Eloping on the Redwood Coast, photographed and filmed
A Redwood National Park elopement is a permitted event from the first email, and the smallest pre-approved site takes only 6 participants1. It is the quiet end of our Redwood Coast wedding page: a half day, the two of you, and whoever you choose to bring.
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- Coverage
- Photo · Video · Photo + Video
- Collections
- Half day · Full day · Two days
- Travel
- In the quote
- Booking
- Direct with your photographer
In short
An elopement on the Redwood Coast is a permitted event: Redwood National Park asks for a permit for every wedding or elopement, and its smallest pre-approved ceremony site takes six people1. We photograph and film a half day, from the paperwork to the last light, and your price list arrives within one business day.
Eloping on the Redwood Coast
An elopement here is built around a permit, a short list of people and one stretch of light. The pre-approved sites we use cap groups at 6 to 20 participants1, so the guest list is decided by the site, not by the calendar. Most of the day is yours alone.
Who comes: the two of you, an officiant, the witness a public license requires (a confidential license needs none)2, and the guests the site allows. Our photographer and videographer need no separate permit; the park asks that they are listed on yours as support personnel1.
The park's rules shape the small details. Live or dried plant material is prohibited, including cut-flower bouquets, so a bouquet is silk, wood or paper; there are no arbors or arches, and nothing is thrown, whether rice, petals or confetti1. We plan the pictures around those limits. The permits are non-exclusive, so other visitors may pass1, and we choose angles and moments that keep the frame clean.
Getting married on the Redwood Coast: the paperwork
The Humboldt County Clerk-Recorder, at 825 5th Street, 5th Floor, in Eureka, issues the license. You start the application online, then both of you appear in person between 10:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. with original valid ID2. If a previous marriage ended in divorce less than 90 days earlier, bring the court-filed decree2. A public license is $78 and a confidential one $802, valid for 90 days, and the ceremony must take place in California on or after the issue date2.
The office does not accept cards; paying online in advance by card carries a 2.95% provider fee, $2 minimum2. An in-office civil ceremony, by appointment only, costs another $1002.
The park permit is a second application. Redwood National Park wants a specific location, date, time, group size and vehicle count by email; pre-approved sites cost a $100 application fee and anywhere else $2001. A pre-approved site needs at least 14 days' lead time and any other site at least 303. The state parks use a Special Event Permit4 at $250 to $300, applied for 45 days to 6 months ahead with a certificate of general liability insurance; none are issued from December 15 through Martin Luther King Jr. Day4.
Marriage license
- Issued by
- Humboldt County Clerk-Recorder, 825 5th Street, 5th Floor, Eureka, CA
- Fee
- $78 public license; $80 confidential license2
- Waiting period
- none (the license can be issued and an in-office ceremony performed the same day)2
- Valid for
- 90 days2
- Witnesses
- 1 for a public license; none for a confidential license2
The day
A half day on the Redwood Coast
We plan an April half day to end at sunset, so the best light falls on the two of you and not on the guests. The sun rises at 06:36 and sets at 19:566, and the Crescent City station averages 57.9 °F by day and 43.2 °F at night, with 6.76 in of rain5.
- We meet you at the site, walk the ground and put the lavalier microphone on your officiant.
- The ceremony at Crescent Beach Overlook, a pre-approved site open from October 25 to May 11.
- A few minutes of portraits with your guests, who then head to dinner. The film's sound comes from the officiant's microphone and a recorder with a windscreen.
- The two of you, on the trail or the shore. Photography tied to a permitted wedding needs no permit of its own7, so the route can follow the light.
- The last hour before sunset6, and the end of the film.
If it rains, we keep the date and shoot it wet: the permit names a date and a site, and the forest photographs well in grey light. We bring umbrellas for the ceremony and keep the portrait route short.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 07:39 | 17:11 |
| Apr | 06:36 | 19:56 |
| Jul | 05:56 | 20:47 |
| Oct | 07:27 | 18:35 |
Sunrise and sunset computed for the 15th of each month, local time.6
Where we elope you
For an elopement we start with the smallest sites on the permit list, then choose by season and by the group you are bringing.
