This Taft Point elopement was right after wildfire season, but the heavy smoke made for the most dreamy sunset that evening!
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WILDFIRES AND WEDDINGS: YOSEMITE DURING FIRE SEASON
Not gonna lie this year was a tough year for all couples trying to get married but I would say the hardest for my Yosemite couples. Not only were we all dealing with COVID but 2020 decided to throw wildfires into the mix, closing down the park again. October rolled around and brought in heavy smoke to the area, some days worse than others. But on the clearer days the sunset and smokey haze surprisingly made for the most magical evening up on Taft Point.
Tanya and Willis had a bigger ceremony with family and friends just outside of Yosemite earlier that morning and then we met up in the afternoon for some cute family photos followed by their sunset adventure up on Taft Point. They really do have the most beautiful blended family and I’m so stoked I got to meet them all!
Related: See all our Best Places to Elope in California
We explored around the valley a bit before starting the drive up to Taft. Once we got up there we chilled for a bit, set up a picnic, popped a bottle of bubbly and of course snacked as we waited for the sun to get a bit lower.
We were worried about how much the smoke would affect our views. But as the sun began to set over the Yosemite Valley, the colors became more and more UNREAL. Hues of purple and orange were just streaking through the sky, really setting the tone for a romantic sunset sesh to end the day.
Tanya and Willis really are the sweetest couple and I couldn’t have been more excited to document their day. Tanya had told me the only photo she really envisioned was just her and Willis on the cliffside embracing each other and I think it’s safe to say that we nailed it 😉
Once it was getting dark, we started wrapping up and I showed Tanya and Willis a few images on the back of the camera because I was so stoked on them. Tanya took one look and burst into happy tears then grabbed me and gave me the BIGGEST, warmest hug just thanking me for everything which then made me start to tear up a bit because I still feel so lucky that I get to do this for every single couple that I work with!
Want to see another epic Yosemite sunset? Check out this Dramatic Yosemite Sunset Elopement
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