Never has there ever been a more intentional national park microwedding than this! These photos are your typical shots but with true documentary style coverage of their personal twists on first looks, thoughtful ceremony traditions, and karaoke-filled reception. If you’re looking for inspiration for a personality-infused intimate wedding, you’ll wanna see this one!
It’s no secret national park micro weddings are getting more popular each year. They account for around half of what I photograph, so it’s safe to say I’ve experienced so many different vibes, traditions, etc. You name it, I’ve seen it. So when I say Rachel + Will’s wedding was one of the most thoughtful days I’ve been a part of, you know it’s something special.
These babes flirted with the line of a traditional wedding and a microwedding. Wanting a super intimate ceremony and a big ol’ party, they simply made it the best of both worlds ‘cause why not??
Rachel asked me when we were planning, “is it weird that we want to get dressed together?” I can’t even express how much I love when couples do this. While I am all for a classic first look, there’s something extra special about helping each other get ready, hyping each other up when you look good, and having an intimate experience rather than one big moment of excitement.
So that’s exactly what they did. We picked a little trail on our way to the ceremony site, pulled off into the spot, and hung their clothes from the trees. Rachel put a blanket down and they set up a mirror, and together, they got dressed right there in the forest. Will sat down and immediately put his socks on, which quickly became the funniest inside joke when Rachel noted how freakin’ strange it was he went straight for the socks first HAHA!
After that, we headed to the Fish Creek picnic area for family photos and then came my favorite part of the whole day. With microweddings, ceremonies tend to be short ‘n sweet, but not Rachel + Will’s. Their ceremony was packed with one personalized moment after another. Their aunt + uncle officiated the wedding. The did a ring warming, where they pass around the rings to let guests bless them with good energy and thoughts for the couple. Her uncle sang a song for them, them pulling out a flask for a funny moment. Their vows weren’t grand speeches, but flowing conversations, with impromptu banter back and forth. It was intentional and emotional. Absolutely perfec!.
We ventured off for portraits before their Airbnb backyard reception with friends and family outside of the park. Rachel + Will had mentioned they had done shoots before that were absolutely beautiful, but didn’t feel like them with most of them posing + smiling at the camera. So for the rest of the day, I threw all of my direction skills out of the window and just let them be. And man was that freakin’ beautiful. They were skipping rocks and running around without shoes, making out in the lake. They aren’t your typical wedding portraits, but I’m all for the unconventional.
Even their rather traditional wedding reception was packed with bits of personality + customization that made it feel more like them. Custom koozies, super emotional toasts, a mobile bar to keep the drinks flowin’ as they sang karaoke all night. Yes, you read that right! Karaoke at a reception?? I was a little unsure of how that would be but turns out their friends + fam are karaoke pros and it was just the cherry on top of their love-filled day.
Rachel + Will are the perfect example of how to have a sweet intimate ceremony for your microwedding in a national park with epic views, but still invite people you care about to celebrate. If that is your vibe, let’s talk babe! Where are we headed? Olympic National Park? Mount Rainier? Yosemite? SIGN ME UP!
