The magic of a Yosemite National Park wedding and why we’d do it again in a heartbeat

Our wedding was as low stress as it gets. Instead of hundreds of flowers, I had one bouquet. Instead of toe-squishing heels, I wore my favorite Danner hiking boots. No need for a $10,000 wedding venue: Our view was Yosemite’s most famous rock formation.

A site we secured for a mere $150.

And, get this, it only took me three months to plan. The big day started before sunrise. My fiancé and I — along with our photographer friend Zemina Zaferakis — hopped into our rental car and zipped down the curvy road to Cathedral Beach. There we said our vows with ancient Douglas firs and El Capitan as our audience.

Thanks, in part, to the pandemic and a quest for extraordinary wedding photos, more couples are getting outdoors for their nuptials. Just Google #adventureelopement or #nationalparkwedding; couples are saying I do in slot canyons, on sand dunes and on top of glaciers.

“After Covid, national parks became even more popular,” says Charleton Churchill, an adventure elopement photographer. Churchill says he’s seen requests for adventure weddings and elopements grow since he started photographing weddings in 2009. “National Parks are a great place to have a wedding,” he says. “First because of the natural beauty, but for many other reasons, it’s just easier.”

How to apply for a national park wedding permit

You’ll need to apply for a permit to get married in most national parks. That said, in late June we started the process of securing the $150 special use permit. We chose our ideal wedding location from the list of scenic ceremony spots and an alternate location. We also chose our ideal date and time, as well as, an alternate date and time.

A sunrise ceremony in mid-September felt ideal. That time of year requires no timed-entry reservations, and it’s generally less crowed early in the morning. Next, we snail mailed the application. By July 7, an email popped up with good news. We’d be getting married at Cathedral Beach. With this permit we could host up to 50 guests. As much as we didn’t want to disappoint friends and family, we chose to keep it simple. Just us.

“Some parks are a lot harder permitting-wise than others,” says Nicole Daacke, who has photographed elopements in 18 national parks. For example, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado only allows 60 ceremonies per month from May to October and 40 per month November to April. Grand Teton National Park has a similar system that allows for 330 permits total for the year, so once those permits are gone, they’re gone for the year. Versus parks like Acadia or Shenandoah, where there aren’t currently limits, so it’s much easier to get a permits there.”

How much does it cost to get married in a national park?

Your national park wedding cost is, of course, up to you. The good news is, there are plenty of ways to save money on a national park wedding. We hit the grocery store and ate many of our meals back at the hotel. I did my own hair, nails and makeup and borrowed earrings from my sister. My secondhand wedding dress from Blue Sky Bridal was $750. We spent zero dollars on decorations since the scenery speaks for itself.

A big expense for any wedding is the photographer. “An adventure elopement photographer can range from $5,000 to $13,000 depending on several factors such as length of coverage time, album credit, additional session credits and number of days,” says Daacke.

We were quite lucky that our dear friend gifted us her time and talent. Otherwise, that would have been the priciest item on our wedding budget.

National park wedding photography

When it comes to Yosemite wedding photos, you really can’t go wrong in terms of beauty. Our favorite photo spot, hands down, was Glacier Point at sunrise, so I’m glad we scheduled that for the first morning. Taft Point for sunset is equally stunning with 3,500-foot cliffs above Yosemite Valley; be prepared for a 2-mile hike with 400 feet of elevation gain. The day of the ceremony we took photos at Cathedral Beach, Yosemite Chapel (especially cool when Yosemite Falls are running) and El Capitan Meadow. Those locations are all close together and easy to knock out in a few hours.

Pro tip: If you do not have a ceremony in the park and opt to simply take wedding-related photos, you do not need a permit. Just be sure not to walk into meadowland; it is prohibited to the public. The one exception is El Capitan Meadow on Northside Drive across from El Capitan rock wall.

Where to stay near Yosemite

Our home base for the first two nights was Tenaya at Yosemite, two miles from the park’s south entrance. We opted for the Explorer Cabins, which have a kitchenette, two bedrooms, living room, covered porch and access to the Clubhouse, which means you get free breakfast each morning and all the fixings for s’mores. The hotel’s terrace is perfect for weddings with up to 200 guests. Guests can stay in hotel rooms, cottages, or cabins on site and stay busy with hiking, archery and time by the pool.

Autocamp Yosemite, a Midpines glampsite 30 miles west of the Arch Rock park entrance, is where we stayed the last two nights. With custom-designed Airstreams, luxe cabins and adventure tents, it’s a fun way to house your wedding party. We chose an Airstream for its kitchenette, private fire pit and spa-inspired bathroom.

With on-site dining, mid-century design and a beautiful clubhouse to gather in, it’s a crowd pleaser. After the welcome dinner, roast marshmallows by the campfire, enjoy live music or try your luck at bingo night while being surrounded by an ancient sequoia forest. After the wedding day whirlwind, we wrapped up our evening by making grilled cheeses over the campfire and gazing up at the stars.

Where to get married in Yosemite

There are plenty of accessible, easy-to-reach wedding venues in Yosemite.

Yosemite Valley locations:

• Lower Yosemite Fall Paved Trail

• Swinging Bridge Picnic Area

• Cathedral Beach Picnic Area

• Sentinel Beach Picnic Area

Glacier Point and Wawona locations:

• Glacier Point Amphitheater

• Tuolumne Meadows Locations

• Tuolumne Meadows Lodge Area

What to bring for your outdoor ceremony

For more about planning a national-park wedding, see our video below. If you found this article helpful, follow me on Yahoo for bucket-list travel stories.

National park wedding rules and regulations:

• Some locations do not allow wedding bouquets with non-native plants because the seeds could potentially germinate.

• When it comes to decorations, some parks will allow some décor and chairs.

• Get your marriage license ahead of time in the state you live in or in the state you are getting married in.

• Some parks allow you to bring in food for small gatherings. But many do not.

• Be sure to carry your permit with you on the wedding day in case a ranger comes to check.

• Most parks do not allow audio equipment that could disturb park guests.

• Drones are not allowed in national parks.

• Wedding permits are not give out for holiday weekends or holidays.