Photography, Ben Wagner Photography | Venue, Pack Forest Conference Center
Mt Rainier Wedding Photography at Eatonville’s Pack Forest Conference Center
In some ways Katy and Mike’s wedding is an ideal example of what weddings should be. When Katy first reached out to me, she explained they would be having the wedding in Eatonville at the Pack Forest Conference Center, where most of the guests would be staying the entire weekend. Pack Forest is a multi-purpose venue that includes ten cabins, a dorm, apartments, and several large spaces that can accommodate both indoor and outdoor events like a ceremony, reception, etc.
This type of wedding weekend, where the guests stay together, is my favorite type of wedding, and the Pack Forest Conference Center is an excellent venue for and intimate wedding weekend in the shadow of Mt Rainier National Park. There’s something special about everyone spending the entire weekend together, the weekend becomes it’s own little narrative: people reconnect after years apart, new friendships are formed, and it gives the couple so much more time to spend with their guests.
This was evident when I arrived bright and early. Many of the guests were still sleeping in from the pre-wedding party the night before. I arrived at Pack Forest Conference Center and headed straight to the bride’s cabin to find the preparation in full swing, makeup and hair and coffee being passed around in custom mugs made for the event. Meanwhile, in the Groom’s cabin the groomsmen watched YouTube Videos on how to tie a bow tie and Mike opened his wedding gift from Katy: a custom made Hawaiian shirt featuring their cat Delilah.
With the couple ready we headed out into the trails behind the conference center for the couple to have a secluded first look. When my couples want a first look, I always prefer it to to private. It should be a special moment just for the couple, not a spectator sport.
For Katy, the proximity of the venue to Mt. Rainier National Park was important. She grew up going there and it holds a special place for her, and it was important to her to have a Mt Rainier Wedding in some capacity. So with the first look done and the couple ready, we hopped into the car and drove up the mountain for some Mt. Rainier wedding portraits.
While it wasn’t a particularly long portrait session (fighting the summer weekend crowds was a battle unto itself), it was a memorable time doing a handful of setups in the park before we rushed back to Pack forest for the main event.
When we got back to the venue, it was time for the ceremony. With the guests protected from the sun by beautiful, Japanese style parasols, Katy and Mike tied the knot in a tear-filled ceremony.
The Wedding Reception was held at the Pack Forest Conference Center pavilion, with food, open bar, and speeches. Memorably, the large lawn was loaded with lawn games, and there was an infectious energy as the children chased each other around, wrestled in the grass, or lured their parents over for a frisbee toss.
Mt Rainier Wedding Photography — The PhotoFilm
Mt Rainier Wedding Photography — Select Photos
The gallery below includes a select group of photos from Katy and Mike’s Mt Rainier wedding at Pack Forest Conference Center. In the following gallery you will see images in both Color and Black and White, and each couple receives all digital photographs edited in both color and black and white. Any film photography images are delivered depending on the chosen film stock.
Planning a Mt Rainier Wedding, or a Wedding Weekend at Pack Forest Conference Center? Let’s chat!
Digital images photographed on the Fujifilm XT5 and Leica M11. Film photographs taken on the Leica MP on Ilford HP5 and Kodak Gold 200 film stocks.
