A couple holds hands facing each other wearing wedding clothes at Mt. Rainier on a misty summer day

This couple’s rainy elopement day at Mt. Rainier shows how important it is to remain flexible! If you’re worried about rain on your elopement day, you might find their elopement inspiring. It proves that even cloud cover and rain make for beautiful photos. The Mt. Rainier area is gorgeous in all sorts of weather, so don’t panic.

When we saw the rain in the forecast, we started making backup plans asap. Here is what we did instead:

Early morning adventure at Skyline trail

Knowing that we wouldn’t have an alpine glow on Mt. Rainier due to the clouds, we met up a little later in the morning. If you know the cloud cover will be too thick for sunrise to shine through, there is no sense being out there before dawn. So we chose to get a little more sleep and meet at the Skyline trail around 9am.

We wanted to spend the morning exploring before family arrived later on. It’s a moderate trail and we saw tons of marmots and deer along the way. Although it was pretty misty, we still had some bigger views of the valley around us. On the way back down, it started to clear up a little as well.

Also check out: Artist Point Elopement Day, Washington

Getting ready and ceremony with family

We arrived back at the Airbnb around 12:30 so they could freshen up and get ready with their family, who were by now arriving. While everyone was busy putting themselves together, I got detail photos of their outfits, the rings and their dog Lexee. Lexee was a huge part of their day, and they made the 30 hour drive from the other side of the US instead of flying just so she could be there.

Once more, the rain forced us to switch locations. We moved the ceremony spot to a quiet area near a river. It was woodsy and private and the perfect quiet spot for their vows. With their family members in attendance, Sam’s mom led the ceremony. They exchanged rings and everyone soaked in the moment there by the river.

A wedding group stands by a river in Mt. Rainier National Park for a small elopement ceremony

Also check out: Olympic National Park Elopement, Washington

After some family portraits, we drove back to the Airbnb to take photos near her stepdad’s vintage Ford Bronco. Inside, there was a cake and small reception setup and that’s where they all spent the rest of the day hanging out and enjoying their time together.

I snapped some photos of the cake and then made my way out. Although this rainy elopement day at Mt. Rainier started off cloudy, it ended on a super happy note!