Crystal Mountain Resort

Initial Headcount

Wedding Day

LIVESTREAM: If you are unable to attend our wedding in person but would still like to watch and show your support, please follow this link to watch a livestream of the ceremony! evt.live/prior-wedding

Our Wedding

Photos From Our Adventures Together

Our Story

We had a small ceremony on July 26, 2024 at Mt. Rainier National Park before Evan’s deployment. However, we would love to have our friends and family celebrate our marriage so we are having a big wedding on the same date in 2025 which will overlook the small wedding spot! Here are some photos from the small ceremony! Here is a link to our wedding video as well! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p9kB0l2bO4

Photos

Wedding Party

Q + A

One joy of being in the mountains is the quietness of the world around you and the escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. With this remoteness, however, comes transportation and lodging limitations.

Airport/ Rental Car

Closest Airport: SEATAC, two hours from venue Rental car: necessary, and worth it for exploring outside the venue! Please note: the last place to fill up is Enumclaw, WA which is about 45 minutes from the venue, so plan accordingly!

Lodging

There is no lodging owned by the resort. However, there are still close by options.   Walking distance from the resort: Alpine Inn and Silver Skis Chalet, Crystal Mountain Hotels. If anyone is feeling extra adventurous, Crystal Mountain also has RV and tent camping on site.   Close to the resort (by car): LOGE Alta Crystal, Crystal Chalets, Greenwater,WA  Further away (but more affordable): hotels in Enumclaw (50 minutes away), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Olympia and Tacoma (2 hours away) that are more affordable options.   Further away and fun: Treehouse Point (where Shannon and Evan stayed the night on their other wedding night) where you can literally stay in a treehouse is 2 hours away.

Other Important Notes

The last place to get gas is Enumclaw so be sure to fill up!

Travel

Evan and Shannon loooooove Washington because it has so much to offer and there is something for everyone! Within a two hour radius of Crystal Mountain Resort you can hike at a National Park, watch fish being thrown at Pike Place, or go on a whale watching cruise. The options are not only limitless but beautiful, and anyone who knows Shannon knows that she would be excited to give you a list of recommendations for things to do! If hiking excites you, there are so many great hikes outside of the park that she would love to recommend- whatever your style: long, short, mossy woods, waterfalls, or views of mountains, feel free to contact Shannon to get her favorites!

Under A Two Hour Drive:

North of Crystal:

A waterfall taller than Niagara Falls that can either be easily seen by the an overlook at the top, or seen up close with a trail to the base. There is a fancy restaurant that overlooks the falls as well if you are interested. While in Issaquah for the Falls, check out Jakob Two Trees ( a giant tree troll) or do a local hike: Franklin Falls, Poo Poo Point (hike or paraglide it, best view is at sunset), Mailbox Peak, Mount Si or Rattlesnake Ledge!

1. Snoqualmie Falls

There are many hikes near Snoqualmie/ North Bend area. A few favorites include: Franklin Falls, Poo Poo Point (best viewed at sunset), Mailbox Peak, Mount Si, Twin Falls, Kendall Katwalk, Gold Creek Pond and Rattlesnake Ledge! You can’t go wrong with any of them!! Also close by is a short stroll to Jakob Two Trees, a large troll carved out of wood!

2. Favorite Hiking Spots: North Of Crystal

South of Crystal:

Starting this year, Mount Rainier NP has implemented a timed entry permit system. To enter the National Park, you will need to go on their website and purchase a timed entry permit in advance. Visiting the park is sooo worth it though! There are two sides to Mount Rainier: Sunrise and Paradise. From Crystal Mountain Resort, you will be closest to the Sunrise side. There are trails for everyone here, though Shannon and Evan are biased to Silver Forest Trail (0.5mi hike) where they got married in 2024! Shannon’s other favorite trail at Sunrise is Mt. Fremont Lookout, a beautiful fire lookout with close up views of Rainier which is stunning at sunset! Dont want to hike? Even just driving all around the park is scenic and beautiful!!

3. Mount Rainier National Park

Only an 18 minute drive from the venue and has gorgeous scenic views is this 6 mile roundtrip hike that is not located within Mt Rainier NP so it does not require a timed entry permit or National Parks Pass. If you would like, Crystal Mountain Resort offers this trail as a professionally guided hike. Book through the resort if you want to do it this way!

4. Crystal Lake Trail

High Rock Lookout is a relatively short (for WA standards) hike with a fire lookout at the top that overlooks all the neighboring mountain ranges (including Mt. Rainier). It is a bit of out of the way but by far on Shannon’s top 5 list of prettiest hikes in WA!

5. Favorite Hikes: South Of Crystal

West of Crystal:

Tugboat Annie’s is a favorite of Shannon’s. It’s both a restaurant and a place to kayak amongst the sea lions! If you kayak towards the wooden barges (left out of the marina) the sea lions love to hang out there. Additionally, it is a restaurant, home to the 10” burger which is made of 5 burger patties combined! Nearby is also the capitol building, rainbow bridge, and Mima Mounds. Shannon lived in Olympia for years and loved it so feel free to ask for her recommendations.

