Big Four Mountain, Washington Winter Elopement

Along the Cascade mountain range in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, is a mountain called the Big Four Mountain because at its base is some of the oldest standing ice caves, the perfect place for a winter elopement if your looking for a winter wonderland.

You know the phrase; “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”? Well let me tell you all about the lemons.

I’ve been dying to do something out at the Big Four Ice Caves in North Washington for about two-years. I have daydreamed and envisioned exactly how I would do it and this January we all decided we were going to spend my kids Spring Break in Seattle….a mere 1.5 hr drive from the ice caves.

There was so many up’s and down’s all the way up to the day of the elopement but where the big lemons came is was 2-miles away from the Big Four Ice Caves trailhead. 2-miles away from the trailhead the road was closed due to heavy packed snow. So my couple and I packed up all of our stuff and hiked the 2-miles in the snow to the trail head to hike another 1.5 miles to the ice caves. with less then .5 mile to go a group of hikers coming back let us know a recent avalanche had covered the ice caves, meaning we were not going to be able to see them, take photos in or around them…nothing. Both my couple and I had driven hundreds of miles and hiked in the snow to find out the whole sole purpose was covered in about 10ft of snow.

We still hiked forward and got to where the ice caves lived…though now just a whopping heap of white. But here comes the lemonade…though we were surrounded by snow we were having summer like warm breezes flow all around us. I got all my camera gear ready and we made the best of what we could and in all honesty I’m so over the moon.

My couples newly wed love was adorable and endearing to watch. When all was said and done and we were hiking back they gave each other a fist pump and later that night got milkshakes (that’s my kinda couple!)

Here are just a few of the 100+ amazing captures that happened at the base of Big Four Mountain on a sunny warm snowy day in the Snoqualmie National Forest.

Couple watching sunset on wedding day