Hiking Adventure Elopement at Yosemite National Park | Sunrise Ceremony at Glacier Point and Sunset Adventure Portraits at Taft Point | Yosemite Intimate Wedding & Elopement Photographer


Bride and groom celebrating their elopement at glacier point in Yosemite National Park

Yosemite is definitely my favorite National Park for any adventure elopement or intimate wedding. Between Half Dome, El Capitan, and the lush meadows in Yosemite Valley, this place and its endless beauty are something you have to witness at least once in your lifetime.

Julie and Calvin first reached out to me for an engagement session. They found my Travel Schedule and saw California so the couple wanted a destination engagement at Yosemite National Park. At this point, I had never been to Yosemite before so I was super stoked to experience this beautiful place with this beautiful couple for the first time ever.

Two months after our initial conversation, I got an email with the subject line “Is it even possible?” from Julie. I immediately clicked on that email because my friend that subject line is such a good click bait 🤣. And that was when I learned that they couple decided to turn this adventure to Yosemite National Park into an actual elopement. By this time, we were about four months away from meeting up in California. I guess this is what an adventurous elopement is all about: planned but also leave a bit of room for spontaneity

Julie and Calvin’s elopement was super intimate. It was just the couple, my husband (the event planner/stylist behind Rain and Pines) and I.


Interested in eloping at Yosemite National Park but also want to have some friends or family members there with you? Check out this blog post for more inspo


The best and only vendors you need for your intimate elopement in Yosemite or anywhere else: Henry Tieu Photography and Rain and Pines :)
The best and only vendors you need for your intimate elopement in Yosemite or anywhere else: Henry Tieu Photography and Rain and Pines 🙂

Elope In Yosemite National Park: A Full-Day Elopement Experience

We all stayed in our Airstream at AutoCamp Yosemite the night before and woke up at 3 AM the morning of to drive all the way up to Glacier Point before the sunrise. Rain and Pines designed all the floral arrangements and officiated the wedding and I was the couple’s witness.

It’s such a humbling experience to not only be there and capture their love for one another but also to be a legal witness to their marriage, truly, there’s no word to describe how amazing it is to be loved and trusted by my clients. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so so so much

The couple, Rain and Pines, and I ended up spending over 10 hours together on their elopement day. We woke up early for a beautiful sunrise at Glacier Point, grabbed breakfast, went back to our Airstreams, took a nap, woke up to get ready again, drove back into Yosemite, and hiked Taft Point.

Our day was full of stories. Stories about life, stories about love. Stories about how fortunate we all are to live in such a beautiful world and stories about how fucking hard we all have to work out butts off to fight for what we love. From all these conversations from the heart, we realized that Calvin and I are very much alike in so many different ways and the same goes to Julie and Viet. Unbeknownst to any of us, we “accidentally” started a new friendship.

One thing I love doing is when writing a blog post, I go back to the very first email the couple sent me when they inquired. Reading all these words all over again and reflect back to the whole experience when we spent all those time together, it is such an amazing thing to experience.

Julie wrote “Your pictures make me emotional. I start imagining how my mom will react when she will see your work and it always makes me tear up. I truly feel like we can count on you to capture our moment of pure bliss, doing what we love most: exploring new places hand in hand”

Right after the elopement, I did receive a love note from Julie’s mom and I took that message to heart. I was able to be there for them and capture a story so family at home can experience what we experienced via photographs. To me, that’s the biggest thing and the most meaningful thing I can ever do for anyone.

The day I sent the couple their sneak photos (way before their final gallery), this is what the sweet couple wrote for me as a review

He did all the heavy lifting to make sure that everything went smoothly on our day.

