How To Plan A Perfect Wedding Day Timeline

The best way to have a seamless and enjoyable wedding day is to plan a perfect day-of timeline so you don’t feel rushed. Here you’ll find my tips for what to consider when planning your wedding day timeline, how long different activities can take (including the top eight areas to watch out for), as well as some sample timelines for you to reference. These tips are mostly centered around the part of your day that will be photographed so this guide can definitely help you determine how many hours of photography you’ll want to book. Your photographer will also help you figure out how much coverage you’ll need on your wedding day to plan your day in a way that keeps it fun and stress free for your and your partner.

tips and adviceNatalie NgoFebruary 12, 2024wedding, timelineComment

California Redwood Forest Elopement: Joaquin Miller Park

S + C wanted to have their redwood forest elopement here in the San Francisco Bay Area. They were looking for a beautiful place to celebrate their marriage with their friends and their adorable dog, Milo. The Bay Area is very fortunate to have a lot of redwood options to choose from, but Joaquin Miller Park ended up being the perfect choice: dog-friendly, easily accessible, and not crowded. Oh, and it’s absolutely gorgeous!

elopementNatalie NgoJuly 25, 2022redwoods, redwood elopement, Bay Area, California, dogs Comments

Joshua Tree Elopement Guide

Welcome to your Joshua Tree elopement guide! In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know for your Joshua Tree elopement, including:

The best elopement locations in the park — with photos and details for each spot
What to expect in terms of crowds and weather in every season
Tips for exploring the park
Sample elopement timelines
Important notes about permits and photography!

tips and adviceNatalie NgoApril 22, 2022Joshua Tree, national park Comments

San Francisco Elopement Guide: The Best Places to Elope

Welcome to your San Francisco Elopement Guide! Here you’ll find the best and most photogenic locations in San Francisco where you and your partner can elope. Golden Gate Park, Shakespeare Garden, De Young Museum, Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden (the Dutch Windmill), The Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco Botanical Garden, San Francisco City Hall, Stern Grove, Baker Beach, The Presidio, Sunnyside Conservatory, Stable Cafe, Sutro Heights Park, Lafayette Park.

tips and adviceNatalie NgoNovember 17, 2021San Francisco, elopement location ideas Comments

Point Reyes Elopement

If you’re looking for beautiful, dramatic scenery and a chance to relax away from the hustle and bustle of city life, then a Point Reyes elopement is for you! There are so many different parts of Point Reyes to explore (over 100 square miles) and so much variety that you’ll always find a new corner to enjoy.

Day-After Wedding Portraits in the Utah Desert

The day after their elopement, I met up with A + C for their wedding portraits back where their ceremony had been — this perfect slice of the Utah desert just outside of Zion National Park. Since A + C didn’t want to miss out celebrating their wedding day with their families, we decided a day-after portrait session would be perfect for them. I especially love day-after wedding portraits when you have guests because it gives you one on one time with your partner without feeling like you’ve left your friends and family behind.

Utah Desert Wedding

A + C had the most beautiful and special celebration with their families — a perfect Utah desert wedding! Like so many couples, A + C had to change their wedding plans not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES because of the pandemic. Initially they planned to get married in Muir Woods in the Bay Area, then changed their plans to a botanical garden in Southern California, and finally decided to upgrade their family vacation into the perfect wedding celebration!

elopementNatalie NgoMarch 6, 2021Utah, desert, canyon, slot canyon, fall Comments

Your Redwood Elopement: How to Choose a Location

If you’re looking for an epic location for your wedding that’s beautiful year round, a redwood elopement is perfect for you! You have lots of beautiful options to choose from, in particular along the northern coast of California, where the ocean breeze keeps temperatures cool but moderate all year long. Redwoods are the tallest trees on the planet, growing to heights of over 300 feet, and a walk among these giants is a unique and awe-inspiring experience. Because of their extreme height and how redwoods grow together in small groups, there’s often a lot of shade to be found and spacious paths around them (particularly in old growth forests) which makes them the perfect place for exploring and finding a gorgeous spot to exchange your wedding vows!

Tahoe National Forest Elopement

A + C had the most beautiful fall elopement in the Tahoe National Forest, though this was far from their original plans. They were one of many couples who had to change their wedding plans multiple times because 2020 doesn’t know how to be chill. They first rescheduled their wedding because of COVID and then had to pivot again because of the California wildfires. Then the week of their elopement, we had to shift gears again because of unexpected road closures. Thankfully, A + C are the sweetest couple who handled everything with grace and a sense of humor.

elopementNatalie NgoDecember 16, 2020Tahoe, lake, forest, mountains Comments

10 Tips For Planning Your Hiking Elopement

If the outdoors is your happy place, you may want to consider a hiking elopement (or even a multi-day backpacking trip) to celebrate your marriage with your partner. I’ve put together some tips for how to go about planning and packing for your hiking elopement, below, alongside photos of V + K’s overnight backpacking adventure in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Don’t miss their incredibly adorable “flower girl” AKA their Alaskan Malamute dog, Attie!

tips and adviceNatalie NgoNovember 17, 2020mountains, elopement, wedding, adventure, hiking, backpacking Comments

Summer Hiking Elopement in the Sierra Nevada Mountains

V + K are two outdoor enthusiasts who pretty much spend every available weekend exploring all the things that mother nature has to offer. They love hiking, backpacking, fly-fishing, and climbing pretty much anything. Their sweet pup loves to join them on their expeditions and will lie down in any amount of water available to her — she’s the cutest!!

elopementNatalie NgoNovember 11, 2020mountains, hiking, camping, lake, dogs, sunrise, sunset Comments

Washington Forest Elopement

If you’ve ever been to the Pacific Northwest (PNW for short), you know there’s no shortage of beautiful forests, epic waterfalls, and scenic rivers. As PNW natives themselves, J + D had been to pretty much every gorgeous waterfall in the area and wanted to go somewhere new to take their wedding portraits. After landing on Moulton Falls, with its stunning and historic arch bridge, we started planning their session which included a short hike through the forest.

elopementNatalie NgoSeptember 27, 2020PNW, Washington Comments

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