Tips for Planning your Yosemite Elopement
Getting Ready
You’ll most likely be getting ready in the airbnb or hotel that you’re staying in. When booking your stay, try to look for places with good natural light, large windows, and a clean space without clutter. Natural light is the most flattering and whenever possible it is best when we can turn off the artificial lights that cast unnatural colors. Before you start getting ready try to make sure that the space is decluttered and things that won’t be used are put away. This not only makes for prettier photos but can reduce stress by making the things you do need easier to find.
Other things to consider…
When eloping alone, helping each other get ready can be a very sweet time together before your ceremony. If you’d rather not see each other until doing a First Look, Jess has become a pro at buttoning and lacing up wedding dresses.
When eloping with a few guests, this can be a great time to get them involved. Mom can button up your dress and best friend can help put on your necklace. Involving your special guests in this way makes for great memories and photos.
Will you hire someone to do your hair and makeup or do it yourself?
Is a “First Look” right for you? Do you imagine spending the morning slowly getting ready together? Or do you want to see each other all dressed up for the first time surrounded by beautiful scenery?
Your Elopement Ceremony
How do you envision your ceremony? Are there cultural or spiritual traditions that are important to you? This is your elopement, so it should be exactly what you want. That’s one of the amazing things about elopements; they are all about the two of you and what you really want your day to be about. It can be short and sweet or include as many special touches as you’d like.
To get ideas for your ceremony you can ask family members if they did anything special during their wedding ceremony or even just do some internet searching to see if there are things out there that you would have never thought of but are representative of your commitment to each other.
Other things to consider…
Will you hire an officiant to perform the ceremony or get legally married in your hometown before and just read hand written vows to each other?
Yosemite National Park requires a wedding permit to be obtained prior to the ceremony. Click here for information about wedding permits for Yosemite.
Ceremony Locations
Glacier Point - our favorite location for sunrise
Cathedral Beach - our favorite location in the Valley
Taft Point - our favorite location for sunset
Above are some of our favorite ceremony locations in Yosemite. If you’ll have more than 10 people you’ll need to choose from the locations listed on the NPS website here. For elopements with less than 11 you aren’t limited to that list and we can help you find a spot that might be a little more secluded. If you’d like your ceremony to be more intimate with less park visitors looking on, it is best to start before 10 am.
more Location Inspiration
Tunnel View
El Capitan Meadow
El Capitan Meadow
Mariposa Grove
Taft Point Trail
Cook’s Meadow
After The Ceremony
Celebrate with food and drink
After your ceremony will you pop some champagne, have a picnic somewhere secluded, head to a restaurant, or hire a private chef to prepare a meal at your AirBnB?
Share a first dance
Hire a musician or just play your favorite song from your IPhone while you embrace your new wife/husband and take some time to soak up the fact that you’re married!
You can do this back at the AirBnB with your guests or somewhere secluded in nature.
Go on an adventure
Take some time to enjoy an activity that you both love. Hiking out to a beautiful overlook like Taft Point to watch the sun set is an amazing thing to experience with your partner.
Yosemite Vendors
Officiants
Cindie Wilding cindiewilding.typepad.com
Donnie Alexander yosemiteadventureelopements.com
Videography
Caleb Timber & Tide Films @timberandtidefilms
Jimmy Rora Film Co. @rorafilmco
David forestryfilms.com @forestryfilms
Chris goodcostudios.com @goodcostudios
Hair & Makeup
swellbeauty.com
yosemitemakeup.com
Florists
www.instagram.com/theenchantedfloristandwhatnots/
www.instagram.com/blushingbloomscreative/
Cake/Catering
cakewalkcakeshop.com/home
Yosemite Accommodations
Yosemite West is about 30 minutes from the Valley, and 35 minutes to Glacier and Taft Points. It is a community of vacation homes that offer a lot more options than in the Valley.
Here is a link to see the options available for Yosemite West on booking.com
Staying in Yosemite Valley will allow you to walk or take the shuttle to most of the trails, waterfalls, etc, but has a very limited number of rooms and can book up quickly. The Valley to Glacier Point is about an hour drive. Your options for hotel-style lodging are Yosemite Valley Lodge and The Ahwahnee. Another option for staying in the valley is renting a camper van and staying at one of the campgrounds.
You can click here to see the options in the valley (aka Yosemite Village) on booking.com
Outside of the park are other options in the towns of Fish Camp, El Portal, Mariposa, Oakhurst, etc. The drive is usually over an hour and can sometimes take a long time to get into the gates of the park when there are long lines during busy days. Shown above is Tenaya Lodge.