Yosemite National Park, California

the hearnes » adventure elopement photographers

samantha + ben's elopement in yosemite valley | adventure wedding portraits at glacier point | national park elopement photographer

These two are some of the best people around. Samantha and Ben met in highschool, but started dating in college and have been in love ever since! They love to travel together and pretty soon after getting engaged decided they’d rather skip the big stressful wedding day and just elope in Yosemite National Park sight unseen. They had always wanted to see Yosemite, so it felt like the right choice for their elopement. They drove all the way from their home in Missouri and made it to the valley a few days early to adventure and hike around the park before their wedding! 

We met up with them for some portraits along the Merced river, then we met up with their officiant and wandered into El Cap meadow for their ceremony. It was so relaxed, especially since they only had to worry about themselves and no guests! We picked a spot under a giant tree with El Cap looming over them and they exchanged their vows in the quiet meadow. It was perfectly romantic and absolutely beautiful. After some quiet time as a new husband and wife, we made our way back to the cars with a stop at a giant fallen tree for a few portraits. After finishing up in the valley, we drove up to Glacier Point for some beers, truffles and sunset! They laid out a blanket and split a bottle of champagne, Samantha surprised Ben with an adorable lego cake topper, and we all devoured the delicious truffles they’d picked up from the Majestic Hotel Gift Shop earlier that day. It was heavenly. Once the sun went down a little bit, we hiked out to the point for that last bit of alpenglow on Half Dome. After the sun completely set, we were about to hike back to the cars when a giant shooting star streamed across the horizon. It was bigger than any I’d ever seen before and felt so close to us! It was a magical gift for the newlyweds!

When all was said and done, we were sad to say goodbye to these two buddies but psyched for their new marriage and the remainder of their road trip! We had so much fun with them planning their wedding and hanging out that day and really couldn’t believe it was already over!

…

The Hearnes Adventure Photography is run by Abbi and Callen Hearne, a husband & wife wedding photography team with an emphasis on adventure. They live on the road as full-time nomads in their big white van, allowing them to serve a large portion of the western US including California, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming. They believe love is the greatest adventure and strive to create photos that are epic, romantic, true, and timeless.

…