If you’re wanting an elopement that feels moody, intimate, peaceful, and like you’ve stepped into an entirely different world, let me introduce you to the Redwoods.

There really is nowhere else like it.

One of the things I love most about the Redwoods is how peaceful it feels when you’re there. You’re surrounded by trees that are almost impossible to comprehend until you’re actually standing underneath them. In the mornings, you can get fog weaving through the forest and little pockets of light peeking between the trees. If you’re lucky enough to catch those dreamy light rays coming through the Redwoods, it is absolutely breathtaking.

As a major early bird, mornings here have my heart.

You also don’t have to choose between a forest elopement and a coastal one. You can spend your morning underneath the Redwoods and then head toward the coast later in the day.

So if you’re indecisive like me, or you simply can’t commit to one type of scenery, you get the best of both worlds. Giant trees, ferns, fog, rocky beaches, overlooks, and the Pacific Ocean can all be part of the same wedding trip.

And yes, grabbing a coffee before heading to the coast afterward would absolutely be part of my ideal day.

But Will an Elopement Still Feel Like a Wedding?

I think this is something a lot of couples worry about, especially when they’ve spent their whole lives seeing weddings done one particular way.

But your wedding is about what the two of you want.

It can be whatever you want it to be.

Sometimes the feeling that your wedding needs to look or happen a certain way comes from everyone else’s input and opinions. A Redwoods elopement gives you the opportunity to step away from a lot of that and have an incredibly intimate ceremony somewhere that already feels quiet and peaceful.

You don’t need a huge production for your wedding day to matter.

You can exchange vows beneath the Redwoods, explore together, stop for coffee, head to the coast, have a picnic, hike, eat your favorite food, or spend the evening doing something completely different.

It’s still your wedding. You get to decide what that looks like.

Some of my favorite things about the Redwoods aren’t even the big landscapes. I loved finding banana slugs and snails hiding along the forest floor, which was also one of my favorite things to do in nature as a kid. I loved the ferns, the fog, and those early morning light rays coming through the trees.

But there’s one thing photographs will never fully prepare you for, and that’s the size of these trees.

You can see a million photos online, but you really don’t understand how enormous they are until you’re standing underneath one yourself.

Where Exactly Are “The Redwoods”?

This is one of the first things that can get confusing when you start planning.

When someone says they want to elope in the Redwoods, I don’t think they always realize that we’re not talking about one National Park with all of the locations right next to each other.

Redwood National and State Parks are actually a partnership between Redwood National Park and three California State Parks: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

This also means you have so many different types of scenery to choose from. There are giant old growth trees, fern covered trails, darker moody forests, areas where morning light comes through the trees, rivers, beaches, rugged coastline, and overlooks.

If you’ve already fallen in love with a specific location, we can start there.

Or you can simply tell me what you’re envisioning. Maybe you want giant trees, lots of ferns, somewhere quiet, and a beach at the end of the day. From there, I can help you figure out which locations make the most sense.

Don’t Forget About Drive Time

Driving time is really easy to underestimate when you’re looking at locations online.

Everything isn’t right next to each other.

For example, if you fall in love with Avenue of the Giants but also want to head north toward Secret Beach on the Southern Oregon Coast, we can absolutely talk about incorporating both into your trip or wedding day. You just have to keep in mind that you’re looking at hours of driving between the two.

Driving time also factors into your photography coverage.

If you’ve booked eight hours with me and we’re spending part of those eight hours traveling between locations, that travel time is still part of your coverage.

That doesn’t mean we can’t visit locations that are farther apart. We’ll just decide together whether those locations are important enough to spend that much of your wedding day traveling between them, or whether we’d rather find locations closer together that give you the same feeling.

You don’t need to visit every location you’ve saved on Pinterest to have an incredible Redwoods elopement.

We’ll choose locations that give you the scenery you love while still leaving you enough time to enjoy your wedding day.

[Coming soon: Where to Elope in the Redwoods]

When Should You Elope in the Redwoods?

There isn’t necessarily one perfect month to elope in the Redwoods.

When I visited in early May, we had fog, overcast skies, some rain, and cooler temperatures. I personally thought the weather fit the Redwoods perfectly.

If you’re wanting that darker, moodier forest feeling, don’t automatically be scared away by a cloudy forecast.

Consider a Morning Ceremony

I’m definitely an early bird, and mornings in the Redwoods are so worth it.

I recommend considering a sunrise or early morning ceremony for the lighting, fewer people, and a better chance of getting that foggy, moody atmosphere you might be picturing when you think about the Redwoods.

It also gives us more freedom with the rest of your day.