Wow, where do I even begin? To say that Henry is an amazing photographer is quite the understatement. Henry is the best, truly. Aside from saying yes to marrying my husband (lol), asking Henry to photograph our elopement was the next best decision I ever made. Our ceremony took place in Yosemite National Park. He did all the research and laid out the logistics such as timing/locations for us. In other words, he did all the heavy lifting to make sure that everything went smoothly on our day. Not only is Henry super friendly and professional, he also makes you feel so comfortable. After spending the day with him, my husband and I seriously felt as if we had known him for 10+ years. This is so important because we felt completely open and comfortable with him the whole day. When you’re able to get on that level with your wedding photographer, it makes a huge difference. Not to mention, you can just tell that Henry is truly passionate about his work. Not only that, he also cares about his clients. To him, it’s more than just a business transaction. We felt like we gained a lifetime friend!

Speaking of photos. I mean, are you kidding me? He might actually be a wizard. The photos are just unreal. I have said this so many times, but I’ll say it again, Henry is the best!
Julie & Calvin
Elopement in Yosemite National Park


Before we even start with the photos, I would love to share the special GIF Video I made for Julie and Calvin. I acted as their Yosemite Elopement Videographer by combining photos and animation GIFs for this video below:

A GIF Video consists of multiple GIFS (moving photos) and Stills (normal photos) to create a hybrid between a typical wedding video and a slideshow. A GIF Video would also include your VOWS and all the in-between moments of your day. IT TRULY IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL A LOVE STORY.

Interested in booking me for your own GIF Video? Learn more about GIF Videos here

Julie and Calvin’s elopement is now featured on Junebug Weddings

Bride and groom kissing in the forest at Yosemite National Park (overlay of Junebug Weddings 2020 feature logo)
Half Dome at Sunrise Yosemite national park elopement wedding
Glacier point sunrise elopement first look
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Bride and groom during their first look on Glacier Point in front if Half Dome during their elopement photography
Bride and groom during their first look on Glacier Point in front if Half Dome during their elopement
Yosemite elopement and wedding photographer with couple in glacier point
Bride and groom during their first look on Glacier Point in front if Half Dome during their elopement photography
Yosemite romantic and boho hiking elopement
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Bride and groom exchanged their vows in front of beautiful views of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park elopement bride and groom crying
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Yosemite elopement photography and planning
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Yosemite National Park wedding photography and planning
Bride and groom popped champagne to celebrate their elopement at Yosemite National Park during sunrise on Glacier Point
Bride and groom popped champagne to celebrate their elopement at Yosemite National Park during sunrise on Glacier Point
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Yosemite intimate wedding in the valley
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Glacier Point Elopement at Yosemite National Park | Boho blush bouquet by rain and pines
Beautiful sunrise Glacier Point Yosemite National Park
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Autocamp Airstream trailer Yosemite Wedding Venue
Bride and groom eating their wedding cake at Autocamp yosemite
Bride and groom eating their wedding cake at Autocamp yosemite
Autocamp Airstream trailer Yosemite Wedding Venue
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Dark and moody Yosemite National Park elopement in the cabin
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Autocamp Airstream trailer Yosemite Wedding Venue
Dark and moody Yosemite National Park elopement in the cabin
Dark and moody Yosemite National Park elopement in the cabin
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Yosemite summer elopement wedding location and photographer
Gorgeous sunset Taft Point Yosemite National Park elopement
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Gorgeous sunset Taft Point Yosemite National Park elopement
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Gorgeous sunset Taft Point Yosemite National Park elopement
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Hanging rock at Yosemite National Park wedding and elopement
Hanging rock at Yosemite National Park wedding and elopement
Taft Point elopement at Yosemite National Park
Taft Point elopement at Yosemite National Park
Taft Point elopement at Yosemite National Park
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Henry Tieu Photography and bride and groom kissing him at Yosemite National Park during their wedding and elopement
Henry Tieu Photography and bride and groom kissing him at Yosemite National Park during their wedding and elopement
Henry Tieu Photography and bride and groom kissing him at Yosemite National Park during their wedding and elopement

The Best Yosemite National Park Elopement Vendors:

Yosemite Elopement Photographer: Henry Tieu Photography

Wedding Stylist and Floral Designs: Rain and Pines

Elopement Suite: Dear Darling Design

Dress: Wtoo by Watters

Venue: Yosemite National Park


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