Seattle Waterfront-Myrtle Edwards Park/Beach

These locations are just a handful of the many beautiful indoor and outdoor possibilities for your Seattle elopement. If you want to add a photographer for an hour or two I can help with that also. My photography packages can be tailored to your needs and they include my officiant services. I also offer Wedding Packages for your Seattle elopement.

Below are some of the photographs from an elopement that took place this past weekend. This lovely couple had planned on having a large wedding in California but at the last minute decided to elope to Seattle. I helped them get an upgrade on their room at the Edgewater Hotel so they could have a water view with a balcony on their wedding night. I also arranged for flowers and champagne to be delivered to their room upon arrival. The bride had a custom-made bouquet and the groom had a matching boutonniere that I obtained through Metropolitan Market. They dined at Aqua after the ceremony where I arranged for them to have a table with a view of Puget Sound. And the best part is that all of this was photographed by the amazing and talented Nicole Bischel of Orange Anchor Photography.

If you are planning to elope to Seattle, please contact me. I would love to be your officiant AND your Seattle hospitality expert. Enjoy!

Seattle Wedding Officiants Wins 2015 Couples’ Choice

January 15, 2015/0 Comments/in Last Minute Wedding, Most Recent, Same-gender Marriage, Seattle Wedding, Small Wedding, Small Wedding Packages, Wedding Planning, Wedding Traditions & Trends /by MissElaine

Elaine Way of Seattle‘s Own Seattle Wedding Officiants Wins a WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Award® 2015Seattle, WA – January 15, 2015 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading online wedding marketplace, named Seattle Wedding Officiants as a winner of the prestigious WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards® 2015 for Officiant in Seattle!The WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards® 2015 recognizes the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. The esteemed awards are given to the top local wedding vendors in more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their professional achievements from the previous year.While many industry award winners are selected by the host organization, the WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards® winners are determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their experiences working with Seattle Wedding Officiants. Award-winning vendors are distinguished for the quality, quantity, consistency and timeliness of the reviews they have received from their past clients.”It’s always exciting to start the year by honoring the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Network who represent more than two million reviews on our website,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Each of the businesses recognized are committed to quality, professionalism and all around top-notch service. We applaud Seattle Wedding Officiants for their impressive achievements within the wedding industry.”As a Couples’ Choice Awards® winner, Seattle Wedding Officiants is highlighted within the WeddingWire Network, which is comprised of more than 200,000 wedding professionals throughout North America and abroad.Seattle Wedding Officiants is proud to be one of the top Officiant in Seattle in the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding sites such as WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. We value all of our clients and truly appreciate the positive feedback that helped us earn the WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards® 2015.For more information about Seattle Wedding Officiants, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/seattle-wedding-officiants-seattle/355963dc6eae85dc.html.To learn more about the Couple’s Choice Awards®, please visit www.weddingwire.com/couples-choice-awards.

About WeddingWire
WeddingWire, the leading technology company serving the $100 billion wedding and events industry, is the largest online vertical marketplace connecting engaged couples with event professionals. With more than two million consumer reviews, it is the industry leader in consumer reviews. The site enables engaged couples to search, compare and book from an extensive database of more than 200,000 recently reviewed event professionals, from venues to photographers. WeddingWire provides event professionals with the technology they need to serve their clients, including a SaaS platform, which powers advertising, marketing, and CRM needs of local wedding and events businesses nationwide.

Small Outdoor Wedding Seattle

September 25, 2014/2 Comments/in Destination Wedding, Last Minute Wedding, Seattle Wedding, Small Wedding /by MissElaine

Frequently I am asked by couples for recommendations for small outdoor wedding Seattle locations. This past May I was contacted by Josh and Crystal who were on a six-week road trip beginning in Vancouver, B.C. Their wish was to have an intimate wedding while stopping in Seattle before heading down the coast. I was thrilled to be a part of their planning. Being a native of Seattle I get really excited when couples make the Emerald City their destination wedding location. I love to introduce people to the city I grew up in. In addition, I get the pleasure of meeting people from all parts of the country.

We started talking about locations for their elopement and decided on Golden Gardens Beach. One of the reasons for this location was that I had arranged for a bed and breakfast for Josh and Crystal that was literally right up the street. Sunset Hill B&B is a 100-yr-old renovated farmhouse. The proprietor is a friend of mine and it is with joy that I refer guests to her urban retreat. Read more about Sunset Hill B&B.

