Our Wedding

Early Years · Engagement · Wedding Planning · Wedding · Reception · Honeymoon

We were married on July 15, 2008 in a small ceremony near the base of Lower Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park in California. It was our 11-year anniversary of being together.

It was a nontraditional setting but one that is incredibly special for us. In August 1999, we visited Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks. It was the first time we took a long roadtrip to visit a National Park and the first time we skipped giving each other an anniversary present in lieu of sharing a memorable trip together – both of which are now sacred traditions in our relationship. Upon entering Yosemite Valley at Inspiration Point, we were awed – and decided right then that if we ended up getting married, we needed to do it in Yosemite.

The Rehearsal Dinner

We skipped doing a full rehearsal to avoid the logistical difficulties. Instead, we opted for an informal sit-down dinner with everyone involved at an Applebee’s in Sonora, the town we were staying in. It wasn’t glamorous, but it wasn’t costly either, and we could focus our attention on visiting with the people we care about. Unlike everyone else, my mom was staying in the park itself at the Yosemite Lodge, so she wasn’t able to meet us. Nonetheless, we had a good time chatting with everyone in a low key setting.

After a couple of hours or more of eating and talking, we had to leave to meet the photographer. As part of our package, she wanted to do a sunset “engagement” session. The photographer had scouted out the town and found an older courthouse-like building that we started at. After about 30 minutes of shots, we moved on to an adjacent park to take some more, and finally finished off by wandering down the main street and into another little park. It was a fun experience – it’s not everyday that a professional photographer follows you around.

After the photo shoot, we met back up with everyone at the hotel. We finally got a chance to talk with Edmund about the ceremony and go over the schedule and other details. Then, it was off to get things ready for the morning.

Getting Ready

The morning of our wedding day came very quickly and Scott drove to the park ahead of everyone, giving him time to finalize his vows and get dressed before Kim arrived. It was particularly convenient that Scott’s mom, who was staying the Yosemite Lodge, was assigned the absolute closest room to the trail to the wedding ceremony site – this stroke of good luck made getting ready much easier.

It was very important to Kim for Scott not to see her dress before the ceremony. Even so, Kim and her family arrived at the room a little earlier than scheduled and ran into Scott – though he didn’t see the dress.

Our photographer arrived prior to the ceremony to capture these precious moments of the two of us getting ready.  She was able to catch Scott in the final preparations before he headed off to the ceremony location and stuck around to watch Kim get ready, too. Kim experienced her first case of nerves as she got dressed for her wedding. It was an amazing feeling to know that in a few minutes we would become a married couple.

After leaving Kim and the girls to finish their preparations, the photographer headed over to the ceremony site to get some candid shots of Scott and the rest of the family as they arrived.

The Ceremony

We opted for a small, intimate, and casual ceremony which better reflected who we are and the location. Kim’s parents, sister, and sister’s fiancee were there, along with Scott’s parents, and two sets of aunts and uncles from the Bay Area. Scott’s uncle Edmund was the officiant for the ceremony.

The ceremony spot that the park has set for weddings is right along the main path to the falls, so we had quite a bit of company at times. In fact, we attracted quite a bit of attention as tourists stopped to take pictures of the ceremony.

Kim’s entrance was a bit out of the ordinary, too – she walked nearly 1/3 mile from the lodge room to the wedding site. Most of that distance is a long straight pathway, so Scott and the wedding guests had Kim in sight minutes before she arrived.

There was no music, of course, as we had nature’s sounds – especially the gentle roar of the falls – all around us. However, showing her fan devotion, Kim asked Scott to play Thunderstruck on his iPhone as she approached – the same song that’s used for the entrance of the ASU football team at Sun Devil Stadium. Scott willingly obliged.

The setting was stunning, with the upper portion of Yosemite Falls in view through a clearing in the trees. The ceremony itself didn’t last more than 10-15 minutes.  It was simple but heartfelt – and a long time coming if you ask Kim. Rings were exchanged, vows were committed, and suddenly we were married. We were joined by a deer halfway through the ceremony, who thoughtfully remained afterward for photos with the bride and groom.

The Photos

Speaking of photos, what’s a wedding without all of the post-ceremony photos? As soon as the ceremony was over, and we had exchanged hugs of congratulations from family, we ventured off to take some photos. After several pairing variations – “ok, you stand there, and let’s see, you stand there” – and additional body posturing orders from the photographers – “ok, now tilt your head in and move your hand up higher” – we all started to get the hang of it. In addition to the deer, who by this time had wandered off, we were also joined by several butterflies just in to inspect the colorful bouquets.

After we gathered for some final group shots with all the family, we ventured up closer to the falls for some more shots. Along the way we were greeted, cheered, and clapped for by passing tourists. We climbed some trailside boulders and took some shots there, got some pictures of us strolling down the path, and of course got more shots at the base of the falls. We finished off by taking our traditional Scott and Kimmie self-shot, where Scott holds out the camera and takes our shot – with all of our travels, he’s had enough practice to get pretty good at it.

With the photo shoot complete, we made our way back to Pat’s room at the Yosemite Lodge to change, then headed over to the restaurant to eat and visit with the family for the remainder of the afternoon.

Check out all of the wedding pictures or view a slideshow.

The Ahwahnee Hotel

While we only spent a fraction of what most other couples spend on our wedding, we did splurge on one thing: spending our wedding night in the famed Ahwahnee Hotel. And we didn’t just stay in the Ahwahnee, but we managed to stay in the Mary Curry Tresider Suite (more famously known as the Queen’s Room) at the Ahwahnee. The hotel is an icon of the National Park lodges, and certainly one of our favorite buildings. The location, ideally situated deep in Yosemite Valley near the Royal Arches, provides a great sense of place. Our room was on the sixth floor – what amounts to the penthouse floor – in what was the original personal bedroom of the hotel. The room even has its own mini balcony that offers an unparalleled view of Yosemite Falls.

And the bed. Ohh, the bed. It was by far the softest and most comfortable bed we have ever slept on. It was really great. We skipped our early departure in the morning to sleep in, explore the hotel, and have lunch in the dining room.

It was, by several orders of magnitude, our most expensive stay in a hotel. But well worth it – and a memory that will last forever.

Early Years · Engagement · Wedding Planning · Wedding · Reception · Honeymoon