6. Olympia/ Tugboat Annie's

Northwest of Crystal:

Located in Tacoma, Point Defiance Park has a beach (Owen Beach), botanical gardens, zoo and aquarium within the park. There are also many trails and a drive through the old growth forest.

7. Point Defiance Park, Zoo And Aquarium

Located in Tacoma, Dorky’s is a large ‘80s-style arcade offering video games &amp; pinball, plus pizza &amp; plenty of beer; 21-&amp;-up after 9 PM. Shannon likes to partner a trip here with a comedy show at the Tacoma Comedy Club.

8. Dorky's Arcade 

A 4 story car museum with over 350 cars. The museum is listed as one of MSN's 10 Best Automotive Museums Worldwide.

9. Le May Car Museum

Pike Place is a giant market in Seattle that has men throwing fish in the air, the original Starbucks and a gum wall! Be sure to also find the Fremont troll while you’re in Seattle!

10. Pike Place, Gumwall And Original Starbucks

Seattle is home to the Seattle Mariners MLB Team. The stadium has great views of the Seattle skyline and is known for selling fried crickets and garlic fries!

11. Seattle Mariners At T-Mobile Park

This museum exhibits creative and colorful blown glass sculptures of renowned artist Dale Chihuly. It displays massive blown glass art pieces both indoors and outdoors. You can you get a discount on admission if you partner it with the Space Needle which right next door!

12. Chihuly Garden And Glass Museum

The Seattle Museum of Flight is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world! With over 175 aircraft and spacecraft, tens of thousands of artifacts, millions of rare photographs, dozens of exhibits and experiences and a world-class library, the museum and its people bring mankinds incredible history of flight to life. Plane enthusiasts should also check out the Boeing Factory, the largest factory in the country!

13. Seattle Museum Of Flight 

FRS Clipper/ Clipper Vacations is a fun whale watching tour boat that leaves from Seattle. There are other whale watching tours, but most leave from the islands around Seattle (harder to get to), so if you want to leave from Seattle then this is your best bet!

14. Whale Watching Tour- Clipper's Vacations

A burger chain unique to WA state that is known for having $2-3 hamburgers. There are several location throughout the state and they are all a little different. Some locations have a sit down portion, but most are just drive-ins!

15. Dick's Drive In 

Over A 2 Hour Drive:

North Cascades National Park is a hikers paradise! It’s not friendly to those that aren’t willing to hike a long distance, but has stunning views for those who are. If you are looking for remote alone time in nature, this is the stop for you! Shannon has backpacked on Park Butte Lookout Trail and it was so incredible!!

16. North Cascades National Park

The Mount Baker Scenic Byway takes you through Washington’s Cascades to see spectacular scenery that includes many viewpoints, waterfalls, and opportunities for short/ long hikes along the way. A popular hike, for good reason, is the Artist Point Trail: 3.2 mi round trip and provides amazing scenery!

17. Artist Point/ Mount Baker Scenic Byway

About 4 hours from Crystal Mountain is Mount St. Helens, an active volcano that erupted in 1980 and now has its top blown off. It was the deadliest and most economically destructive eruption in the US. If you are exploring Mount St. Helens, Shannon also recommends checking out Ape Caves, the third longest lava tube in North America, as well as Lower, Middle and Upper Lewis River Falls. Please note,however, that both of these places require a permit to enter!

18. Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument 

About 3.5 hours from Crystal Mountain is Portland, OR. It has its own quirky charm, hence its slogan “Keep Portland Weird”. A few favorites to do in the area:- Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area/ Multnomah Falls- Witch’s Castle (ruins in the forest)- Mill’s Park/ World’s Smallest Park- Voodoo Donuts Also nearby is Beacon Rock State Park which has beautiful views of the Columbia Gorge!

19. Portland, OR

West Of Crystal:

Shannon worked for the Forest Service out of Olympic National Forest and is very passionate about the diverse beauty of the peninsula. She can give you great primitive camping spots, and has the in for known and not very well known hikes (message Shannon for the 411). There are so many different biomes on the peninsula which will take several days drive to truly enjoy, so be sure to make a road-trip out of it! Also, be sure to bring a rain jacket. The word rainforest is no exaggeration. Some highlights include:- High Steel Bridge- Lake Cushman- Hama Hama Oyster Bar/ Saloon- Dungeness Spit- Hurricane Ridge- Cape Flattery (most NW point of contiguous US)- HoH Rainforest-Sequim Lavender Farms- Sol Duc Hot Springs- Forks, WA (where twilight was filmed)- Tree of Life- Rialto Beach/ Hole in the Wall- Lake Crescent- The Largest Sitka Spruce in the World (Quinault) This peninsula is Shannon’s second home so be prepared for a long text if asked her favorite off the beaten path places

20. Olympic National Park/ Olympic Peninsula

Things to Do

Registry

Check In Later!

Please check back at a later date to learn more about the timing of the wedding, specifically the start of the ceremony, as those details have not been sorted out yet. Stay tuned!

Shannon & Evan

Shannon & Evan

Registry

Your presence is a gift to us and physical gifts are totally not necessary. However, if you would like to purchase a gift from our registry, we request that all gifts are sent to our house (through the registry link) since our venue is far from where live! Thank you :)