An elopement day featuring Samuel H. Boardman and Redwood National Park captured on 35mm film.
While I’m predominately a digital photographer, I always capture at least a roll of film during the day. There’s a special magic to the images it captures that the digital doesn’t. There’s some beautiful digital images from this amazing elopement day, this blog is going to show off the 35mm film.
These two left me the sweetest review:
I don’t even know where to begin in my praises of Miki. From the planning right down to the execution, she made every step of our elopement feel so seamless, stress free, and magical. She was so patient with us during the planning process and had such a wonderful way of making us feel seen and heard during the collaborative process. Her extensive knowledge of the Oregon Coast was honestly so helpful in finding the perfect locations to fulfill our elopement fantasies. Leading up to our wedding day we felt so relaxed and confident because of Miki’s excellent communication and attention to detail. The day of our elopement we kept telling her that we felt like the main characters of a movie because she made us feel so at ease in front of the camera. And when we got our sample gallery only a day later we were STUNNED at how beautiful the photos came out. Literally something out of a fairytale. We had so much fun hiking around with her that by the end of it we wanted to be best friends with her.
She even went above and beyond and offered to take us tide pooling the morning after our wedding because she knew we had an interest in it and wanted to pick her brain some more without being on a timeline. If you have time in your elopement day to go tide pooling with Miki you 100% should because it was SO FUN and we learned so much from her! Needless to say she made our elopement experience fun, relaxed, and MAGICAL! Seriously could not recommend her more! Thank you so much Miki!!! <3
Redwood National Park Elopement on 35mm Film
We started their elopement adventure in Redwood National Park. One of the groves is just south of the Oregon border and allows you to visit both the epic trees and the rocky coast. This park is perfect for elopements because it’s lower traffic than most national parks and the trail is flat. Epic adventures are possible in wedding outfits but sometimes it’s nice for a more lowkey walk.
Permit rules have been updated as of 2025. The park is now separated based on whether it’s a state or national park section (though all are under the Redwood National and State Park umbrella still). For more on rules for the national park section, check out this resource from NPS. For the state park sections, like Jedidiah Smith Redwoods featured here, you now need a $20 permit for any kind of photos. If you’re having a ceremony, you need an additional permit and liability insurance. Photographers need an additional permit via the California Film Commission to use any images taken in any capacity. This information is not currently available online and you will need to contact California State Parks to work out permits for your elopement. I was able to get the contact via contacting the federal Redwoods permit coordinator.
Oregon Coast Beach Ceremony and Picnic
After the Redwoods, we moved onto Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor. They exchanged private vows and I stayed out of earshot so they could keep the moment 100% to themselves. After exploring the beach a bit, they brought out the cutest cake with the text “hasta la muerte” which is “until death” in Spanish. The bride was so excited about this part of the day so she brought the cutest plates and set up for the experience.
Samuel H. Boardman Sunset Portraits
To finish the day, we watched the sunset from a gorgeous cliff location. You won’t find this place on any map and it doesn’t have a name. I just saw a dirt trail one day and couldn’t resist seeing where it led. I will forever be glad I gave it a try because it’s now one of my most photographed elopement locations.
If you want to plan an elopement day like this, check out my elopement packages or contact me to start planning your day!
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