Lake Quinault Lodge

the world's largest Sitka spruce tree, and pulled into the parking lot of the Lodge while we got our bearings. Once we realized what we happened upon, we took a walk around the grounds, seeing the great lawn overlooking Lake Quinault. John blurted out "this is a place we could get married," and Charley's eyes went wide. We were not even engaged yet, but John had initially planned on proposing during this trip, though the ring wasn't quite ready. The idea was yet still on his mind, clearly. A few weeks later, we got engaged, and we immediately looked into the Lodge as our wedding venue, even though we lived more than halfway across the country in Chicago. From the start, Jessica (Aramark) worked with us and would just roll with our punches on all our crazy ideas. She provided great insight and made recommendations on things that weren't even on our minds because they were so busy with how beautiful a wedding could be at their venue. She really helped shape everything into form. We didn't work with a wedding planner, as we felt the Lodge in and of itself provided the entire vibe, and we just had to build around it. In addition to Jessica, we soon got in touch with their on-site coordinator, Amanda. Amanda made us feel so welcome and even provided us the ballroom space all weekend to set up and prepare our goody bags, build the flower treatments, etc. Justin (the Chef) is the man. He legit made us a giant mozzarella ball, because we didn't want a cake. When we went out there a few months before the wedding, he walked us through the tasting and helped us build a great menu for our guests, from the Friday rehearsal dinner, to the "Lawn Time" appetizers, to the main event meal, and finally the Sunday farewell brunch in the ballroom. He and the whole kitchen team at the adjoined Roosevelt dining room kept our guests fed, and happy. We had our ceremony and reception outside, under a tent on the Great Lawn. It was mid-September, and we really lucked out with the weather. Everything was beautiful. Amanda, Kameron, and everyone at the Lodge were so helpful, and helped us fill all the gaps to make the ceremony and reception run smoothly. They even let us rent out their rain forest shuttle bus to help us take off-site photos with our wedding party at the Sitka spruce and nearby Merriman Falls. Ashton, our driver, dressed up as an Ent to keep our vibe weird, magical, and fun. If you are looking for a secluded, forest-y, old time rustic Lodge feel to your wedding, please take a look at Lake Quinault Lodge. The place is so authentic and remains true to its roots. While certain guests may make hay about its location, or 'un-plugged' nature, they will quickly be swept away by the beauty of old growth trees, cozy Lodge feel, and quiet, laid-back atmosphere. It was such a pleasure working with the entire team who helped bring our vision into reality. We can't say enough, and can't wait to go back for many visits throughout our life together. XOXO, Charley and John