Brad + Katie | Wedding on Top of Crystal Mountain

02 Oct Brad + Katie | Wedding on Top of Crystal Mountain

For this intimate wedding, the talented LaRae Lobdell and I found ourselves on top of  Crystal Mountain in nearly every weather condition imaginable. The day started out a bit cloudy, but there was still visibility and peeks of a view at the summit. As LaRae headed up the mountain with the groom, the rain came–luckily it went away as quickly as it came.  As I arrived at the top with the bride and her father, the fog/clouds had rolled in and the temperature dropped. Visibility teetered back and forth from poor, to a bit foggy, to clear every few seconds,and I all I could think about was how this bride and groom were going to handle their sweet celebration being completely socked in. Of course, because my brides and grooms are awesome, they both laughed it off. After all, there was nothing they could do about it. I want to believe, ok I’m choosing to believe, that this positive outlook brought on the magic that occurred following the ceremony, during dinner. It was a laid back meal at  the Summit House restaurant, with the wedding guests dining amongst the other patrons on the mountain that day. During dinner, the clouds began to thin and the dull, gray setting was replaced by electric orange. Everyone ran outside and gasped in awe, as it appeared the sky was on fire. LaRae and I smiled with relief that this wonderful couple would now have a little extra story and color in the memories of their day, but the weather gods weren’t finished. For the next 15 minutes, the backdrop of our vantage point continually changed colors, clouds swirled in and out, and then Mt. Rainier appeared. With the sun setting we were able to capture the bride and groom in front of the epic view they had hoped would be the backdrop to their day. It was a fitting end to dinner on the summit. From there, the celebration moved to the bar at the base of the mountain. I was introduced to a game of gin roulette (shiver) and played witness to a wedding tradition of the groom and his friends–shirtless singing to Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel.” You’ll just have to trust me on this one, since I decided to leave those photos for the eyes of the guests only :). Enjoy this peek into this crazy day!