Two-Day Yosemite Intimate Wedding

Aug 23

Mai and Connor’s Yosemite intimate wedding was a beautiful celebration with an easy nature to it. They wanted their family to be included, and also time to explore Yosemite together and experience some of the places that made them want to get married there in the first place. Splitting everything across two days gave them space to be intentional about their time together and with the ones they love.

Mai and Connor are the kind of people that feel like old friends from the moment you meet them. From planning through the wedding itself, they were easygoing, thoughtful about the experience they were creating, and had such a great sense of style. Family was especially important to them, shaping many of the choices they made. They managed to make the wedding a destination trip that everyone could enjoy, while still having intentional time just the two of them.

They got ready at their Airbnb in Wawona, surrounded by family. Mai wore her dress from Anthropologie Weddings, and Connor wore his suit from State & Liberty. Stepping away for a moment, they shared a private first look together before meeting their families at Cathedral Beach for the ceremony. Warm, autumnal florals from Blooms on Lincoln Ave fit beautifully into the scene. Connor’s brother officiated, which made an already beautiful ceremony feel even more touching. Even their sweetest souldog & furbaby, Milly, was able to join the celebration. We stayed in Yosemite afterward for sunset portraits around El Capitan Meadow before everyone headed to a big family dinner.

The reception dinner at Sierra Cider was one of the parts Mai and Connor had been especially excited about. Sierra Cider is an apple orchard just outside Yosemite, and it was the perfect gathering space for everyone to settle into. They shared a long dinner together in the orchard with their loved ones, fitting for a wedding where so much intention had gone into including family in the experience.

The next afternoon, I set out with Mai and Connor as we hiked first to Glacier Point before heading toward Taft Point for sunset. They have such a strong sense of style, and seeing their wedding looks and a few playful personal touches against the landscape made the portraits feel especially striking. Taft Point was one of the places they were most excited to experience, so we made sure to set aside time for them to enjoy a quiet moment. They brought coffee along and brewed a cup together at that amazing viewpoint. It was a small detail, but a personal one. Brewing and sampling different coffees is something they love doing when they travel, so it gave us a natural moment to capture, rather than adding an activity for the sake of it. Those moments always feel and look best in photos.

Mai and Connor had such a beautiful balance of adventure and time with family. That balance is why I love to recommend that couples plan their intimate wedding, especially in Yosemite, across two days. Family can be part of the ceremony and celebration without needing to join every hike or adventure, while the couple still gets unrushed time together in the park. For Mai and Connor, it meant no one had to choose between those two experiences or sacrifice the time together that mattered.

For an intimate wedding that felt laid-back from beginning to end, their wedding gallery still held so much. They got the quiet moments, joyful time with family, an orchard dinner for all, iconic Yosemite views, and time for the two of them to simply enjoy being there together.

If you’re considering something similar, you can explore my guide to getting married in Yosemite, see another two-day Yosemite celebration with Jess and Simon, or learn more about my approach as a Yosemite wedding photographer.