Two-Day Yosemite National Park Elopement with Two Brides

A common theme I see with my elopement couples - especially those who travel from out of state - is multi-day elopements. I love when couples prioritize their experience together over expectations for the day and multi-day elopements are one of the best ways to make the most of your elopement experience! 

An elopement does not have to just be a one-day event; it can be 2, 3, or even week-long events exploring new areas and celebrating one of the biggest moments of your life! Caitlyn and Katheryn planned a 2-day elopement at Yosemite National Park to celebrate the start of their marriage. Keep reading to learn more about their story!

How Caitlyn and Katheryn Decided on an Elopement at Glacier Point During COVID

When they first started planning their wedding, Caitlyn and Kathryn dreamed of having a celebration with friends and family, but the universe had other plans. These two were planning their wedding the summer after COVID hit in 2020 so the idea to elope quickly became the best option. Thankfully, some of the restrictions were lifted over the summer, just in time for their elopement. 

While COVID caused a lot of couples to reevaluate their wedding plans and choose to elope, that’s not the only reason to elope! In fact, there are lots of reasons why an elopement might be the best choice for you! Check out the blog post below for 10 common reasons couples elope!

Caitlyn & Katheryn are both physical therapists that love adventure and travel. Their initial idea was to get married at Taft Point in Yosemite National Park. After chatting with them, we figured out a way to incorporate two of Yosemite’s best viewpoints in their wedding day timeline; Taft Point and Glacier Point. They ended up deciding to go with a multi-day elopement, so they could soak in the experience and explore the park to the fullest. 

This new plan included everything they were after and made their whole experience so much more relaxed while also allowing them to tackle two of the park’s most beautiful locations. Their elopement trip also happened to be Caitlyn's first time visiting Yosemite so we made sure to cover as many locations for photos as possible, including Yosemite Valley.

Caitlyn and Katheryn’s Yosemite National Park Elopement at Glacier Point

The week before their elopement, Caitlyn and Katheryn traveled from Florida to California. They wanted to spend some time in the park ahead of time exploring and getting ready for their big day. 

On the first day of their elopement, I met up with the couple at their Airbnb cabin in the afternoon. I loved all the personal details they thought to include like handmade and personalized jewelry and some “just eloped” signs for their backpacks but one of the most fun parts of the getting ready photos was how the brides got ready together, but still had a first look. Neither of them had seen each other’s dresses before the wedding day so after helping each other get ready, they then got separately into their dresses and had the sweetest first look out on the deck.

After finishing the first look photos, we headed into the park and went straight to Taft Point for sunset photos where the brides popped champagne! 

The next morning we got up super early for their sunrise ceremony at Glacier Point. One of my favorite moments was while reading vows during their ceremony they both cried realizing how amazing the setting was, and that they were finally getting married! It was such a sweet moment that we ended up just sitting down and soaking in the moment while the sun came up above the mountains.

Connect with me on Instagram to see photos and some BTS from this Yosemite National Park elopement and more!

One thing about eloping in California in the summertime is that the west coast is often hit with wildfires and this year was no exception. On top of navigating difficulties with COVID, we also had to deal with the uncertainty of wildfires and the smoke that it brought into the park. I seriously am blessed with the best couples and Caitlyn and Katheryn simply went with the flow and trusted me throughout the whole process. Although some of the views were covered in smoke, we still got to experience all the magic Yosemite has to offer.

Caitlyn and Katheryn’s Yosemite elopement was one of my favorites because we covered everything from details to getting ready to a first look to so many different adventures in the park. We even had time to drive into Yosemite Valley & take some casual couples' photos with their Jeep.

To learn more about Yosemite elopements, click on the link below! Or, if you’re ready to start planning your California elopement, head over to my contact page to get started!

Kind Words from Caitlyn & Katheryn

Will is the most amazing elopement photographer we could've asked for. We planned our elopement in less than 3 months and he helped us with planning every step of the way. He helped us find local vendors, lodging tips/options, officiant options, location scouting for our wedding spot, hiking recommendations, and laid out our itinerary. He was also always available to answer our questions. Working with Will while in Yosemite was an absolute blast! He made us feel so comfortable and let us truly be ourselves with our elopement. He is a great person and so kind and thoughtful. Our photos are SO STUNNING!!!! We're in love with all of them and he did such an amazing job. We 100% recommend him for any couple!!!

- Caitlyn & Kathryn

Yosemite Elopement Vendors

Photography & Planning | Will Khoury Photography

Officiant | Donny Alexander

Are You Ready to Start Planning Your Yosemite elopement?

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Editing:

This elopement was edited using WKpresets from start to finish. WKpresets are designed to work in every lighting situation you can think of so that you don’t have to go back and forth between different looks, lots of options to edit from, and mainly, finish your editing as quickly as possible.

If you enjoy the look of these photos and would like to have the same tones and editing style on your photos, check out WKpresets

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