These two came all the way out from Asheville, NC to elope on the Olympic Peninsula, and it was everything a Ruby Beach elopement should be. They ran around barefoot, climbed on rocks, played with fire, and reveled in the fun and freedom this epic coastline inspires.
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Ruby Beach: A Remote Elopement in the Olympic Peninsula Wilderness
There’s a lot of coastline on the Olympic Peninsula, and pretty much all of it features postcard-worthy beaches. But Ruby Beach is a particularly special stretch of coastline. Ruby Beach is located about in the middle of the west coast of the Peninsula, so it’s a long drive to get there no matter where you’re coming from. But once you’re out there, you won’t want to leave. The remoteness of the Olympic coast is part of what makes it so magical. No homes can be seen peeking out along the beaches and hardly any businesses are out here. Ancient moss-covered trees, barnacle-encrusted sea stacks, and endless sandy beaches dominate this landscape.
Want to see more beach elopement inso? Check out this Oregon Coast elopement on coastal cliffs.
A PIT STOP AT THE TREE OF LIFE
On the way up to Ruby Beach, if approaching from the south, you’ll pass another beach that’s worth stopping at. Kalaloch beach itself isn’t as unique as Ruby Beach, but it does have a pretty cool tree. The sand below the tree has eroded over the years, exposing all the roots. Yet somehow, the tree still lives. You might as well pop down to have a look at it, because who knows how much longer this tree will hang on for. One bad storm could wipe it out for good. Then again, it’s held on this long so maybe it’ll last another few hundred years. But if it doesn’t last, Marti and Joey will have these fun first look photos to remember it by.
Related: See more of the Kalaloch Beach and Campground
Ruby Beach Elopement: Barefoot on the beach and a bonfire.
After the Tree of Life, we drove up the road to Ruby Beach for the rest of the elopement. The walk down to the beach is short and sweet. At first, the view is obscured by towering trees. But near the bottom it opens up to a million dollar view of Ruby Beach in all its glory. Multiple pointy triangle-shaped rocks poke up out of the sand and a massive sea stack looms in the distance. It was low tide, so the already big sandy beach was extra big, allowing us to roam freely among the rocks.
Want to see more beach elopement inso? Check out this Olympic National Park Elopement on coastal cliffs.
We walked down the beach until we found a spot that we basically had all to ourselves. It’s an amazing experience to enjoy a landscape like this with such privacy. It’s one of the things we love so much about the Olympic Peninsula. The freedom out here is tangible. We picked a spot for the ceremony tucked up against one of the triangle-shaped rocks, or as we like to call it, the Sorting Hat. Seriously, that particular rock looks exactly like the Sorting Hat. After the ceremony, Marti and Joey set up a little picnic area and we enjoyed a toast to their Ruby Beach elopement.
As the sun was setting, we wandered out across the beach to take some more photos. We all ran around barefoot in the sand, twirling and jumping and picking up big sticks and drawing in the sand. So basically we acted like a bunch of kids. And it was awesome. Afterwards, we lit up a bonfire and Marti showed us how to play with fire in style. She spun a flaming hula hoop and wielding some crazy torch things while Joey played music that he composed specially for her (he produces electronic music under the moniker Hyperbolic Headspace). It was their version of a first dance and we loved it! We closed out the elopement hanging out on the beach, listening to waves crash, and watching the stars come out. This is what adventure elopements are all about.
Check out more Coastal Elopement Destinations
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