Imagine for a second an icy dream. Snow is everywhere, and in the distance – mountains of green, channels of blue, and snowcapped mountains appear through thick, puffy clouds of white. Silhouettes of mountains surround you. That is the exact dream of eloping on a glacier that L + E enjoyed, with 3 whole people – their officiant, their helicopter pilot, and your’s truly. This is the story of how two people came to get married all by themselves on Herbert Glacier.
When your future husband tells you, “We’re getting married on a glacier in Alaska,” you just don’t ask any questions. You begin planning blindly while you thank the universe for giving you someone that listens to you. That’s what L does. When E tells her he had set it all up and they’d be taking a helicopter to a remote glacier she begins the arduous task of planning an elopement in another state on which they had never set eyes.
Day 1 – Eloping on a Glacier
I arrive at the Bergendorf Hotel just a few steps away from my hotel, The Alaskan Hotel (more on this a little later), in downtown Juneau. Downtown Juneau is the tiniest city I’ve been in. Spanning just a few blocks, sits downtown Juneau, right on the the Gastineau channel. Surrounded by forest, water, and wildlife, it’s tucked away perfectly between two dead ends. No cars in or out. You can only fly or boat into Juneau.
L and Brie, her make-up artist and hairstylist, greet me. E is walking in and out since it takes little to no time for him to get ready, as he says.
The room is quiet, allowing for L to take it all in. So I catch their details. Their ring box is befitting of their glacier elopement, clear like ice. For their comfort they’ve chosen to put microspikes on their navy blue Chucks. The perfect combination of safety and comfort.
E gets ready in their room. Luckily they booked the suite so they separate spaces to get ready, but similar views to enjoy while they do so.
Since L is ready, we head down and go outside for a few bridal portraits while we wait for E to finish up for their first look. L walks off some nerves.
Eric, finally ready, heads downstairs to meet his bride. He has yet to see her in her dress. They meet on a corner and take a closer look at each other, admiring the new duds. The limo comes to swoop us up to grab their marriage license and head to the airport to hop a helicopter, the perfect transportation for eloping on a glacier.
After watching a safety video and getting our microspikes on, we get on the tarmac to board the helicopter. Off we go into the horizon, our pilot and officiant tell us more about Herbert Glacier and the surrounding areas. There’s ice, snow, and mountains as far as the eye can see. It’s a sight unlike any other, inexplicable, breathtaking. L, with a seat up front gets to take it all in.
Our pilot finds a flat place to land and sets us down. Where she lands, one side is the green tree-lined mountains and blue waters of the channels, on the other side is a massive expanse of ice fields and glaciers. During their ceremony they’re overcome by the brightness of the ice and decide to wear their sunglasses. L + E on the other hand are taken in by each other, Herbert Glacier just happens to be there. The officiant delivers his ceremony, I hear running water, melting ice beneath us and all around.
Their officiant announces them husband and wife and L + E immediately explore the glacier, looking for the flowing water. Huge crevices in the ice echo with the evidence of moving water. They look bottomless. L + E get some private time while we stay behind and watch their amazement from afar. There’s no doubt that this place is extraordinary because the time seems to pass too quickly and before we know it, the pilot instructs us to get back on the helicopter to head back. We part for the evening to meet tomorrow for their multiday elopement celebration.
Day 2 – More Adventures for Their Adventure Elopement
This Alaskan elopement isn’t don’t just yet. You’d think eloping on a glacier was exciting enough, but there’s so much more to see. So the two take me along on an adventure to explore more of Alaska’s capital. Today we’re sending home fresh Alaska eats to share with our family and friends and doing a little more exploring. We head to Glacier Gardens, where it’s pouring rain but beautiful nonetheless. E is so sweet that he asks his bride, “Will your hair be okay?” before we get out of the car to go on our tour.
This property was bought and maintained by one family. On our tour we have the pleasure of meeting Steven, who has built roads and maintains the landscaping in these gardens for the enjoyment and education of the public.
We’re not very prepared for the weather, so we head to Fred Meyer to gear up. For whatever reason eloping on a glacier proves less cold than our day out in the rain. Of course, we take the opportunity to gear up with some Juneau and Alaskan souvenir merch and head back on the road to hike to Nugget Falls, a waterfall adjacent to Mendenhall Glacier.
The hike is short and paved, making it an easy trek. Along the hike is a rock with a plaque that commemorates a special wolf named Roman. The tour guide at Glacier Gardens had told us about the black wolf who was friendly and would walk with people and their dogs.
We arrive at a robust waterfall. Mendenhall Glacier is just down the way visible across the lake, keeping within the theme of their glacier elopement. She looks like a bunch of ice cubes toppling over into the water. L + E climb over the rocks to feel the mist of the waterfall and explore the rocks. E hands L a single rock to keep, the way a penguin gives a rock to the penguin they’d like to be with forever. The gesture is befitting for the moment. Hand in hand they head back, touching the plants growing on the rocks and looking at other waterfalls along the way.
Our next stop is the Mount Roberts Goldbelt Tramway, a gondola that takes us up the mountain to see amazing views of the Gastineau Channel and all of Juneau. L playfully teases E for his fear of heights in the line at the bottom loading dock . She holds him in on the gondola all the same, making sure she reminds him how scary it is. It’s freezing so we stay in the shops and take in the scenery from inside, only stepping out for a few seconds to freeze and see the view over the cliff. Ourside the weather reminds us of the chill and we head back inside and down the mountain.
Day 3 – The End of a Beautiful Glacier Elopement
On our last day together we head to a beach close to the southside end of the city. It’s the literal end of the road in Juneau, only accessible by flight or boat. The Gastineau Channel greets us with it’s still water and amazing views. Surprisingly the water is calm even when a cruise ship passes through it. We have the beach to ourselves besides a few fishers. L + E explore taking in the views and finding fish and wildlife in the water. There are bones all along the beach. The couple picks up some of them to examine. Our stroll leads us to a bridge and we head under it to see a waterfall we hear from the water. We follow a short path to a beautiful, hidden waterfall.
We say our goodbyes before they head back Downtown to board a ship to whale watch, something I’m totally mad I miss. But now they get to enjoy their time alone. As I head back to Las Vegas, one of the helicopters from the company we used the other day for their glacier elopement is landing. It reminds me of their time together. I hope that another happy couple got to experience the beautiful and fluffy clouds of that day.
