Hosting a wedding weekend in the Pacific Northwest is one of the best things you could do to celebrate your marriage! We have some of the most beautiful scenery, the coziest weather, and access to beach and mountains! What more do you need?
You need my tips, that's what you need.
After photographing Michelle and Todd's picture perfect PNW wedding weekend, I collected a few of my favorite tips and tricks I learned so I can help you plan yours! I'll talk you through venue choices, how to save on decorations, guest dress codes, portrait locations, and even some food ideas.
There is a lot that goes into planning a wedding (let alone a whole weekend!) so let me help you! As a wedding photographer, I see a lot of weddings, and I know what works and what doesn't work. You don't have to empty your wallet for every single thing, it just needs to look like you did ;) I'll explain a few simple ways that you can elevate your wedding (and photos!) so you can splurge on the things that matter, and save on the things that don't.

How To Plan Your Picture Perfect PNW Wedding Weekend
Table of Contents
Finding a Venue
Natural Decor
Guest Dress Codes
Outdoor Elements
Local Drinks/Food
Finding Your Perfect PNW Wedding Venue
The venue is one of the very first things that you'll need to decide on when planning your wedding weekend. That will determine the date, the location, and more importantly - your photos! Your venue will be the backdrop for every. single. photo you receive in your wedding gallery. Make sure that you pick the one you love!
If you're choosing to host a wedding weekend, it's likely because you want to be surrounded by your friends and family for several days. You want to spend time with them instead of rushing around trying to talk to every single guest in a matter of hours. When choosing a venue, it's important to pick one that can comfortably house all of your guests. This is why renting a lodge or resort is a great option! Michelle and Todd rented out Robin Hood Village Resort for the weekend and each group of people had their own cabin!
Here are a few different venues that would be all be picture perfect options!
TLDR: splurge: on your venue, save: slim down your guest list



Letting The Nature Do The Work
Another reason to choose wisely when it comes to picking your wedding venue is that it could simply be your wedding décor. Moss, trees, rocks, wood benches all feed into the Pacific Northwest wedding vibe, and the best part is: it's already there! Nature acts as a perfect backdrop for your day, so let it do it's thing!
By simply adding your flowers and a wedding arch, you've put on the final accessories that the landscape needed. Whether you're getting married on a beach or in the woods, you choose that setting for a reason: it's already beautiful! So, don't worry about adding too much to it because what can really beat a sunset over the ocean? Not much.
TLDR: splurge: on a venue with a naturally beautiful backdrop, save: on the amount of décor



What To Wear To A PNW Wedding
Something that people don't often think about is how your wedding guests clothing choices can affect your photos. It brings a sense of cohesiveness and makes it look like a lot more thought went into your event without you having to do more work! That's the best kind of way to elevate your wedding.
The Pacific Northwest has a beautiful color palette: a variety of shades in green, blue, brown, and cream. Lean into it! By giving your guests a color palette to work off of when choosing their outfit, you'll avoid having some random person wearing red and sticking out in all of your photos. You should be the one that everyone is looking at!
Plus, people always ask what you want them to wear. This way, you'll have an answer!
Your wedding party is a great way to get this started. You'll have a guaranteed group of people that are already perfectly dressed just how you want them. For example, Todd and Michele asked the bridesmaids and groomsmen to wear Forest Green suit while they were dressed in the classic white and black.
Here's an example of what to write in your wedding invitations and on your wedding website:
"To embrace our beautiful Pacific Northwest surroundings, we are encouraging our guests to wear shades of green inspired by the forest."
TLDR: splurge: by giving your guests a color palette save: by letting your guests elevate your event for you


Where To Take Photos
The best part about getting married in the Pacific Northwest, is you don't have to go far to find somewhere beautiful to take photos.
We are overflowing with forests, bodies of water, and mountains. Now you just have to find some near where you're getting married.
Even if your venue doesn't have these things specifically, it probably won't be hard to find a location just a few minutes away. Photographers love sneaking away from the venue if it means getting photos that are worth it! At Michele and Todd's wedding, we were lucky enough to be surrounded by towering trees and a peaceful creek running through. However, there was access to the water right across the street from their venue! So you know that we scurried over there after the ceremony to take advantage of the dock. Boats included *score*
Choosing to get married in or around a state/national park is a guaranteed way of making sure your wedding looked like it just walked right out of a Twilight movie.
TLDR: splurge: on making time for your picture perfect background, save: on sadness later when you don't have those photos


Local PNW Themed Food and Drinks
Now here's everyone's favorite part about a wedding: the food and drinks. So you better make it good!
Since people will be staying for a few days, make sure to tell them which meals they are on their own for, so you don't have to be responsible for feeding them three times a day. They will be more than happy to pack their snacks and sandwich stuff. It will even give them the chance to explore the area for nearby restaurants too!
You have better things to worry about. We're talking about the main event: the wedding day happy hour and dinner.
We sure do love our food here in the Pacific Northwest. Although we are known for being crunchy granola heads, we are also known for indulging in some of the best food in the country.
Here are some foods that would ensure your wedding buffet is delicious and on theme:
- Meats: various seafood (salmon, shellfish, oysters, crab), Seattle Dogs, teriyaki
- Fruit: Rainier cherries, apples, marionberries
- Plants and vegetables: fiddlehead ferns, roasted wild mushrooms, Walla Walla onions, potatoes
- Dairy: Cougar Gold cheese, Beecher's Mac and Cheese, Tillamook Ice Cream
- Drinks: Rainier beer, local craft beer, cider, coffee, wine
- Snacks: Tim's Cascade chips, Salmon candy
TLDR: splurge: on fun foods that will make your event stand out, save: on that chicken that nobody really wants

Now You Know How To Plan Your Picture Perfect PNW Wedding Weekend!
Hopefully this inspired you to plan your very own wedding weekend in the Pacific Northwest. I know it can be a lot to plan, but it will all be worth it in the end. The best part about having a theme is that you limit the amount of options that you have to choose from. You can lean into it and have fun! That is what this is supposed to be, right?
If you need someone to photograph this perfect PNW wedding weekend, then look no further! I'm based in Washington state and there's nothing I love more than where I live so please let me come help you celebrate! Click here to contact me and we can get started on!