The easiest thing to forget to bring to your elopement is not the dress or the flowers. It’s a folder. Inside should be your marriage license, a printed copy of your permit (if your location requires one), a pen, and your vows. Almost everything else on this list can be improvised on the trail. Those four things can’t.
Packing for an elopement is nothing like packing for a wedding. There’s no venue closet to raid and no coordinator holding a spare safety pin. You carry what you need, often on your back, to a ceremony spot that might be a mile or even 10 miles from the car. So this isn’t a list of everything you could bring. It’s what we’d actually suggest you put in the bag, based on the elopements we photograph across Washington.
Start With the Paperwork
Washington has a mandatory three-day waiting period after you apply for your marriage license, and it can’t be waived. The license is then valid for 60 days and only works for ceremonies held inside Washington. Apply at least a week before the date so there’s room to breathe if plans shift. You’ll both need to know the state or country where each of your parents was born, plus their birth names, so look those up before you head to the county auditor’s office. Check with your county on whether you both need to apply in person.
On the day of your elopement, you need an officiant and two witnesses. Your photographer can be one of them. Your officiant can’t. Ask your officiant who is returning the signed certificate to the county. Either they can or you can.
If you’re eloping in a national park, you’ll also need a special use permit. Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks all require one for ceremonies. Rainier uses designated ceremony locations, and each site has its own rules, so read the approved list before you fall in love with a spot. Apply early, then print the permit and bring your park pass or entrance receipt. Cell service is spotty on most trails, and a ranger asking to see your paperwork is a bad moment to be searching your inbox.
Keep the folder, the rings, and your vows together in one zippered pocket. Make sure one person knows exactly where it is.
Dress for the Trail, Then Change
Pack your outfit for the walk, not the aisle. Lightweight fabrics hike better and fold smaller. If you’re planning to wear dressier shoes, opt to walk in boots or sneakers and change shoes at the ceremony spot. If you’re wearing boots, break them in weeks ahead. You don’t want painful blisters to be part of your memories!
Layers matter more than most couples expect. Mountain weather turns fast. Clouds move in, the wind shifts, and a sunny forecast becomes cold and misty. I’ve stood at Mount Rainier on Fourth of July weekend in snow boots, because the snow often doesn’t melt off until late June or early July. Pack a warm layer, gloves if you’re going high, an extra pair of socks, and a small towel for sitting on wet rocks and logs. Choose a jacket you’re excited to be photographed in. It will likely show up in more of your photos than you think.
This is the Pacific Northwest, so bring a rain jacket in the bag even on a clear forecast. Fog and light rain keep the crowds away and give the forest a moody softness that’s hard to get any other way.
What Goes in the Day Bag
This is the bag that goes with you everywhere. Bring more water than you think you need, snacks, and a small picnic if that is part of your day. Electrolyte packets are also a good idea on a hike. If you’re planning sunrise or sunset, add headlamps so you aren’t feeling your way back to the car. (Not sure which one suits you? Here’s why you should consider a sunrise or sunset elopement.) Sunscreen, bug spray, moleskin for blisters, and a small first aid kit round it out.
Also include a small touch-up kit. Hair spray, bobby pins, lip balm, deodorant, blotting papers, a comb, safety pins, a stain pen.
Charge your phone and download offline maps. Toss in a portable charger too, because cold drains batteries fast. And print your vows. Phone screens wash out in bright light and die in the cold.
Pack a Small Pouch for the Details
Your pouch should include rings and ring boxes, vow books, jewelry, veil, and any other small item that is meaningful to you. These things are small and light. On a mountain trail, they end up being the photos that hold the whole day in miniature. A ring box on a mossy log. A handwritten note tucked into the laces of your boots.
Handwritten letters to read to each other at a viewpoint are another favorite. They weigh almost nothing, and the photos are really special.
Bring something to toast with, too. A mini bottle of champagne and two cups, plus cupcakes or donuts if you want something sweet. Whatever you pack in, pack out, including the cork and the wrappers. Check your location’s rules before you bring confetti or petals, because many parks don’t allow them.
What to Leave in the Car
Dry shoes, a change of clothes, a warm layer, a towel, and a cooler with real food. After a long morning outside, a dry pair of socks feels like a luxury, and you’ll be hungrier than you expect. Leave the suitcase, the extra outfits, and anything you won’t use before the ceremony. The day bag is all you carry.
Quick Questions
Should I bring a bouquet? Yes, of course! A smaller bouquet is usually the better call for a hike, and your florist can wrap the stems in damp paper for the walk. Some wilderness areas have rules about flowers, so make sure to confirm the rules before you get your flowers.
Can I pack my dress in a backpack? Yes, a lightweight dress can go in a dry bag at the top of the pack. If the dress is fuller, hook it to your backpack and change later.
What if the forecast says rain? We still go or shift locations as long as there is no dangerous weather. Bring the shell, a light umbrella, and extra socks, and with a full day we can build the timeline around the breaks in the weather.
Your Screenshot-Friendly Packing Checklist
Everything above, boiled down to one list. Screenshot it and keep it on your phone.
Paperwork (one zippered pocket)
- Marriage license
- Printed permit and park pass
- Rings and printed vows
What you wear
- Broken-in boots and your ceremony shoes
- Warm layer and rain shell
- Extra socks
Day bag
- Water and snacks
- Phone, offline maps, portable battery
- Touch-up kit and first aid
- Sunscreen, moleskin, bug spray
- Headlamps, if sunrise or sunset
Extras
- Details pouch
- Mini champagne and two cups
- Dry shoes and a towel in the car
Planning Your Washington Elopement
If you’re planning a Washington elopement and want a second set of eyes on your list, I’d love to hear about it. Send me your date and location, and we’ll talk through the day and which package fits. Still choosing where or when? Start with where to elope in Washington State and when to elope in Washington State.