5 Simple Steps To Have The Best Elopement In Yosemite National Park
Eloping in Yosemite? Here’s 5 Simple Steps to have the Best Elopement experience in Yosemite National Park!
Location: Washburn Point
It’s no secret Yosemite is one of the most beautiful, crowded, and take-my-breath-away-as-I-drive-through- kinda national parks in the U.S..
Notorious in the summer for traffic (but some pretty great views), heat, and killer sunsets. There is a certain charm that holds nostalgic over my heart when I think of Yosemite. The deer grazing in the grass, misty smiles near Vernal Falls, endless lounging in the meadows, and the nighttime chant of “oooo I see headlamps right there, and there, and oh look those reached the top” as you observe in awe and bewilderment at the brave souls who spend the night suspended feet above the air up on El Capitan.
SO, I can only imagine how dreamy it would be for couples to ponder the idea of sharing their vows in Yosemite, with good reason of course. It’s the land of views, grandeur, awesomeness, raw beauty, endless waterfalls and so on and on. Hands down one of THE best places to share your vows and commit your life to your partner.
Yosemite + Elopements = I Love You 4everrrr
If you’re looking to elope in Yosemite there’s some planning that’s still going to need to take place. Photog-advice-edition. Let’s talk easy steps to creating a great elopement experience in Yosemite -from best seasons, timing, lodging, best photo spots. All the good stuff. Let’s go!
Step One: #LegalizeIt
First thing you’re gonna need to take care of is securing a permit with the park, they hand out so many of these bad boys that all your questions can be answered here: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/weddings.htm
But in a nutshell here’s what you need to have set in stone before you apply: A date and how many people with you (if any?) This will also help determine the ceremony sites you can use.
For intimate elopements that are just the two of you, you’ll be able to have more flexibility/freedom of choosing private ceremony spots
For larger groups you might be restricted to certain specific locations depending on the number in your party (they’re still beautiful though)
Official Ceremony Location List found here: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wedloc.htm
My Top Ceremony Picks:
Yosemite Valley - Cascades Picnic Area
Yosemite Valley- Cathedral Beach
Yosemite Valley - Swinging Bridge
Taft Point
Yosemite Valley- Sentinel Beach
Glacier Point
It’s best to carefully read through the parks website, do some research, look up previous elopements on google in the area you’re thinking of, and if you have some specific questions, I’d encourage you not to email the park (cause ya know thousands of people are emailing them), just give them a quick call they’re happy to help!
Step Two : Planning for Seasons + Timing
From a photography perspective, October is the best month to plan your elopement in Yosemite, the summer crowds have long diminished, the road up to Glacier Point is usually still open (as long as weather permits), and of course all the fall colors!! It’ll be chilly but the privacy, rich gold colors, and views more than make up for it.
“ Avoid weekend elopements during the high season June-August (and even off season if possible) aim to schedule your elopement for a weekday, you have a higher chance for privacy and seclusion.”
Of course October doesn’t work for everyone so if you plan on early spring/summer make sure to schedule your elopement ceremony for sunrise or sunset to beat the crowds and traffic.
Photo Pro Tip: Start at sunrise in the Valley floor for photos or ceremony (your choice), take a mid day break, and re group with your photographer for sunset at Taft Point, Glacier Point, or Washburn Point for more photos or ceremony (again your choice you can do it vice versa- totally your preference).
Step Three: Zzz Gotta Sleep Somewhere + Honeymoon ?
If you’re looking for a stress-free experience, one way to minimize commuting on the day of and during your stay, is of course booking lodging within the park or on the outskirts. This is also a good time to start thinking about honeymoon plans : whether you’ll be making it the focal point of your honeymoon trip, or making it a part of a series of epic locations on a road trip, or simply incorporating a few extra days of solitude before a bigger honeymoon trip.
You can start off by looking within the park itself, however due to high numbers of visitors sometimes they can already be booked out (during spring/summer).
The lodging inside the park is gonna depend on your style of travel, from traditional hotel style to open glamping tents. Find all the lodging options inside the park here: https://www.travelyosemite.com/lodging/yosemite-lodging-experience/
Inside Yosemite: I won’t spend to much time going over all these options but here’s the big take away: booking lodging inside the park is convenient.
1.) The Ahwanee Hotel isn’t “fancy”, the rooms aren’t blow your mind, but the real draw here is the exterior beauty of how seamless the architectural design was incorporated into the setting of Yosemite. The next big draw is that it has a large dining hall for food (can accommodate larger groups), and it’s notoriously famous (but doesn’t live up to it’s hype) : brunch. Primarily the biggest perk is convenience because you’ll be in the park already.
The Ahwahnee Hotel at Yosemite. (wehardy/Flickr)
BUT I did promise a photography perspective, so I would actually invite you to look outside of the park for lodging and here’s why: the rooms aren’t always the most flattering or have the best light for getting ready photos. Compare yellowish and outdated rooms to an Airbnb rental with spacious room, clean light, lots of windows, modernly furnished, and so on. It will take your elopement experience to the next level.
Clean light, spacious, definitely a much better setting to start off your elopement day! Location: AutoCamp Yosemite
Lodging in Mariposa CA:
I would advise to check on Airbnb and VRBO for listings near Yosemite, you’ll want to take into account how long of a drive it will be into the park/ceremony location and also account for any traffic leading into the park. (A healthy time travel should be about 1 hour and 30 minutes for lodging outside of the park.)
You can also check Google for some gems like AutoCamp Yosemite, a new Airstream Park with modern cabins, chic camping, or glamping. This is where I would personally go I mean, look at it- SO CUTE! Check em out here: https://autocamp.com/guides/location/yosemite/
Step 4: Yosemite Elopement CheckList and Gearing up for the Day
Dress + Suit: You can go as dressed up as you normally would or even more casual, your call. I will mention though that hiking boots with good tread are a must have if you’ll be doing any hikes or even if you’ll be walking around for a bit. Heels are never a good option here.
Ceremony : Consider what you want to incorporate into your ceremony, handwritten vows, letters, a song, letters from family members, any special surprises for your partner etc.
Come Prepared: You gotta remember that this is still nature and whether you are planning on just a few hours or a full day of exploring in the park it’s essential that you come prepared with all the fixings, yep I’m talking the main outdoor essentials : water, food, layers, sunscreen, maps/compass, first aid kit, etc.
Headlamps: If you are out on a hike and stay during sunset because the views at Taft Point were just so amazing, then you’re gonna want to count on a headlamp to light your path back through the trail safely!
Step 5: Celebrating:
Sentinel Beach - Yosemite, CA
It’s your WEDDING DAY after all! Make sure to celebrate! Bring the champagne (make sure to pick up that cork), have a special lunch or go to Curry Village for some pizza, lounge in the meadow, take a nap in your van, and end the night cuddled by the fire with s’mores. There is no right way of “celebrating”, that’s the beauty of eloping - you make the rules!
