It’s easy to get swept into the grandeur of an epic elopement. There is a romanticized ideal that is painted in massive landscapes and epic vistas. It can seem far fetched and impossible to attain, but magic often finds a way. A good photographer is always ready to follow that trail of golden fairy dust.
Inspired by the purple blooms that thrive in the area and named after the nearby Native American tribe, the Lilac city is Washington state’s second largest city. It has a highway named for the incredible views of the sunset, and it is also the current home of Mitchell and Jordan, two beautiful humans who had an intimate wedding in Palouse Falls State Park.
Spokane is the middle of a compass, surrounded by adventure and grand views from every direction, but while Jordan and Mitchell wanted their intimate wedding to breathe magic, they also wanted to accommodate a manageable drive from the city. This lead them to discover Palouse Falls, a beautiful waterfall just two and a half hours from the city.
Created by the Ice Age floods more than 13,000 years ago, Palouse Falls is one of the last remaining falls hidden in middle-of-nowhere Washington. Drive through endless plains and forgotten towns to find this little-known state park. After bumping down the final stretch of dirt road, the park entrance greets you with a humble embrace, and it isn’t until the truck door slams behind you that your feet carry you to the edge of a wide mouth canyon. Rushing falls cascade 200ft below and an eagle soars over the ridgeline.
Several people have died over the past few years, so fencing lines the edges of the canyon. The metallic bars are a stark contrast to the quiet solitude, but the brilliance of sunset outweighs human’s modern impact. Dusk swallows the smokey oranges that fade into pink, and stars wink a glowing reminder as night transforms the landscape.
The campground hosts a handful of tent sites set in a grassy patch a few hundred feet from the gorge’s edge. It’s a sleepless night spent tossing and turning in the bed of a pickup truck. Glimpses of a starry sky intercept the sheer will to fall asleep, and just as quiet descends, it’s time to crawl from the warm pallet into the crisp cold.
It’s 4am, and a crescent moon accompanies the stars in their quest to light the night. The small wedding party gathers, headlamps checked and everyone accounted for. The trail is dotted with signs that warn of treacherous conditions and reminders that people have died, but we forge on, nothing more than a line of bobbing headlamps. Those lights become beacons, and sight becomes a useless sense, replaced by the tactile feel of the rock on your right and the echoing rush of water to your left.
We wind down and down, the steep embankment changing from sturdy rock to loose gravel. Our pace slows, yet we continue down into the gorge until our boots hit water. The grand silhouette of the powerful falls pour over the ravine, and the sky turns velvet blue.
Everyone gathers around the water’s edge, and Jordan disappears behind a rocky outcrop while Mitchell changes into his dress uniform. Sunrise turns the sky a faded blue, and the ceremony begins.
Photographs unravel the spool of memories, offering a visual story to the beginning of a new adventure. The sun will set and the moon will rise, but the soul of a moment always lends a unique perspective. Whether that’s an elopement with a few friends or a private admission between two souls, you need a storyteller who photographs. Teetering on the cliff’s edge, hands entwined in the start of a new beginning, your story deserves a grand entrance, and all you have to do is jump.
