Gwyn and Cody chose to tie the knot at The Redwoods Venue in Yosemite. Even though this venue is not right in Yosemite Valley it is only a short car ride to epic waterfalls, floral meadows, and incredible views! This destination wedding was the perfect marriage of traditional wedding and adventure elopement. For anyone who wants to celebrate with their family but still get married somewhere beautiful, peaceful, and natural, this is the wedding for you.
moments you will never forget
There are so many important moments on your wedding day, getting ready is no exception! We like to guide our couples to take plenty of time to take in the moments, reminding them to slow down and just enjoy being with the people they love. These are the moments that last forever!
Starting the day with candid getting-ready photos and video, and damn, these two know how to start off a wedding day right! Surrounded by their best friends, they took time to enjoy the little things like brunch and mimosas while doing hair and makeup for the bridal party; then for Cody and the groomsmen, it was a little more rugged with whiskey shots and cigars.
Of course, the guys were ready first, we found the perfect place right outside Gwyn's cabin to take the guy's group photos (Don't worry, no one could see Gwyn, but she did come out onto the deck for a photo bomb). Cody took some time to reminisce with each of his groomsmen as they shared marriage advice; which led to a lot of laughs and of course the reminder of "Happy Wife, Happy Life!" was shared more than once, as well as so many words of support because Gwyn and Cody are perfect for each other!
Gwyn chose to do a first look with her little brother and of course all of her bridal party. After all of the tears and hugs, she took a moment with each person for a photo, and it was again time for advice and well wishes from her besties... the supportive words, candid moments, tears and genuine laughter were heartwarming.
Time to Tie The Knot
Jenn of Wilde Heart Weddings was their officiant and guided them through a beautiful ceremony to celebrate their love story; it was a traditional ceremony with a ring exchange that also incorporated a handfasting ceremony where Gwyn & Cody "tied the knot"!
The verse from Ecclesiastes 4:12 “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” As you are united in marriage today, you come together in a union that can not be broken, because just as these cords are woven together making them stronger, so will your marriage and life be.
How do you decide who says their vows first? Go with tradition or make it fun?
Jenn suggested a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors to decide who would go first. Cody declared "Looser goes first!" And in just two short rounds, Gwyn had won. Cody shared the heartfelt vows that he had written for Gwyn. When he was done, Gwyn declared, "I should have gone first!" and while witnessing their vows everyone had some laughs and happy tears.
"I knew that I loved you, when I first felt the hope again in the warmth of your embrace."
"I will marry you a million times, in any lifetime!"
With this ring, I pledge my love and faithfulness to you, today, tomorrow, and always.
COCKTAIL HOUR & More PHOTOS
Group photos are a part of weddings that can get a little chaotic. However, we have we have a system to make this FAST, and easy for our couples... so it is as painless as possible. We have a printed checklist, and assistant to give direction and make sure family and wedding party are where they need to be, so no important photos get missed, and you don't have to stress and get back to spending time with guests...
Then They Danced
After photos, Gwyn and Cody grabbed a slice of Wood Fired Pizza, took a shot together and it was time for the grand entrance, and a first dance as husband and wife to get the party started!
They had two first dance songs, the first was "Their Song" Neon Moon, by Cigarettes After Sex and then Cody's grandmother sang for them to have a second dance.
Keeping with tradition, they followed up with dances with their parents...
followed by SO-MUCH-MORE-DANCING!
MORE TRADITIONs
The fun didn't stop there, it was time to cut the cake and do the garter and bouquet toss!
Quiet Moments
Just in time for Golden Hour, we snuck away with Gwyn and Cody
Surrounded by waterfalls and flower-filled meadows they took in the beauty
of Yosemite National Park, and shared some quiet moments as newlyweds!
And they lived happily ever after
just in case you didn't get enough of this epic love story
Check out their highlight film
VENDOR TEAM
Venue & Lodging
The Redwoods at Yosemite
IG @theredwoodsinyosemite
Officiant
JennBrook of Wilde Heart Weddings
DECOR & FLORALS
The Bride!
Catering
Mattie’s Wood Fired Pizza
Photo & Video
The Wilde's ~ Wilde Moon Imagery
Garrett & Jenn Wilde are an adventurous husband and wife team that specializes in all things weddings. Jenn is a full-time wedding officiant and coordinator, who sometimes dabbles in photos as long as the camera is on auto. Garrett is the real talent when it comes to imagery and enjoys astrophotography and landscape photography as a hobby, but loves taking the time to connect with couples and capture their love story in imagery.
They are based in Utah but travel for work and adventures throughout the western states with their Labradoodle, Baylee. Their elopement photography is best described as candid, in-the-moment photography, with an emphasis on alternative, non-traditional couples, & elopements.