You could spend your morning exchanging vows and exploring the forest, head back to your Airbnb for breakfast and some downtime, and meet back up later to head toward the coast.

Your wedding day doesn’t have to be nonstop from sunrise until sunset.

What If It Rains?

Rain is part of visiting the Redwoods, so a rainy forecast doesn’t mean your plans are ruined.

The massive tree canopy can help shield you from some of the rain while we’re in the forest, and I recommend bringing a couple of clear umbrellas just in case. They’re practical, and they also make for really cute photos.

I’m also a big fan of having a backup plan, which is one reason choosing an Airbnb you genuinely love can be helpful.

If the weather gets really bad, we have somewhere cozy to use instead of feeling like your entire wedding day has to be canceled or completely changed.

Sometimes rain just means adjusting the plan a little.

[Coming soon: When to Elope in the Redwoods]

Do You Need a Permit to Elope in the Redwoods?

Yes!

But don’t let this part intimidate you.

All weddings, elopements, and vow exchanges within Redwood National and State Parks require a permit.

Remember how the Redwoods are a collection of National and State Parks? This becomes really important when you’re figuring out which permit you need.

IMPORTANT: Your permit process depends on exactly where your ceremony takes place. Ceremonies within Redwood National Park follow the National Park Service process. Ceremonies within Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park follow the California State Parks process.

For Redwood National Park specifically, there are several preapproved ceremony locations. Other locations can also be requested, but they require additional review.

As of September 2026, the National Park Service lists the application fee for preapproved Redwood National Park ceremony locations as $100. Requests for other National Park locations have a $200 application fee and require additional review.

Rules, locations, and fees can change, so always check the National Park Service directly when you’re ready to apply.

[Official NPS Redwood Wedding + Elopement Permit Information]

When you book with me, I’ll help guide you in the right direction and answer questions along the way. You’ll be responsible for completing and submitting your application, providing your information, and paying any required fees.

How to Legally Get Married in the Redwoods

Your park permit and your marriage license are two different things.

The permit gives you permission to hold your ceremony at your chosen location. Your marriage license is what you’ll need for your marriage to be legally recorded.

Getting Your California Marriage License

If you’re legally getting married on the California side of the Redwoods, you’ll need a valid California marriage license.

California marriage licenses are issued through County Clerk offices. A public marriage license can be obtained from any county in California, and you don’t have to get married in the same county where you purchased it. You just need to get married within California.

You’ll want to make getting your marriage license part of your travel plans rather than leaving it until the last second.

[Official California Marriage License Information]

Do You Need an Officiant?

Yes. If you’re having a legal California marriage, your ceremony needs to be performed by someone authorized under California law to solemnize marriages.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to hire someone you don’t know.

You can hire a local officiant, or you can look into having someone meaningful to the two of you become legally authorized to perform the ceremony as long as they meet California’s requirements.

If you want your best friend, sibling, or someone else important to you involved in your ceremony, this may be an option worth looking into.

[California Marriage Officiant Information]

Do You Need a Witness?

For a standard public California marriage license, yes.

You’ll need at least one witness at your ceremony. California’s public marriage license has space for a second witness if you want one, but only one is required.

This doesn’t mean you suddenly need to start building a guest list either. If you’re already bringing someone special along, they can be your witness.

California also offers a confidential marriage license with different requirements, including no witness requirement, for couples who qualify. If that’s something you’re interested in, check directly with the County Clerk for the current requirements.

A Few Redwoods Elopement Rules You Should Know

The Redwoods are a protected environment, so there are some important rules to know before planning your ceremony.

For ceremonies within Redwood National Park, current NPS rules include:

No real or dried flowers. Natural plant and flower materials aren’t allowed because they can introduce seeds, insects, or other unwanted organisms. Silk, wood, and paper flowers are currently allowed.

No confetti, flower petals, rice, or birdseed.

No arches, arbors, risers, or similar ceremony structures.

You can’t attach decorations to trees, vegetation, rocks, or park signs.

Food service and alcohol aren’t permitted as part of the National Park ceremony.

Drones aren’t allowed.

Your photographer or videographer generally doesn’t need an additional photography permit when they’re providing a service as part of your permitted Redwood National Park wedding, although commercial vendors should be listed as support personnel on the application.

Rules can change, so your permit and current park regulations should always be checked when planning your ceremony.

[Read the Current NPS Redwood Wedding Rules]

Some Locations Require Additional Reservations

Depending on where you want to explore, your wedding permit may not be the only reservation you need.

For example, access to the Tall Trees Trailhead currently requires a free reservation year round.

