When Joshua and Andrea said they wanted a ceremony tucked away in the trees, I knew just the place: a Jedediah Smith Redwood Elopement. Their day took them from a sweet ceremony in the redwoods, to the dramatic cliffs and coastline of Samuel H. Boardman State park to the soft sands of Secret beach for the first dance as the sunset on the West Coast.
I live close enough to the Jedediah Smith Redwoods that I’ve been able to enjoy their magical park more time that I can count, yet it never ceases to amaze me. It’s like stepping into a prehistoric Jurassic Park wonderland – without the dinosaurs.
Joshua and Andrea has their family write each of them letters for their elopement day. As they read them out loud, I couldn’t help but tear up myself. The words of wisdom and encouragement their parents shared where so wise. And they way they described their children’s kind souls brought tears to everyones eyes. I’ll never forget the way Andrea’s mom spoke of her daughter, what a wildly beautiful memory to have captured not only in ink and paper, but on film too.
Joshua and Andreas first dance was on the sands of Secret Beach. They listened to the song that Joshua sang at Karaoke on the night they met and sang it to each other. Joshua even pulled out a some of the dance moves from their parent
After their Jedediah Smith Redwood Elopement, we headed to Samuel H. Boardman State Park where the couple popped champagne and hung out of the beach to finish up their evening. We even saw some super cute sea lions bobbing out in the waves of the Pacific Ocean.
It’s important to know that you need a permit to elope in the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park. Getting a permit is super simple and only costs $200. You can apply for one here.
There are only a few places you can elope in Jedediah Smith, you can find a list of the approved locations here. I personally recommend the River Trail for elopements with less than 5 people. For groups bigger than 5, I’d recommend one the of locations with a little more room like
“My husband and I eloped in May 2021 in the Pacific Northwest and Jayne made this whole experience extraordinary. Jayne was such a pleasure to work with and helped provide endless STELLAR recommendations for everything from the Airbnb we stayed at to flowers and videography to the most stunning locations. She literally planned our entire experience and it could NOT have gone any better. We are still in awe of this entire experience. Jayne was extremely professional while also being a joy to spend the day with. She even provided us recommendations for the rest of our trip (breweries, kayaking, etc). We can’t recommend Jayne enough. 10/10!! I can’t imagine our wedding day without her. Jayne, thank you for sharing such a beautiful experience with us and for introducing us to some of the most absolutely breathtaking locations we’ve ever seen.”
– Andrea
Want to elope in Jedediah Redwood Smith Redwoods?
I’m your girl. Contact me here to get started. 🙂