Discovery Park Wedding: Everything You Need to Know
Photographs by Sea to Summit Photography
About Weddings at Discovery Park
Discovery Park is one of Seattle’s most popular city parks. With miles of trails, stunning cliffs overlooking the Puget Sound, wide open fields, and a gorgeous lighthouse, Discovery Park can be the perfect place for a Seattle elopement or intimate wedding. Because it is just a few minutes northwest of the heart of Seattle, Discovery Park is a perfect location for a stunning wedding!
Photographs by Sea to Summit Photography
Why You Should Have a Discovery Park Wedding
If you are looking for a stunning outdoor elopement but don’t want to drive far out of the city, then a Discovery Park Wedding is for you! This will allow a couple to be able to have a stunning wedding ceremony and beautiful sunset photos but will also let you do just about anything else on your wedding day. You don’t have to worry about breaking the bank to have a gorgeous wedding, you can spend it on other things instead. How about going for a romantic sailboat ride, or going on a seaplane ride before your wedding day? The options are endless.
In addition, Discovery Park has many accessible locations. If you’re looking to have stunning photos but need some accommodations for friends and family, there are many ADA accessible spots throughout the park.
Last, Discovery Park allows more guests than a National Park would. You can have between 35 and 75 people on your wedding day, beating the 8-12 that you would get from a Washington National Park wedding or elopement. So if you’re looking for a more intimate wedding but with a little more freedom to invite guests, then this spot is for you for your Seattle elopement!
Photographs by Sea to Summit Photography
Best Time to Have a Wedding in Discovery Park
Discovery Park is open year-round, so the best time to have a Discovery Park wedding is anytime! You’ll be rewarded with stunning fall colors during early October to mid November, gorgeous blossoms during the spring around late March to early May, and stunning greenery and grassy fields between June to early September. Regardless of time, Discovery Park is a perfect place to have a Washington elopement or Seattle elopement any time of the year.
Photographs by Sea to Summit Photography
Discovery Park Wedding Permits
Getting a Discovery Park Wedding permit is very simple. Simply go online to fill out your wedding application for the park of your choosing. There is also a phone number to reach out to a member for assistance. Many wedding and elopement photographers will actually apply and pay for the costs of these permits (myself included!) so be sure to check with your photographer to see if this is something they can do and cover for you! Here is some information:
Cost: $148 an hour with a 2 hour minimum
Guest limit: 35-75 people
Dogs allowed? Yes, on leash!
If you’d like to learn more about how to reserve part of Discovery Park for your wedding click here.
You will of course have to apply for a Washington marriage license but you can apply for that in any city you live in Washington. Do you live outside of Washington? No worries, you can apply online and have your marriage application mailed to you. Check with regulations, but most marriage licenses are good for up to 60 days. If you’d like to learn more about how to apply for a marriage license in Washington, click the link here.
Photographs by Sea to Summit Photography
Where to Stay for your Discovery Park Wedding
There are many places to stay for your Discovery Park wedding or elopement. Downtown Seattle is filled with many beautiful hotels, where you can have a stunning view of the Puget Sound. Alternatively, there are many tiny homes, mother-in-law apartments to have a more Seattle feel around Magnolia, Ballard, Queen Anne, or Fremont. Wake up with the locals, walk over to a small coffee stand and get yourselves some famous Seattle coffee the morning of your wedding day. How romantic is that? Feel free to look online in Airbnb, or reach out to me to share with you some of my favorite places to stay around Seattle. As someone who was born and raised, and still lives in Seattle, you can trust I got the local gems in store for you.
Photographs by Sea to Summit Photography
Things to Do After Your Wedding
Because Discovery Park is one of Seattle’s most famous parks in the city, I highly recommend having a wedding ceremony during sunrise or sunset during the weekday. This is more true especially during the summertime. Although you may have to get up early or stay up late, why not make the most out of your Seattle elopement day?! Here are some ideas you and your partner can do before or after your Discovery Park wedding:
Go for a romantic sailboat ride from Seattle.
Go whale watching.
Go on a seaplane ride out of Kenmore and explore Seattle from the air.
Visit some of Seattle’s famous landmarks such as Pike Place, Gas works park, the Ballard locks.
Explore the Seattle Pier, take a walk through the aquarium, have some famous and locally sourced fish and chips.
Have some burgers at Seattle’s famous Dicks Burgers.
Go for a hike around the Snoqualmie area and see some gorgeous waterfalls.
Photographs by Sea to Summit Photography
Discovery Park Wedding Packages
Eloping in Seattle or having an intimate wedding in Seattle is such an amazing way to get married. Even though you’re choosing to have a smaller wedding in Seattle, there are many things to consider such as choosing your vendors, planning logistics, scouting locations. That’s where I come in! I am more than just your wedding photographer, with all of my Washington elopement packages and intimate wedding packages, I will do these things for you! I got all of the local vendors around the area, will help plan your wedding day from start to finish and will capture these once-in-a-lifetime photos in the process. Click below to look at what my packages offer for your Discovery Park Wedding.
Photographs by Sea to Summit Photography
Meet Your Seattle Elopement Photographer!
Hey! This is Doug, your Seattle Elopement Photographer! If you’re ready to have a Discovery Park wedding or an intimate wedding anywhere in Seattle or in Washington, simply fill out the form below and let’s chat about your dream wedding day! I’ll take your stress of wedding planning from here! Let me handle all of the planning, so all you’ll have to do is have the best wedding experience! I look forward to hearing from you!
