Muir Woods Wedding Hack!
No permits, No problem!
If there's one thing in my mind that stands out as the most significant wedding trend to come out of the last few years (silver lining!!) it's the elopement trend. Not only is it a more intimate way to incubate your newborn marital status in a way that a three hundred person event could never hope to do, but by now, your friends and family have probably known countless other couples that have done the same thing and the shame and taboo of the word "elopement" have all but floated away in the San Francisco fog.
If I had to choose a trend as a close second, it would be the adventure wedding category. Honestly, I'm more of a mind to design a mini wedding that gives the feeling and look of adventure, without having to break a sweat. This is where Muir Woods National Monument comes into play.
It's a stunning old-growth forest of towering Redwood trees, with an easy-to-navigate path and three bridges that stretch languidly over a gently flowing brook. At the end of the day, the sunbeams breaking through the trees are the perfect setting for romantic wedding day photography.
You can get married there during the week before 10 am and after 4:30 pm so you don't annoy the tourists, and right now they are pretty much sold out on wedding permits for the summer. But I WANT you to enjoy Muir Woods, and I know how you can!
We have a secret little spot that's exactly ten minutes away from Muir Woods and has a lovely little wooded area tucked away to the side. Most people (read tourists) never find their way over to this secluded picnic area, and it has the perfect fairytale woodland vibe for your wedding. Best of all, it's a space that's free to the public, maintained by the park service, and is a great place to get married. With no reservations or permit fees, or time restrictions other than sunup to sundown. Also, a big draw is the aforementioned overlook itself, perched on the edge of a cliff with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and miles of the rugged California coastline.
We love to have our couples meet us at the Muir Beach Overlook, have their elopement ceremony, and then we'll all drive down to the Muir Woods National Monument for your wedding pictures. For the price of a parking pass and park entry (under $20), you can have all the mountain vibe elopement photography that your heart yearns for. It also smells really, really good!
