Hannah and Rocky’s intimate wedding at Henry Cowell Redwoods is one of my all time favorites. Their wedding focused on intimacy, simplicity, and the true meaning of marriage.
In the early stages of planning a big wedding, Hannah and Rocky stumbled across Kaitlyn and Matt’s intimate Big Sur wedding. After browsing through the images, they fell in love with the raw intimacy surrounding a smaller celebration. They tabled their original idea and decided to have an intimate wedding instead.
We started planning their day in Big Sur, but Mother Nature threw a wrench in our plans. The landslides and bridge closure forced us to relocate with less than two months away. I sent them an alternative list of forests in Santa Cruz and they settled on Henry Cowell Redwoods. It didn’t matter where they got married, as long as they were surrounded by beauty and loving company.
DAY BEFORE
I met Hannah and Rocky the day before their wedding to tour the forest together. They showed me some of their favorite scenic spots off the trails, as well as the special clearing they chose for their ceremony. We spent the rest of the afternoon lost in the trees trying to track down the elusive Garden of Eden. After more than an hour of searching, we finally found the way down to the watering hole.
Later that evening, we met up again at Allegro in the Carmel Barnyard for their rehearsal dinner. Hannah and Rocky’s family charmed my socks off, warmly welcoming me into their group with open arms. We enjoyed wine on the balcony, listened to some heart warming speeches and feasted on delicious Italian food.
INTIMATE WEDDING DAY
On the day of the wedding, I made a pit stop at Rocky’s family home in Carmel where the guys were getting ready. When I arrived, they shared some heartfelt words around the table and a prayer over breakfast. Rocky opened Hannah’s letter and gift- a beautiful watch to go with his suit. His reaction was so sweet, I think everyone let out an audible “awe” all at once.
The girls were in a charming barn-like Airbnb in Aptos, close to Henry Cowell. Hannah opened Rocky’s gift- a dainty pearl necklace that complimented her dress perfectly. The girls huddled around Hannah afterward and prayed over her…I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room.
This wedding is also featured on Intimate Weddings- check it out!
Henry Cowell Intimate Redwood Wedding
We met up a few hours later at a clearing in the park for their first look, one of Hannah and Rocky’s most anticipated moments of the day. The guests waited for us at the main park entrance and we all walked to the ceremony site together. Rocky’s mom pinned on boutonnieres while their friends scattered petals to line the aisle.
With her brother softly strumming the guitar, Hannah and her dad made their way up to the altar. In the middle of exchanging vows, a nearby giant split from its roots and came crashing down. The sound of it was like thunder ripping through the sky- an incredible sound I won’t be forgetting soon.
We temporarily parted ways with their guests after the ceremony to soak up the sparkly forest light for portraits. My favorite moment of the day was when we spotted these finger-like rays of light beaming from around the trees. I put on Iron and Wine’s cover of “Time after Time” while Hannah and Rocky practiced their first dance. On the way back to the entrance, a deer came charging through the brush and leaped over the wooden fence just feet away from us.
Ben Lomond Wedding Reception at Casa Nostra
After the sun had set, we made our way over to the reception dinner at Casa Nostra. The rest of the night was filled with laughter, the best Italian food, and dancing. I couldn’t imagine this day ending any more perfectly. Congrats Hannah and Rocky!
“We loved being able to spend our day with each other and the closest people in our lives. There is something magical about walking through the woods on your wedding day that we really can’t explain. We ended up hosting receptions for both of our families after we got back from our honeymoon. This allowed us to spend quality time with even more people we love than we could have on our actual wedding day. If you’re thinking about having an intimate wedding, we highly recommend it.”
Their Vendor Team
Ceremony location: Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park (Santa Cruz, CA) // Dress Designer: BHLDN // Dessert: Ferrell’s Donuts, Santa Cruz // Groom’s Attire: H&M // Officiant: Chris Comstock // Florist: Joely Clarke, Rooted Florals // MUAH: Valerie, Last Resort Salon// Photography: Paige Nelson // Reception Venue: Casa Nostra Ristorante & Bar (Ben Lomond)
Did you love this wedding? I recommend browsing Jessica & Paul’s intimate Big Sur wedding or Sarah and Alex’s intimate Santa Cruz wedding!
Kayla Illies said:
This is absolutely STUNNING and so so so beautifully romantic! Great work girlie!
Paige Nelson said:
Thanks so much Kayla! These two are sweethearts and it was such an honor to document this day for them! 🙂
Erica said:
Love how intimate this weeding is ?
Paige Nelson said:
Me too 🙂
Cynthia said:
Wow, what a gorgeous setting for a wedding! I’ve always wanted to check out the redwoods and definitely want to go now! So beautiful!
Xx,
Cynthia
http://www.thesirenconfidential.com
Paige Nelson said:
You definitely should! I can’t even describe the feeling of walking through these giant trees. A little slice of heaven. 🙂
Sarah Anderton said:
Wow! These images are GORGEOUS. I’m currently looking for a talented photographer for my wedding, which I’m thinking about having in the same location – (I think) Is their ceremony off of The Redwood Grove Loop Trail?! I am booked at Roaring Camp for rehearsal and scoting ceremony locations and I don’t know if it’s just your spectacular photos, or if this location is just perfect or both, haha!
If ou ould send me your photo package info and also let me know where their ceremony location was, I would be most obliged!
Best,
Sarah
Paige Nelson said:
Thanks so much Sarah! I would looove the opportunity to work together on your wedding day too! I think I have your correct email through the comment forum- I’ll send you a message this afternoon. 🙂
Jane Unger said:
These pictures are gorgeous! Where in Henry Cowell did you get married? Did you have to reserve the site?
Paige Nelson said:
Thanks so much! Yes, this is one of the sites you can reserve for wedding ceremonies in Henry Cowell! I believe this specific space is 30 people max, and anything bigger than that has to be at the Roaring Camp Railroads site. You can contact the state park service for more info. 🙂
Kim said:
I stumbled upon your blog post because I received an inquiry to shoot a wedding at the same location, and oh my gosh girl, your work is incredible!! These made me so, so happy 🙂
Paige Nelson said:
Thanks so much Kim! Henry Cowell is a lovely location for a wedding- wishing all goes well for you!
Stephanie Copp said:
What a gorgeous day! I love how you captured little details of the location and scenery in addition to the beautiful shots of the couple and their friends and family. I’ll be filming a wedding in Henry Cowell this August and I’ll definitely be coming back to this for inspiration! 😍
Paige Nelson said:
Thank you Stephanie! Have fun- Henry Cowell is gorgeous!