Glen Oaks Big Sur Elopement
Sara & Chris’s Big Sur Elopement showcases that valuing and investing in your luxury experience is the way to go! I was literally screaming excited with her when Sara shared with me that she booked the biggest secluded cabin at Glen Oaks accessed through a suspension bridge.
Chris is a bridge inspector/engineer so Sara surprised him by incorporating the bridge that was part of their cabin experience! It was so sweet!
If you are looking for a Big Sur Elopement Photographer, I’d love to not only capture your special day but help you bring all of your dreams to reality! Check out my Big Sur Elopement Packages to find out what I bring to the table!
Why Elope in Big Sur?
Big Sur is a very popular location among tourists and even locals all over California. Images of sunny highway 1 coast are all over social media and even on commercials. But the best thing about Big Sur is that the whole landscape is spread out and offers two Californian favorite scenery, Redwoods, and Beaches! I fell in love with Big Sur when I first dragged a friend at 6 am in the morning to beat the crowd. I end up driving past the whole thing and ended up somewhere else. We eventually made it back to enjoy the sunset at the famous McWay Falls.
The more I visited over the past 5 years, the more I fell in love with the landscapes and the weather. There’s just something so special about the color of the ocean and the way the sun peeps through the rolling clouds. We have seen sunshine, overcast, fog, rain, and even hail and we absolutely LOVED every bit of it!
Eloping in Glen Oaks Cabins
This past year, I was blessed with lots of opportunities to photograph couples who had their elopement in Big Sur and Glen Oaks is one of the most luxurious places you can stay & celebrate in Big Sur! There are small to large cabins gracefully spaced from each other (so extra privacy) and you just feel like you are in the middle of the redwoods!
Sara & Chris had their florist come in and create little bouquets for every room in the cabin. It’s like every room was filled with love. Such a special touch.
Big Sur Redwoods Ceremony
For their ceremony, Sara & Chris scouted near their cabin and picked a location that had two tall redwoods, signifying their love for one another. Sara’s dear friend officiated and asked each of them to write a letter and mail them separate so they could read out it aloud during the ceremony along with their own vows, we were all tearing up.
The way that the sun rays were coming through the redwoods trees were out of this world, it just felt like we were in a movie scene.
After the ceremony, we explored the amazing redwoods and stream near their cabin and headed off to the beach they scouted!
Plan B Adventure!
The original plan was to go to one of the beaches closest to the Glen Oaks cabin but it was during Spring Break season and Sara & Chris realized it would be too chaotic to go. When Chris visited the day before and in the morning, it was packed with cars and couldn’t even find parking! So they took it upon themselves to look for other possible locations and they found this beautiful beach just 20min north! They sent me a picture saying we would have to cross a river in order to get to this specific beach, and we said “say no more!!”
I loved that they spent the time together to look for their own locations for their elopement. It was a huge success because we had the whole beach to ourselves and we didn’t have to worry about anything but to enjoy ourselves. It brings me joy to see couples value their experience by being intentional with every single detail.
If you’re interested in having your elopement in Big Sur, I provide some links to lodging options in my blog Best places to elope in California
Amazing Vendors:
Photographer: Julia Mina Photography
Venue: Glen Oaks Big Sur
Florist: Carmel Floral Design
8 Responses
These are beautiful photos! I love the mix of the greenery of the forest and the sunset on the beach. It was so great, you were able to find a quiet beach during spring break!
Glen oaks is definitely the venue that comes to mind when you picture a Big Sur wedding! Love these vibes.
Everything about this Glen Oaks Big Sur elopement is perfect! I love the combination of forest and beach vibes!
this is absolutely so dreamy – the pictures are to die for!
This Big Sur elopement put a huge smile on my face 🙂 You can really feel the joy and loving all the moments you captured!
What a lovely Big Sur elopement! I couldn’t help but smile looking through all of these beautiful photos, you did a fantastic job!
omg this big sur elopement is so gorgeous! I especially love the light peaking through the trees like that for their ceremony! <3
Big Sur is my favorite place and you captured it beautifully! Glen Oaks is the perfect property for an elopement . . . that redwood forest ceremony!!!