Have you been dreaming of a Yosemite Park wedding? With the gorgeous mountain backdrop, how could you not?! Get all the inspiration for a Yosemite elopement here and learn the best tips for planning your own elopement at Yosemite National Park! 

Why Plan a Yosemite Elopement?:

1. It Has Stunning Nature Backdrops

No matter where you go in Yosemite National Park, you’re going to be met with some absolutely GORGEOUS backdrops. Think forests, cute chapels, and stunning mountain views you won’t find anywhere else! I’m so obsessed with every photo-op here. Each place in the park that you go will add so much variety to your gallery!

2. You Can Have Your Dream Intimate Wedding

Yosemite is the perfect place for your intimate wedding or elopement with it being so spaced out! You can bring a small group (or bring no one, if that’s your vibe), and it will be absolutely perfect. So romantic! There are over 10 different ceremony sites to choose from, so plan accordingly. Your comfort level with park guests around will help narrow down the best spot for your Yosemite elopement! If you’re asking “where is the best place to elope in Yosemite,” my personal favorites are Glacier Point, Lower Yosemite Fall Paved Trail, and Cathedral Beach Picnic Area. 

Tips for How to Elope in Yosemite: 

1. Yosemite Weddings Require a Permit

First, you have to download the application here to apply for your Yosemite elopement permit. You’ll need to put your desired ceremony location, date, personal information, and any special needs for your party on the form! Once you fill it out and send it in (with a $150 application fee), you can schedule your wedding and pay for your permit fee (another $150). Note that you must schedule out between 21 days and one year of the application date! 

2. Plan Your Yosemite Elopement Timeline

Your permit for your Yosemite elopement allows your party to be in the park for two hours. Note that your permit does not restrict other park visitors from your site, so make sure you make a good plan for the place and time! It is highly encouraged to go visit your ceremony location before the actual wedding to make planning your timeline easier. 

Pro tip: Avoid park sites that are typically busy, or plan to schedule your ceremony for early or late in the day when there are fewer visitors in the area! If you’re doing this, just make sure to think about where the light will be hitting for your photos.

3. Note the Park Restrictions: 

Of course, Yosemite has some rules and restrictions to protect its natural beauty. Make sure to be respectful of the area and make note of the following rules: 

• Restrictions include decorations like arches, balloons, signs, etc.
• Yosemite wedding ceremonies are not allowed to take place around the bases of sequoia trees
• No disperal of any object (butterfly releases, rice tosses, confetti, birdseed tosses, etc) are not allowed

Gisele and Jared’s Yosemite Elopement Photos: 

Gisele and Jared previously got married, but they wanted the time on their wedding day to be more focused on each other and less focused on taking pictures. So, they decided to get all dressed up again to get some wedding photos at Yosemite National Park! 

I, for one, absolutely love this idea. It allows you to focus on the moments on your wedding day AND get to relive seeing each other in your wedding attire afterwards! It also gives you more variety in your wedding photos to have photos done at a different location. 

For this gallery, we went during the fall right before sunset. The leaves and the lighting were absolutely PERFECT, and I simply cannot get over it. During the fall, note that the sun sets earlier in the day, so you can plan your photo timeline around that! 

We hit a ton of different locations in the park, and it made for the most gorgeous photos. I will truly never be over these. 

Getting this one-on-one time with the couple for photos was a great opportunity to capture their love without all of the nerves and stress that a wedding day can sometimes bring. I would highly recommend doing this with your partner! It could even be a fun anniversary date to get all dressed up and play bride and groom again. 😉

Book Me As Your Yosemite Elopement Photographer!

I hope this guide showing you how to get married at Yosemite National Park was helpful! If you’re looking for a Northern California wedding photographer to capture your Yosemite wedding or Yosemite elopement, you can inquire here. I can’t WAIT to capture the moments of your special day!