One plane, one car ride, and one ferry across the water got me to Mt Vashon. It was my first time visiting any of the little islands in the Pacific Northwest, but I can’t wait to go back. If I could just be a Mt Vashon elopement photographer, I think I’d be OK with that.  

AJ and Ash mentioned they were going to get ready near a lighthouse. I know I’ve shared my love for lighthouses before. There’s something poetic about the idea that a building exists to keep people safe necessitates that it’s built in such a beautiful way. What I didn’t expect was that Ash and AJ got ready together in a small house directly next door to one of the most beautiful red and white lighthouse I’ve seen. They held hands as they crossed the tumulus terrain of driftwood and rocks to reach the water and held each other in the wind as they prepared for their journey to the forest for their elopement.

The ferns that filled the forest floor and stuck to Ash’s dress as she walked through the forest to the ceremony. The paths enveloped as we walked, the spring leaves were newly lush and green. We dawdled a bit, stopping along the way to admire the leaves, point out spiders, point out the widest trees we could find.

They were married in a circle, with family members chiming in with their own stories and readings, before the day ended with lunch. This is how their day went.