Behind the Scenes of a Yosemite Elopement

When I think about the majesty of the great outdoors, I immediately think of Yosemite. Though this was my first time there, it was everything I expected and so much more. Here was my itinerary:

Day 1 Drive from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. Family shoot. Pick up my first time travel buddy, Nak, and head to Yosemite
Day 2 Arrive in Yosemite. Explore Yosemite – Scouting.
Day 3 Elopement day.
Day 4 Explore day. Drive from Yosemite to Fresno.
Day 5 A Day in Fresno
Day 6 Drive from Fresno to Las Vegas.

Day 1 - Las Vegas to Cerritos (Glendale & Downtown LA)

I begrudginly rub my eyes open at 2:00 AM to pickup my Turo rental, a long range Tesla. 3 hours of sleep is enough for a 8 hour drive, right? This is my first trip to Yosemite and I’m giddy at the thought of driving through that tunnel to set my eyes on the Yosemite Valley in the Fall. I head back to the house to pick up my luggage, cameras, and paddleboards. I’m determined to paddleboard all over the world and Yosemite has been on my list for a long time.

The drive through the desert is quiet. I watch the sunrise over colorful rocky hills. Watching the sunrise in a full auto pilot Tesla is elite. You can stare out the windows and drive, but safely.

I arrive at my cousin Sheena’s, owner of Rooted Harmony, the floral designer I will be picking up my bride’s florals from. She promises to let me sleep while she completes my couple’s bouquet and bouttonniere. Before leaving for my quick family session in Glendale, I take a long nap to make up for my early as hell wake up call. And then I promise myself that I’ll get more sleep once I get back from my shoot.

But LA traffic had other plans. Driving back, I’m watching the time that I have to get rest dwindle down as I sit in parking lot looking traffic to go back to my cousin’s. Eventually, I arrive, but then it’s dinner time and Sheena’s my cousin, all I want is to spend time with her, catch up, play with her kids. But I have shit to do so I get 1 more hour of sleep before I head to pick up Nak, my couple’s good friend and officiant for their elopement. Lucky for me, my cousin packed a whole ass bag of food and snacks for the rest of my trip, something I didn’t consider before leaving. Grateful isn’t the word.

Some previews from my shoot with the Rice Family.

Day 2 - Yosemite

The moment he gets into the car I know we’re meant to be friends. Before the trip we had been texting each other, even hopped on a facetime once. Nak is perpetually positive and really just the sweetest person on Earth so I had no qualms about traveling with him. The lonely, stale vibes in Tessy (short for Tesla) from my solo travel is immediately electrified by Nak’s smile. And he brought the snacks, y’all! Hawaiian ube cookies, pineapple jellies, umami potato chips?! I mean, come on, I couldn’t have found a better roadtrip buddy. Finally, someone else can drive too.

We laugh our asses off all the way to Yosemite. And when we arrive Nak is kind enough to drive so that I can take in all the views.

That tunnel view is something else. Mountains jut toward the sky leaving a shadow of trees in its valley. All I want to do is stare at it all day, but we have so many other spots to check out, like A + M’s ceremony location, Bridalveil Falls.

It’s a short drive from the tunnel view. We stop in the parking lot to eat our sandwiches. About halfway through our sandwiches, Nak says, “I keep biting and the sandwich isn’t disappearing at all.”

Revived by our breakfast, we head up to the falls to check out the ceremony spot. The brisk air hits my cheeks stinging my eyes.

It’s an easy paved stroll uphill to the edge of the waterfall. Autumn sends slower streams down the fall, more like whisps of water. The dry rocks just beyond the path are never this dry in the Summer when the falls are roaring and abundant. Nak reads some of his ceremony and I immediately lose it.

We find hanging bridge and plenty of views along the valley road and decide to head up to Glacier Point. It’s Nak’s turn to sleep which is perfect because the road to get up there takes about an hour. It’s only about 15 miles but the windy roads are slow-going. They’re the type of roads that make you feel like you’re teetering on two wheels ready to fall down the side of the mountain.

We arrive at Glacier Point where I softly shake Nak from his open mouth slumber. Nak rubs his eyes and looks around. We peer at each other wearily, our crusty, sleepless faces completely done although it’s only noon.

“Last stop, friend. Glacier Point.”

It’s the first time for both of us. Through the trees sits the impressive Half Dome. We approach the edge of the cliff to look down into the valley and we can’t even see it. The depths of the valley and the majesty of the mountains are unfathomable. Even if I sat in this spot forever, I could never name everything in front of me. It is the closest feeling to infinity besides looking up at the sky.

We grab food at Aroma Tavern & Buffalo Bar where we devour 5 delicious courses and end our night full and completely spent.

eloping at bridalveil falls in yosemite national park

eloping at glacier point in yosemite national park

Day 3 - A + M Yosemite Elopement Day

I take the morning to myself and walk to the clubhouse.

It’s still closed, so I head to the back to see if the back door works. Locked.

There’s a stream in the distance. Something is babbling down the hill and I see a bright red chair, so I head down. Sure enough a creek flows through the resort. A trail hugs the edge, climbing the side of a small, muddy cliff. It’s the perfect place for a first look.

I head back up to the clubhouse that’s now open and serving a simple continental breakfast. I run into Nak and we discuss the day’s plans and lock in.

A + M’s Yosemite elopement story is coming soon.

At the end of the day we head to our Air Bnb an hour from Yosmite in a little town called Oakhurst, but before that, we pick up a Mammoth Meal at Smokehouse 41 BBQ. The bachelor party of 16 that comes in behind us also orders it. And we ate it ALL!

The Mammoth Meal + their Dirty Fries Plate!

The only photos we got from Aroma - First Dish

Day 4 - Paddleboarding

With our work done in Yosemite, we had the day to waste away until my well prepared and funny travel buddy had to catch the train in Fresno to get back home. So first thing’s first – paddleboarding!

Heading into Bass Lake, which is only 12 minutes from our Air BnB, we pick the wrong way and end up stopping at a coffee shop for directions, a bathroom break, and a much needed iced matcha.

We take a road to get around to the other side of the lake and find a parking lot very close to the edge of the water. My sweet friend allowed us to borrow his mobile inflater and has saved us from manually pumping the paddleboards. We bring along our snacks and the gopro.

The ride to Fresno is melancholy. Maybe we’re sad about parting or maybe we’re tired from paddleboarding. I drop him off with just enough time to meet the train as it arrives. With his Mammoth Meal leftovers in hand we embrace like we’ve known each other for lifetimes and won’t see each other again for a month. I’m deeply grateful for the moments and hardy laughter. Onto the next adventure.

Behind the Scenes of a Yosemite Elopement