Saltwater State Park Elopement Photographer in Des Moines
This is an LGBTQ+ couple's elopement at Saltwater State Park in Des Moines, Washington, on an overcast afternoon in late June. If you are looking for a Saltwater State Park elopement photographer, this is what the park gives you in one short session: a log footbridge in the forest, a driftwood beach on Puget Sound, and a playground, all within a few minutes' walk of each other. Evaro Studios photographed this one from the bridge to the tideline in a little under two hours.
One of them wore a navy vest, a tie and dark trousers. The other wore a dark grey sequined gown and carried a dried bouquet in blues and purples. They read their vows to each other from a folded piece of paper, standing on the bridge. In every frame it is just the two of them.
Saltwater State Park sits two miles off Interstate 5, south of Seattle. It is 137 acres of forest, a creek, tide pools and a sandy, driftwood-strewn shore. For a couple who want trees and water in the same hour without driving to the mountains, it is one of the easiest places in King County to do it.
The log footbridge in the forest
The first frames are one of them alone on the bridge, hands in pockets, waiting. Then the other walks up through the trees with the bouquet. They meet in the middle, face to face, and the vows come out of a pocket.
A footbridge is a good place to say vows. It is raised, so the forest sits behind you instead of around you. It has railings of peeled logs to lean on, which gives nervous hands something to do. And it is narrow, so there is nowhere to stand except together.
Light under the trees
Overcast is the best light this park offers, and late June in Des Moines gives you plenty of it. Under the canopy the light is flat and even. Nobody squints, there are no hard shadows across faces, and a sequined gown reads as texture instead of glare. The green behind the bridge goes soft and the two people in front of it stay sharp.
The details were shot here too: the handwritten vows, the bouquet against the sequins. Dried thistle and lavender hold up for a whole day in a way fresh flowers do not, and they photograph well against grey.
What happened when the vows ended
One wiped away a tear. The other laughed. Then they both laughed. The frames right after the vows are the ones most couples end up printing, and they are the reason to keep shooting through the part where everyone thinks the ceremony is over.
Down to the beach
From the bridge it is a short walk down to the shore. The beach at Saltwater is driftwood and sand with a bluff behind it, and in front there is nothing but Puget Sound and the far shore. Gulls came through while they stood at the water's edge.
The sun came out at the end. It usually does. The sky went blue, the water picked up the light, and the second half of the session looks like a different day from the first.
The playground and the tideline
They climbed onto the playground slide in a gown and a vest and lay back on it laughing. That was their idea, and it is the frame that tells you who they are more than any portrait could.
Then they walked the tideline. The gown came up out of the surf in one hand, the other hand stayed with the person next to them, and the rock jetty sat behind them with the whole Sound beyond it. The last frame in the gallery is the ring, hands together, the sequined sleeve beside a jacket cuff.
Planning an elopement at Saltwater State Park
The park is open 8:00 a.m. to dusk year round. Parking needs a Discover Pass, $10 for the day or $45 for the year, from the pay station at the entrance or online before you go. Dogs are allowed on a leash. There are two reservable picnic shelters and 147 first-come picnic tables if a few people are coming to eat afterwards.
One rule matters more than the others for an elopement: alcohol is prohibited in all areas of the park. So the champagne toast does not happen on the beach. It happens at the marina ten minutes north, which is a better plan anyway.
The beach faces west across the Sound, so the last hour before sunset puts light on the water behind you. An afternoon start under cloud, finishing on the beach as the sky clears, is the sequence this couple got and it is the one to aim for.
What an elopement session includes
Evaro Studios photographs elopements and small weddings across Seattle and the south Sound, and we are a queer-friendly wedding and proposal photographer by practice, not by slogan. Ceremony coverage is two hours from $1,000: one photographer, an edited gallery and print rights. The Intimate collection is four hours from $2,000 and covers getting ready through the ceremony and portraits. Both are on the wedding pricing page.
While you're there
- Saltwater State Park - the official Washington State Parks page. Hours, the Discover Pass, the picnic shelters, and the one rule about alcohol. It is also the only state park in Washington with an underwater artificial reef, if one of you dives.
- Des Moines Marina - 840 slips, a public fishing pier, and the Marina District restaurants right behind it. The city lots charge $2.50 for the first two hours.
- Des Moines Beach Park - the city's own park and event center next to the marina, with a historic auditorium, a dining hall and a meadow above the beach. If you want a small reception indoors after a park elopement, this is the closest option.
- Anthony's HomePort Des Moines - on the marina, seafood, water views. This is where the toast goes.
- Wally's Chowder House - family-owned, fish and chips and chowder, open daily 11 am to 10 pm. Less formal, very Des Moines.
- Auntie Irene's Cafe - on Marine View Drive, opens at 6 am on weekdays. Coffee and breakfast before a morning session.
Questions couples ask
Do we need a permit to elope at Saltwater State Park?
For two people and a photographer walking through, what you need is a Discover Pass for the car, $10 for the day or $45 for the year. If guests are coming, the park has two reservable picnic shelters, and anything larger than that is a question for Washington State Parks directly. Check the park page before you commit a date, because closures and alerts are posted there.
What is the best time of day?
Afternoon. Under the trees, overcast light is even and flattering, and that is what Des Moines gives you most afternoons. The beach faces west across Puget Sound, so finishing there in the last hour before sunset puts the light on the water behind you. This session ran from mid-afternoon to just before seven.
Can we bring champagne to the beach?
No. Alcohol is prohibited in all areas of Saltwater State Park. Do the vows and the portraits in the park, then drive ten minutes to the Des Moines Marina for the toast and dinner.
How long does an elopement session take?
This one ran a little under two hours, bridge to beach, with the playground in between. Ceremony coverage is two hours from $1,000. If you want getting-ready frames and a longer walk afterwards, the four-hour Intimate collection from $2,000 is the right fit.
Planning an elopement at Saltwater State Park? Check your date, or see every wedding collection on the wedding pricing page.
More small weddings and island sessions: Kelley Farm wedding photographer, Whidbey Island proposal photographer and two grooms at Aerlume on the Seattle waterfront.
