Glacier + Taft Point Elopement in Yosemite

This Taft Point elopement was one for the books. It was one of those days that make you pinch yourself and think – “how is this our job?”.

Isabel & Sentry were supposed to elope in Banff in August of 2020. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit, the US-Canada borders closed and remain closed. They canceled their elopement plans, got married on paper and that was that. Banff was a special place for both of them because that’s where they met. It really was the perfect place to get married. Needless to say, they were bummed.

Fast forward a whole year and Isabel started revisiting the idea of celebrating their marriage by having a proper elopement day. While the borders were still closed, they had plenty of other places in the US that were special to them. However, one was sticking out on that list – Yosemite National Park. You see, these two are van lifers, adventure seekers, and rock climbers. Yosemite was a place where they accomplished lots of goals together.

Isabel reached out to me to see if by any chance we were available… for the next month. June happened to be one of our busiest months in 2021! Luckly, we managed to find a date that worked for everyone. In a matter of just 30 days, Isabel found a dress on Facebook Marketplace (yup), their families dropped everything to fly and be there, and they planned the day that they always wanted to have.

The Elopement

We started the afternoon drinking beers *Half Dome beers, of course,* at Glacier Point. Then we headed to Taft Point, which is Isabel’s favorite trail (and ours too). As we arrived, it was pretty crowded, I’m not gonna lie. If you’ve been to Taft Point before, you know it can get crazy. But we found a little private nook with a sick view where they could have privacy! They read their vows overlooking the most beautiful Valley in the world as the sun was setting, and then celebrated popping some champagne with their families.

Elopements are all about being true to yourself and having a stress-free, meaningful day. Well, I don’t think there’s a better representation of that than this day. Wearing flip-flops, hiking boots, beers in hand, and picking up lots of dust and dirt on the wedding dress, these two couldn’t take the smile off their faces.

Important Information

Yosemite National Park announced that Glacier Point Road will be closed for all of 2022. They’ll be doing some major construction projects to improve the road. Once the road closes in November of 2021, it won’t open until 2023. The only way of getting to Glacier Point and Taft Point will be by hiking the 4-Mile trail, a strenuous hike that starts from the Valley floor.

While these two spots are epic and beautiful, there are plenty of amazing locations in Yosemite! The Valley floor is full of unexplored hikes, gorgeous views, and so much opportunity! So if you’re planning to elope in Yosemite next year, don’t be sad! We shoot plenty of elopements each year when the road is closed (winter & early spring), and there are SO MANY beautiful places in the Valley! You can see some of them right here:

• Spring Yosemite Valley Intimate Wedding
• Winter Elopement at Yosemite
• Yosemite Valley Engagement Session

Let’s Chat!

We are Stephan & Adriana, California Elopement & Intimate Wedding Photographers, especializing in weddings in Yosemite & Sequoia National Park.