A Destination Wedding
for an adventurous couple with a light entourage.
In the first place, you bring your entourage to Port Townsend for a few days, staying at any of the fine B & B's or at the Officers' houses at Fort Warden. You can look into www.ptguide.com to investigate the possibilities. While you're in Port Townsend you can get your marriage license and make whatever last minute arrangements you may need.
Now this wedding notion is an all day touring feast with a wedding interspersed here and there. Notice that "here and there". Costumes should be outdoorsy and practical.
A traditional wedding ceremony is divided into three parts.
First is the question of "who's giving this bride away and who wants her and is she willing"?
This is to be done at Hurricane Ridge with an incredible view of the Olympic Mountains, of which it is a part, and clear over to the Cascades on a clear day. Oh yeah, one little detail. This is to be done at sunrise. I mean, how many times in your life do get to do that?
This is to be followed by a catered champagne breakfast in Port Angeles.
For information about Port Angeles, the Olympics and connections to anything west of there --
www.cityofpa.com/links/index.html,
Second is the vows, swearing your life away before God and anyone that will listen.
This is to be done at Soleduc Falls. That way nobody can hear you over the roar of the falls. OK, the Gods will hear you and the mortals will see your lips move with sincerity. This is a good time for personal vows. And if you wanted the mortals to know you could hand out written copies. You might also take the opportunity to distribute the ashes of the pictures of all your ex's into the raging torrents of the Soleduc river.
This does require an .8 mile stroll on a well developed trail not suitable for wheel chairs.
This will be followed by lunch at either Soleduc Hot Springs Resort or Lake Crescent Lodge, your choice.
Then the entourage will head down to the coast for a BBQ on the deck at Kalalock Lodge, www.visitkalaloch.com, (It's not that far.), to be followed by very interesting conversations, a lot of reveling, or whatever foolishness you can muster.
Now somewhere, well into the interesting conversations, reveling or foolishness, the entourage will be summoned down to the beach for
part three, the exchange of rings at sunset, followed by kissing, hugging and more interesting conversations reveling or foolishness.
The entourage will be housed in the cabins with a view of the ocean. The Bride and Groom will stay in the Bridal Suite in the lodge. The morning after you may have breakfast in the lodge followed by hugging, packing up and running madly off in all directions.
You could walk some of the beaches, Ruby Beach, Rialto Beach, 1st, 2nd and 3rd or Mora Beach, visit the Hoh Rainforest, or head down to Lake Quinault Lodge, http://www.visitlakequinault.com. You could go back packing into one of the truly wild beaches, my favorite, Shi Shi, or do the Ozette loop. Or you could hike into the Olympics from every which angle. You could visit Cape Flattery the north west corner of the lower 48. You could take the Coho to Victoria.
Now here's the hard part. It needs to be done from mid July to mid September. You will need a long day and spectacular weather of course. That's possible. You need to plan, at least, a year in advance or we'll be booked, the facilities will be booked and you'll be sleeping in pup-tents and eating raw hotdogs in the rain. Bad plan.
Of course you'll need a coordinator-photographer-guide. That's us. These are the places that lured us into living here. And if you do this without us we'll be very unhappy.
We will facilitate the plan, helping you with any and all necessary arrangements for housing reservations, arranging meals and transportation. Oh yeah, we will also photograph the events of the day so that when people refuse to believe you when you tell them about your wedding you can show them pictures.
© Natural Light Photography