How to Elope in Yosemite National Park
How to Elope in Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is truly one of the most spectacular locations I’ve ever been to and is an epic place to elope — but how do you go about it?

I’m here to answer your most asked questions about eloping in Yosemite, including:

  • Where are the best places to have your ceremony in Yosemite?

  • When is the best time of year to get married in Yosemite?

  • Where are the most iconic locations for wedding portraits?

  • How much does it cost to get married in Yosemite?

  • How much time do you need on your wedding day?

  • What else do you need to know about visiting Yosemite?

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tips and adviceNatalie NgoYosemite, California Comments
The 8 Best Places to Elope in California
The 8 Best Places to Elope in California

When putting together this list of the best places to elope in California, I thought about all of the epic places I had photographed couples on their wedding day, as well as all of the amazing locations I’d traveled to and thought, “Wow, someone should get married here!” California is a huge state with so many diverse landscapes to offer: expansive deserts, monumental mountains, rugged coastlines, and magical forests. And each of those categories has variety within them — the coastlines in Big Sur look wildly different than the coastlines of Northern California, the coastal redwoods are vastly different from the alpine forests in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the desert in Joshua Tree sharply contrasts the Mojave.

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tips and adviceNatalie NgoCalifornia coast, California Comments
Yosemite National Park: Taft Point Adventure Elopement
Yosemite National Park: Taft Point Adventure Elopement

If you’ve ever looked up how to have an adventure elopement in Yosemite National Park, you’ve no doubt seen photos of the spectacular Taft Point. I met up with E + N while they were on a road trip from Kansas and they were so excited to spend a few days exploring Yosemite. (I took a few days to do the same!) After discussing timing and logistics of various locations, we settled on hiking to Taft Point to be there for sunset. A beautiful (and surprisingly short) hike through the forest suddenly opens up to expansive views high above the valley below. Taft Point is one of those places you could visit dozens of times and always be in awe of.

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elopementNatalie NgoYosemite, national park, hiking, California Comments
How to Elope in a Slot Canyon | Arizona Desert Elopement
How to Elope in a Slot Canyon | Arizona Desert Elopement

If you’re looking for a totally unique wedding experience, eloping in a slot canyon should be at the top of your list. The Arizona desert is full of beautiful surprises (you would never know this location was here just by driving by) and slot canyons are an absolute dream to explore! B + J had so much fun running through the sand, going up and down the ladders, and discovering each new scene that revealed itself as we made our way through the canyon. This was definitely one of my favorite locations to date!

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elopement, tips and adviceNatalie NgoArizona, slot canyon, desert, winter Comments
How to Have a Winter Adventure Session in Zion National Park
How to Have a Winter Adventure Session in Zion National Park

This adventure session was made all the more adventurous by the sheer volume of snow that dropped this winter at Zion National Park in Utah. M + S were game, though, and so was I, to hike to this stunning canyon overlook.

The best thing about winter portraits in Zion:

  • Far fewer crowds. We had this popular overlook all to ourselves!

  • Convenience of driving your car to the trail head; shuttles are only required in peak visitor months.

  • Magical snow! Not only is snow beautiful to look at, especially when dusted over these epic rocks, it provides perfect, soft, and even lighting for photos. A photographer’s dream!

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couple portraits, tips and adviceNatalie Ngowinter, Zion National Park, Utah, hiking Comments
Winter Adventure Elopement at Lake Tahoe
Winter Adventure Elopement at Lake Tahoe

Planning K + D’s winter elopement in Lake Tahoe was such an adventure! First, for those of you familiar with the Lake Tahoe area, I know what you’re thinking about the first photo: “Umm, that’s not Lake Tahoe!” And you’re totally right, it’s actually nearby Donner Lake. We started the day at Lake Tahoe (snowshoeing adventure for the win!), but unfortunately winter weather prevented us from shooting at the various lakeside locations we had initially discussed. K + D had a great “roll with it” attitude and we took advantage of our backup location at Donner Lake where the weather was clearer and we were treated with the most beautiful sunset! Check out the snowshoeing photos below at the start of our adventurous day! (By the way, snowshoeing is now my preferred method of travel, it’s so fun!)

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elopementNatalie NgoTahoe, lake, winter, snow, snowshoeing Comments
Top 12 Bay Area Engagement Locations
Top 12 Bay Area Engagement Locations

Choosing a portrait location for your engagement session in the Bay Area can be a tough decision. We’re very fortunate to live in a diverse place with a multitude of parks and preserved natural spaces in every direction; there are a ton of beaches, parks, forests, rugged coastlines, lakes, hills, meadows, and mountains to choose from which can make narrowing down your options a bit overwhelming.

Generally speaking, my advice for choosing an engagement location is to consider the following:

  • Does it have a diverse range of backgrounds?

  • How crowded will it be?

  • Is it meaningful to you as a couple?

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tips and adviceNatalie Ngo Comments
California Farm Wedding in Mendocino
California Farm Wedding in Mendocino

Wow, folks, it’s been super hard paring down which images to blog for L + F’s beautiful California farm wedding in Mendocino. I’m really in love with their wedding which had so many fantastic and personal details! I would apologize for the sheer number of images, but since you’ll (hopefully) enjoy them, I’m just going to sit back and set the stage. Pardon me while I gush.

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weddingNatalie Ngofarm, Mendocino, redwoods, California coast, crystal crown Comments
California Coast Anniversary Portraits
California Coast Anniversary Portraits

There are few places more appealing than the California coast when it comes to picking a portrait location. Local to the Bay Area, N + W wanted to celebrate their first year of marriage with an anniversary session somewhere beautiful and Slide Ranch quickly became our top location choice! (Seriously, I could photograph couples here all the time!)

We started off by the goat pen because, duh, cute goats, but also check out this amazing wall of white flowers!!

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couple portraitsNatalie Ngowildflowers, fog, baby goats, coast, farm Comments
Colorful Camp Wedding in the Redwoods
Colorful Camp Wedding in the Redwoods

Super excited to share this colorful camp wedding with you all! I + M had their wedding weekend in the Santa Cruz Mountains at the awesome YMCA Camp Campbell in Boulder Creek. I absolutely adore camp weddings and weddings that celebrate all weekend long. M works in visual design and orchestrated the super colorful and amazing paper honeycomb lanterns that were strung about for the reception. The gorgeous colors for the honeycomb matched the flowers so there were bright pops of color everywhere you looked.

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weddingNatalie Ngocamp, forest Comments