- Berry Glen a pre-approved site for up to 6 participants1, the smallest on the list, which fits the couple, an officiant and a witness or two.
- Crescent Beach Overlook a pre-approved site for up to 20, available October 25 to May 1, so it belongs to a winter or spring date.1
- Lady Bird Johnson Grove one of the park's higher-visitation areas, where summer permits face time and group-size limits, so we suggest it outside peak summer.3
The three state parks, Jedediah Smith, Del Norte Coast and Prairie Creek, run their own permit process, which suits a forest ceremony planned months ahead.4
Collections
Every collection comes as photo, video, or both, with the same team on the day. Half day covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits; Full day runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception; Two days adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session. Travel to Redwood Coast is built into the quote, not added later.
Prices depend on the date, the team and how far we travel, so we send a price list for Redwood Coast rather than publishing one number for every town. Ask for it below; it arrives within one business day.
Half day
Covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits.
- Edited gallery
- Print rights
- Sneak peek within days
- Feature film
- Teaser
- Full ceremony audio
- One crew
Full day
Runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception.
- Edited gallery
- Print rights
- Sneak peek within days
- Feature film
- Teaser
- Full ceremony audio
- One crew
Two days
Adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session.
- Edited gallery
- Print rights
- Sneak peek within days
- Feature film
- Teaser
- Full ceremony audio
- One crew
How booking works
- Send the form with your date and location.
- We reply within one business day with the Redwood Coast price list and the partner's recent work.
- Call with the photographer; if it fits, a deposit holds the date.
- A short questionnaire about people, places and timing, two weeks before.
- The day.
- A sneak peek first, then the full gallery and the film on the dates set in your contract.
Questions about eloping on the Redwood Coast
01Do we need witnesses to elope on the Redwood Coast?
It depends on the license. A public license issued by the Humboldt County Clerk-Recorder needs one witness, and a confidential license needs none2. Tell us who will stand with you, so we plan the group and the permit headcount to match.
02Can you help us choose a time and a spot for the ceremony?
Yes, that is most of the planning. We match your date to the sunrise and sunset times, then to a site the permit covers, such as Berry Glen for 6 people or Crescent Beach Overlook for 201. You choose the feeling; we check the rules and the light.
03How long does an elopement session take?
A half day covers an elopement with portraits, from meeting at the site to the last light. The ceremony itself is short, and the rest is the two of you moving through the place at an easy pace. Exact timing follows your permit slot and the sunset on your date, which we set together.
04Can family join us for part of the day?
Yes, up to the participant cap of your site, which is 6 at Berry Glen and 20 at the other pre-approved sites1. Guests usually join for the ceremony and a short round of portraits, then leave you to the quieter part of the day. We keep the timeline so they are not left waiting.
Say when.
Tell us the date you have in mind and who will stand with you, even if the answer is nobody. We reply within one business day with the Redwood Coast price list and a partner's recent galleries.
Sources
- NPS — Redwood National and State Parks: Weddings and Celebrations (accessed 2026-11-06) nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/supweddings.htm
- Humboldt County Clerk-Recorder — Apply for a Marriage License (accessed 2026-11-06) humboldtgov.org/2898/Apply-for-a-Marriage-License
- NPS — Redwood National and State Parks: Special Use Permits (accessed 2026-11-06) nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/sup.htm
- California State Parks, North Coast Redwoods District — Special Event Permits (accessed 2026-11-06) parks.ca.gov/?page_id=31392
- Wikipedia — Redwood National and State Parks climate table (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Crescent City 3 NNW station) (accessed 2026-11-06) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redwood_National_and_State_Parks#Climate
- Computed with suncalc (NOAA algorithm) github.com/mourner/suncalc
- NPS — Redwood National and State Parks: Filming and Still Photography (accessed 2026-11-06) nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/supfilming.htm