On the day of their wedding, I drove to the B&B and captured pictures of their “first look.” Crystal looked charming and beautiful in her vintage gown. And Josh beamed as he saw his bride for the first time. The sunflowers in Crystal’s bouquet were even smiling!

Next we drove down the hill to the beach where our photographer, Jeanne Phinney of Jeanne Phinney Photography was waiting for us. The following photographs are a beautiful reminder that even small weddings can have huge feelings.

Small Seattle Wedding Skyped to Italy!

April 9, 2014/0 Comments/in Last Minute Wedding, Most Recent, Seattle Wedding, Small Wedding /by MissElaine

Kimberly and Gerardo contacted me in February for their upcoming wedding in March. I guess you could call this one of my “Small, Last Minute” wedding inquiries. But there was certainly nothing small or last minute about it. One of the funnest parts of orchestrating a wedding of this size is that you can weave in many of the elements of a large wedding without all the months of planning that go hand-in-hand with having a large wedding.

We started out by talking about a venue for their wedding that could accommodate 20 of their friends and family. I have a — sort of bible — that I pull out for requests such as these. Kimberly and Gerardo chose the Lakeside Room at Chandler’s Crabhouse on Lake Union for their Seattle wedding. They also decided to add a photographer from one of my Wedding Concierge Packages, which I was happy to provide.

Kimberly decorated the small private event room with beautiful little touches, such as little bags of goodies that had a sweet Winnie the Pooh saying on the outside. There were several yummy pies in place of the traditional wedding cake. But the funnest touch was that Gerardo set up a Skype session with his family in Italy. His brother in Italy even provided the music as we all walked into the room. And just before we began the ceremony, a large beautiful arrangement of flowers arrived from the family and friends who were watching via Skype. They got to see the bouquet they sent and watch the entire ceremony. We got to see their faces filled with joy on the big screen and hear the violin music coming all the way from Italy.

Please enjoy the lovely photos that my friend and colleague Jeanne of Jeanne Phinney Photography took of Kimberly and Gerardo’s sweet wedding. Congratulations Kimberly and Gerardo!

How to Obtain a Washington State Marriage License When Out of State

February 15, 2014/0 Comments/in Destination Wedding, Last Minute Wedding, Most Recent, Same-gender Marriage, Seattle Wedding, Wedding Planning /by MissElaine

Marriage Open

Washington State marriage licenses are only valid for 60 days. Therefore, you do not want to begin this process until you are within that 60-day period. For example, if your wedding date is August 30th, don’t mail your application until June 30th. That puts the arrival and processing of the application within the 60-day valid period. If you send it more than 60 days before your wedding date it will expire and you will have to re-apply.

Here are the steps:

Click on this link to be taken to the King County Marriage Licensing Dept: http://www.kingcounty.gov/courts/marriage.aspx
When you land on the page, click on Applying for a Marriage License
Next, click on Apply by Mail
Click on Download a Marriage License Application (PDF)
Download the application and print it off
Take the application to a licensed notary (banks usually have at least one notary). Please note: both of you must be present to get the application completed and your signatures notarized. Be sure to bring valid photo ID, i.e. passport, driver’s license.
Mail the completed license application in an overnight envelope with a cashier’s check in the amount of $64 made out to King County to:

King County Marriage Licensing
King County Administration Building
500 Fourth Ave., Suite 311
Seattle, WA 98104

Please call the courthouse (206-296-4021206-296-4021) approximately 5 days after you have mailed your application to ensure they have received it. Next, shoot me an e-mail and let me know it’s ready to be picked up and I’ll swing by and get it and bring it to your ceremony.

Chinese New Year Wedding!

February 1, 2014/0 Comments/in Eastside Wedding, Last Minute Wedding, Most Recent, Small Wedding /by MissElaine

Last night I had the pleasure of officiating the wedding of Emma and Jay. I only met them a few weeks ago and it was definitely one of my “small, last minute” weddings. They had rented a suite at Willows Lodge for the evening and then chose to use the library at the lodge for their small, intimate wedding. Honored guests includes friends and Jay’s uncle but most importantly, the couple Skyped their wedding so both sets of parents could watch from Shanghai, China. You see, Jay and Emma met in China when they were only wee school children and their families have known each other for years. All four parents in China were very excited to watch their son and daughter get married from so far away. Emma had on a lovely Vera Wang gown and looked like an angle. And Jay could not keep from smiling almost the entire time. Their vows were beautiful and I was honored to be a part of their Chinese New Year wedding! Congratulations Emma and Jay!