Helping plan Kasey and Yashas adventure elopement has been a dream. They’re from Illinois and hadn’t visited the Mount Baker Wilderness before they chose to elope there. That sounds like it could be stressful, but they made it look easy!

Although I always encourage eloping at golden hour, it was Kasey and Yashas idea to elope at sunrise to avoid the usual summer crowds here in Washington. On the day of their elopement, I drove out to their cabin in the dark, meeting them at 4:30 am. By the time I arrived, the amazing, Beauty by Elizabeth Marie, had already wrapped up Kasey’s hair and makeup.

From there, we caravanned up Mt. Baker Highway, stopping at a lake for Kasey and Yashas first look. We arrived just as the sun was starting to pop over the mountains and the lake was perfectly still. The reflection of Mt. Shuksan was incredible!

After Kasey and Yashas had their fill of exploring and taking photos together, Kasey did a first look with her dad too. The boardwalk was the perfect place for it and his reaction was so sweet.

All the while, the rest of their family was waiting patiently in the car. They earned the views with the early wake-up call too, so once we were done wandering and taking photos, Kasey and Yashas invited them to see the lake. It was so beautiful, everyone agreed that we needed to family photos here instead of later in the day as we had planned.

Afterward, we made our way up the highway to the Heather Meadows Visitor Center where they had their ceremony. Thanks to the early hour, we had the entire area to ourselves. They picked out a spot for their ceremony and had everyone gather around.

Yashas’ mother started everything off with a Ganesh prayer to bless the ceremony. After, Kasey and Yashas led the ceremony themselves with vows they wrote. I loved the lines about being cat parents and managing mischief between the happy tears and laughter. Once they finished, they did their “secret handshake” to solidify their marriage.

Then they exchanged jai mala garlands which symbolize the bride and groom welcoming each other into their families. After this, their families threw Talambralu as a ritual to bring prosperity and happiness into their lives together.

Their ceremony was wrapped up when Kasey’s father put a turban on Yashas, and Yashas’ mother put a shawl on Kasey, symbolizing each family giving their blessings to the couple.

Next, everyone wandered through the valley in search of more great views and photo opportunities. It was my first time that everyone who attended the elopement hiked with the couple and I afterward and it was so fun!

We explored nearby lakes, which were amazingly enough, perfectly reflecting the mountains in the calm morning waters again. Everyone had fun wandering around, and we even made it to a trailside waterfall!

Once back at the cars, cake, kaju katli, and supplies for mimosas were brought out for a morning picnic. We found a scenic table at the Austin Pass Picnic Area and Kasey and Yashas were encouraged to pop and spray champagne.

Kasey was all too happy to be the first to try it. Unfortunately for Yashas, he stood at an angle next to Kasey and immediately got soaked once the champagne started spraying! He tried spraying it next, and coincidentally sprayed Kasey just as much! Lesson learned. Stand side by side if you’d like to avoid a champagne shower.

They finished off their morning with a first dance overlooking a lake. It was so full of joy and spontaneity; I imagine that’s exactly what their future holds.

Overall, their day was so fun, beautiful, and full of support. It was an honor to be a part of it and I hope to see Yashas and Kasey in Washington again! Congrats again you two!

Please note that all florals were silk as live/cut/dried flowers are not allowed in the Mt. Baker Wilderness Area. To learn more about leave no trace principles, click here.

Vendor team: