They were amazed by the beauty of it all. Wordless meaningful looks. A gentle, loving touch. Sunlight peeking through tops of trees and underneath branches of the magnificent Redwoods at Jedediah Smith State Park. These were the moments that Jordan and Cory cherished as they prepared to marry the love of their lives.

Prior to their elopement, we flew in on a very small plane into a very tiny airport and spent the day together scouting locations within the groves. After choosing spots for their first look and ceremony, Jordan and Cory enjoyed some family-style eats at a local restaurant cherishing these final moments before tying the knot.

Saturday arrived, and there we finally were: elopement day. We started the day early heading over to Stout Grove where Cory waited for Jordan to arrive. All they wanted was a quiet moment—no music—all that played was the sound of a light breeze blowing through the trees. The sun streamed through all of the Redwood pines bringing the grove to life with a mix of colors from red to brown and green mixed with various hues of the surrounding wildflowers.

When Jordan and Cory saw each other for the first time both were emotional as highlighted by Jordan crying tears of joy brimming with excitement upon the sight of her beloved. Following their first look, I encouraged them to linger in the grove for some additional portraits. I walked them through how to fully absorb both this moment together, and the beautiful location in which they stood.

Through some prompting, I guided them in communicating with each other through silent gazes and physical touch. This brought out some excellent emotions and gave them the space to process what they were experiencing. I did not want them to miss a single beat of their special day.

From there, we followed the sun as it peeked through the clouds, and met up with their family and friends. These loved one either drove or flew out from Colorado none of which had ever been to the Redwoods before. They were both in awe of the Redwoods themselves and excited to be celebrating Jordan and Cory in such a magnificent space.

We did family photos including a unique first look with Jordan’s two brothers who were commissioned to walk her down the aisle and give her away. Their father had unfortunately passed away many years ago, and she had the cutest little charm on her bouquet in honor of her dad’s memory.

The couple chose two trees in Templeman’s Grove as the ideal spot for the ceremony. These adjacent trees created a symbolic frame of the Redwoods for the bride and groom to stand within and express their personally written vows. Following the ceremony, toasts were made with PBR beer (the couple’s favorite) followed by Cory popping champagne that got absolutely everywhere! Caught up in the excitement, Cory dipped his bride and was promptly joined in such festivities by friends and family for some fun group photos.

The adventuring did not stop there. We drove over to the nearby coastal town of Klamath and after a full day of cloudy skies the sun finally came out! We took this opportunity (despite the wind and cold) to capture some gorgeous sunset shots. Again, I  created another space for them to absorb the fact that they just got married, and that this was just the beginning of their new life together!