Vehicle access to the Gold Bluffs Beach Day Use Area, including the Fern Canyon Trailhead, currently requires a reservation from May 15 through September 15.

This is another reason I help my couples with location planning before we start building a timeline.

A location might look perfect online, but we also need to know how long it takes to get there, whether it requires a reservation, how difficult the hike is, and whether it realistically fits into your day.

What Can You Do During a Redwoods Elopement?

One of the biggest misconceptions about eloping is that your day has to be short.

Your elopement can still feel like an entire wedding day. It just gets to be filled with things the two of you actually enjoy doing together.

You could wake up at your Airbnb and have a slow morning together. Make coffee, write your vows, get ready together, or get ready separately if you still want that anticipation before seeing each other.

Then you could head into the Redwoods for a sunrise ceremony, spend some time taking portraits afterward, and go on a little hike or explore the park together.

From there, your day can be whatever you want it to be.

Some ideas include:

• Writing your vows together
• Having a sunrise ceremony
• Hiking
• Packing a picnic
• Cutting a small wedding cake
• Popping champagne somewhere it’s permitted
• Visiting a brewery or winery
• Visiting Trees of Mystery
• Riding the gondola
• Hiring a private chef for dinner
• Stargazing
• Having a bonfire where fires are permitted
• Making s’mores or mountain pies
• Tidepooling
• Flying kites on the beach
• Getting matching tattoos
• Surfing if that’s something you’re into

You don’t need to add activities just so I have something to photograph either.

Think about what the two of you would genuinely enjoy doing together.

Maybe that’s going on a hike. Maybe it’s drinking coffee together before your ceremony. Maybe it’s eating pizza on the beach and flying a kite. Maybe it’s heading back to your Airbnb for a nap before getting dressed again and meeting me at the coast for sunset.

There isn’t a checklist of things you’re supposed to do just because it’s your wedding day.

What Would We Do for Eight Hours?

Eight hours can sound like a long time when you’re imagining eight hours of straight photography, but that’s not what an eight hour elopement day looks like.

I’m there to document your wedding day while you’re actually experiencing it.

That can include your morning coffee, getting ready, the drive into the park, your ceremony, hiking, exploring, stopping for lunch, heading to the coast, or whatever else you’ve decided to include.

Even stopping because we found another banana slug counts in my book.

Especially in the Redwoods, driving time is something we’ll consider when deciding how much coverage makes sense.

Instead of fitting as much as possible into the hours you’ve booked, we’ll build your timeline around the locations and experiences that are actually important to you.

Where Should You Stay for a Redwoods Elopement?

I’m keeping this one short because I’ll have an entire blog dedicated to where to stay.

If you’re wanting to combine the Redwoods and the coast, I personally love Crescent City or Brookings as a home base.

I stayed in Crescent City when I visited. We were about 10 minutes from Howland Hill Road and around 30 minutes from Brookings, which also made it easy to explore the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor along the Southern Oregon Coast.

Your Airbnb doesn’t necessarily need to be anything crazy if you’re mainly using it as somewhere to sleep.

But if you want getting ready photos, vow writing, coffee together in the morning, or another part of your elopement photographed there, I’d put a little more thought into it.

Look for big windows with natural light, a porch, forest surrounding the property, or somewhere with a beautiful view.

It’s also helpful to have an Airbnb you love as a backup in case the weather changes your plans.

[Coming soon: Where to Stay for Your Redwoods Elopement]

Planning a Redwoods Elopement Doesn’t Have to Be Overwhelming

Between permits, marriage licenses, maps, different parks, driving times, and choosing locations, planning a Redwoods elopement can feel like a lot at first.

But you don’t have to have everything figured out before you reach out to me.

You don’t even need to know exactly where you want to have your ceremony yet.

When you book your Redwoods elopement with me, you’re getting more than photography. I’ll help with location scouting, building your timeline, and figuring out how everything realistically fits together.

You’ll also receive guides with activity ideas and my recommendations for things to see, places to eat, and things to do while you’re there.

If you’re traveling all the way to the Redwoods to get married, I want you to have time to experience it too.

You’ll handle the official applications and paperwork, and I’ll be there to help with the planning side and answer questions along the way.

You don’t need to know everything about the Redwoods before you start planning.

That’s part of what I’m here to help with.

Ready to Start Planning Your Redwoods Elopement?

If you’re thinking about getting married in the Redwoods, I’d love to hear what you have in mind.

You don’t need to have a location picked, a timeline built, or every detail figured out before reaching out.

Tell me what you’re envisioning and what’s important to the two of you, and we can start planning from there.

[INQUIRE ABOUT YOUR REDWOODS ELOPEMENT]