About three months ago, I was asked by one of my former seminary students to take her wedding pictures.  As part of the wedding weekend, she wanted me to take bridal pictures in Yosemite.  I was so excited, because anyone who knows me or follows along on my journeys, knows that I live close to Yosemite and it is one of my favorite places in the world.  I’ve even done a little travel blog post right HERE.

I decided to talk my husband into taking a few days off and to come with me.  We took Emmie and Jared’s photos on Thursday, August 22.  My birthday is on August 23rd, so I made a little birthday getaway out of the photoshoot.  Reed surprised me with a night at the Ahwahnee  Hotel, and we spent the rest of Thursday and Friday doing short hikes and riding our bikes around the park.  The photo below was taken in the Spring when the waterfalls were amazing.  The spot where this photo was taken was the meadow where I took all of Emmie and Jareds pictures.

I visited Yosemite at the end of July and floated down the Merced River.  While in Yosemite valley, I scoped out places to take the pictures.  I decided that the best spot was the big meadow right when you enter the valley.  This location is amazing because you can turn in any direction and see a spectacular view.   There is also the river running along the side of it and lots of large trees that provided some great shade.

First Look

Emmie wanted to have some first look photos.  We placed Jared with his back to Emmie and started the shoot with some sweet photos of Jared seeing Emmie for the first time in her wedding dress. 

 

Emmie looked so pretty in her dress.

The Bouquet

I asked Emmie to have her bridal bouquet for her Yosemite Pictures.  I love fresh flowers and having them for this pre-wedding shoot was the icing on the cake.  Her flowers were done by a florist in Clovis called a Secret Garden.

 

The link for the website is right HERE.  Aubrey did a beautiful job.  One of the things that I loved was Emmie was able to return the bouquet to her shop, and she freshened it up and added flowers for the wedding day two days later.

Photos in the Meadow

There are no words for how fun this was.  When I was first asked, I thought it would be a long day, and I was a little worried about the lighting.  I was so happy that I was pushed out of my comfort zone and had the opportunity to take these once in life-time photos for Emmie and Jared.   The backdrop almost doesn’t look real.  We had Half Dome right behind them.

Because of all the rain this year, everything was so green and lush.  One of my friends saw this photo and said it looked like they were in fairyland.

Full Sun Photos in the Meadow

Emmie wanted some of her pictures to include some of the scenery.  To get some of these shots, Emmie and Jared had to be in the sun at noonday.  This isn’t usually a recipe for good pictures.  We decided just to give it a shot.

I layed in the grass and started shooting while they were interacting.

I ended up with some of my favorite pictures.

Pictures from the Wedding Day!

Even tho this is a post about the photos in Yosemite; I thought I would share a few of my favorites from the wedding day that took place two days later in the Fresno LDS Temple.

In weddings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, couples make the choice to be sealed in the temple.  This is a very quiet affair with just family and a few close friends.  If you would like to learn more about LDS temples, a link is right HERE.

One of the traditions of these types of weddings is to come out of the temple and receive hugs and congratulations.  This photo of Emmies niece hugging her is one of my favorites of the whole day.

Here is the prettiest shot of Emmie and her sisters and brother.  I loved the dresses that were chosen; the color looked so lovely in the pictures.

Bridesmaid pictures are some of my favorites at a wedding.  I love the flowers and the color.

Below are some photos around the temple shortly after Emmie and Jared were married.

I’m so excited for Emmie and Jared to start the dance of their lives.  They were happy, and it was a joy spending these special days with them.