My grandfather owned a good 30 acres in Skagit County, Washington. It’s a place we used to go a lot growing up. No electricity, running water, or anyone else in sight. Surrounded by trees and open thickets with grass so high you could hide all your secrets.
When my fiance proposed to me on February 9th of this year, I never realized planning the ‘most important day of your life’ would be such a pain. The wedding industry plans it for you basically, with all the vendors being booked 14 months out and the venues having more rules than a kindgergarden teacher.
Being from Washington State, I figured it would be a breeze finding a wedding location that was in the middle of the forest, rustic, and able to accomodate my 100 guests by my side. I was very wrong.
Planning a Wedding in March in Washington
First of all, we wanted to wedding to be in March due to friends flying in from abroad who had particular time limits due to their businesses in hospitality. I was all for the wedding to be moody and hopefully foggy (yay how dreamy!). However, my bubble was burst when I spoke to over 20 venues telling me they were closed until May/June.
After much heartache, I decided to do what my mother taught me: compensate. So what was important to me?
- A dark barn with dark, rough wood
- Moody
- A well manicured lawn with a view of mountains, valley or forests
- Some trees (I would have loved a forest, but I’ll take it)
- Indoor bathrooms
- Indoor/outdoor ceremony opportunities
Forest Wedding
While my venue will be revealed later, I wanted to share some of my inspo for any of you brides planning a forest themed wedding! You can follow my Pinterest board for all the details!
While flowers are a big part of any bride’s wedding, I think they are way overpriced. I am finding florists wanting to charge around $1900 for greenery installments, garlands and a bridal bouquete, plus a coupe extras. I find that almost more difficult to swallow than the wedding dress itself. At least for wedding dresses, you can touch and even try it on again. Flowers just straight up die.
My main interest is having a very rustic, earthy, dusty and Pacific Northwest vibe that I love so much. I want my wedding, videography, and photography to all have that feeling! When it comes to my flowers, I am thinking of gathering foliage from my parent’s yard. I am thinking lots of sword ferns, grape vines, evergreen branches, and honeysuckles. What do you think?
