The Yosemite Chapel is an Special Wedding Venue

Brad and Emily have been dear friends for as long as I can remember. Witnessing their Yosemite love story blossom over more than 20 years has been one of the most inspiring and heart warming stories I have ever experienced.

They first met in the mid 90’s when they both arrived in Yosemite Valley for summer jobs. Brad was a friend of mine from growing up. And when I won a trip at age 18 to come visit Yosemite, he came with me. We did our first backpacking trip, hiked for miles, and had quite the eye opening trip. Experiencing mountains and awe inspiring nature so grand changed my life forever. I knew during that trip to Yosemite that I had found my new home.

So I moved to the park the following summer and worked a season in Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite’s high country. Brad saw how amazing it was, and being the nature lover he is, he was hooked. He decided to come work in Yosemite National Park the next summer. He ended up getting a job in Yosemite Valley, and that’s when he met Emily. She grew up coming to Yosemite with her family. So it was a natural progression for her to come get a job in The Valley after high school.

They quickly became good friends through hiking, hanging, exploring and realizing that they felt very comfortable with each other. A place they could fully be themselves and not only feel seen, also appreciated. As time went on their paths drifted and little did they know that over 20 years later they would rekindle their friendship and it would grow into something more.

It’s been beyond beautiful to witness their path and I couldn’t be more happy for you Brad and Emily. You two are perfect for each other and I wish you both a lifetime of love, friendship and adventures in nature.

If you’re looking for your Yosemite intimate wedding photographer, or you’re wanting to come have an Adventure Elopement, please reach out through my Contact Page. I look forward to hearing from you.

Adventure elopement photography of wedding couple.
We started with some portraits behind the Yosemite Chapel where their wedding ceremony was.

Adventure elopement photography of wedding couple.

The Yosemite Chapel really is in one of the most beautiful locations on earth.

I love capturing moments like this.

Brad and Emily had a very intimate wedding.

Yosemite National Park is perfect for intimate weddings.

With views like this, Yosemite offers so much more than just a location for your ceremony. Most couples want to go explore and get photos around the Valley, or up to Glacier Point and Taft Point, or into Yosemite’s spectacular high country out of Tuolumne Meadows.

I love taking couples to locations where they’ve never been before.

And as you can see, I do love delivering some of your images in black and white. Sometimes it just captures the moment in a way that feels right especially emotions.

And if you have locations that are special to you, please let me know so we can take that into consideration when we design your wedding day flow.

With a willingness to get off the beaten path and hike for a little while, the amount of stunning locations that opens up to us is immense.

I love Yosemite’s lesser known vistas.

But there’s nothing like real, authentic, special moments, especially in great light!

And incredible lines and texture.

And when you know the right spot, you can even catch the sun actually setting by getting off the valley floor where the sun goes behind the cliffs much earlier.