Leap into Love Pop-Up Wedding Chapel
Leap into Love at Baker . . . it’s a match made in the majestic mountains! On Leap Day, we will be providing free wedding and vow renewal ceremonies on the mountain!
WHEN: Thursday February 29th
• Pre-registration is required so that we can reserve a time-slot for you and prepare your ceremony.
• Minimum age requirement: 18 for both participants in all types of ceremonies.
WHERE: Depending on the weather, ceremonies will be performed either at the top of Chairs 3/4, or the Raven Hut lodge.
PLEASE NOTE: The ceremony location is only accessible by skiing/riding, and participants and friends/family must have a valid season pass or lift ticket for the day of the ceremony. For safety reasons, no uphill hiking to the location is allowed.
THE CEREMONY:
– Bear in mind these will be very simple ceremonies. If you’re looking for music, marching down the aisle, or other traditions of a classic ceremony, this is most likely not the right fit for you. If you’re looking to celebrate your love in a simple way in the beauty of nature (with the possibility of some PNW weather), we’d love to help you celebrate!
– For the safety of the wildlife and to honor the natural setting, there will be no rice, flowers, seeds, birdseed or any other type of items “thrown” at the ceremony. Snowballs are ok, so long as they are tossed gently and pre-approved by the couple.
– Two Mt. Baker staff will be on hand as witnesses if the couple does not have anyone else attending.
– We welcome LGBTQ+ couples!
MARRIAGE
To enter a legally-binding union, here are the steps you must take:
1. APPLY FOR A MARRIAGE LICENSE
– License must be from a county within Washington State
– Whatcom County marriage license has $62 fee
– For complete list of applicant & age requirements, go to the Whatcom County Marriage License web page.
– There is a 3-day waiting period from the time you pay for a license to the date you can get married.
In order to be legally married you will need to pay for and submit your application for a license by Monday Feb. 26 to get married on Thursday Feb. 29th. We suggest doing it sooner to avoid any technical, or other, issues.
2. HAVE A CEREMONY
That’s where we come in! Our CEO, Gwyn Howat, is a licensed marriage officiant and will perform a non-religious 5-minute marriage ceremony. See Ceremony details above. For those getting legally married, the couple will receive a small bouquet and, for those over the age of 21, two glasses of champagne.
3. COMPLETE AND RETURN THE CERTIFICATE
The officiant who performs your ceremony has 30 days from the date of the ceremony to return the Department of Health Certificate of Marriage to the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office. (Gwyn and the Mt. Baker crew will complete and return the certificate to the Auditor’s Office). The Recording Division will record the certificate and mail a certified copy to the address you provide during the application process.
VOW RENEWAL
A marriage vow renewal ceremony, also known as a wedding vow reaffirmation ceremony, is a ceremony where a married couple renews or reaffirms their original marriage vows as a way to celebrate and display their commitment to one another. See Ceremony details above.