A Jedediah Smith Redwoods Elopement with Coastal Portraits: How to Plan the Day

You love the quiet feeling of the redwoods, but you also keep saving photographs of couples by the ocean. You’re wondering if both could belong in your wedding day.

A Jedediah Smith Redwoods elopement with coastal portraits is an idea we can explore. The question I’d start with is how to give you enough time to enjoy both places. Your vows deserve your attention, and so does the experience of being there together.

I’m Dezerae, a Southern Oregon elopement photographer working with couples in the California Redwoods and along the Oregon Coast. My approach starts with your priorities, then brings the location choices and timeline together around them.

Confirm your forest ceremony before planning the route

Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is part of Redwood National and State Parks. Wedding applications follow different processes for state park land and national park land. Weddings, elopements, and vow exchanges require permits, and those permits do not make the location private. The official wedding guidance directs Jedediah Smith applicants to California State Parks.

The state district currently requires applications at least 45 days ahead, accepts them up to six months ahead, and lists additional paperwork including liability insurance. It also identifies a winter period when permit requests are closed. Confirm your date and site with the coordinator before making firm plans; use the current state park permit instructions. 

GOOD NEWS!! When you book with me; I handle the whole process and requirements, insurance, etc.. 

The exact ceremony location matters more than simply choosing “the Redwoods.” Once the approved place, time, and group size are clear, we can build a realistic day around them.

Choose one coastal area that fits the day

For the ocean portion, we can discuss the Crescent City area or a route toward Brookings. The right choice depends on where your forest ceremony takes place, where you’re staying, and what coastal setting you want.

I’d choose one main coastal area before adding extra stops. Every change of location brings more than driving: gathering your things, finding parking, walking in, and getting comfortable again all take time.

If the forest and beach plans cross the Oregon–California border, we’ll confirm requirements separately for each location and activity. Permission at one place doesn’t establish permission at the next.

Give the forest its own photography window

When I plan photographs under trees, I look at the available light inside that setting. I would generally explore a forest session earlier in the day, with the coast afterward, then adjust for your permitted ceremony time and actual locations.

That gives us a starting point for the timeline. It also lets us talk about which photographs matter most. If being among the redwoods is the heart of your day, we should give that part enough time before deciding how much to add elsewhere.

An example of the day's flow

Start with getting ready and any details you want remembered. Travel to your approved forest location with time to arrive calmly, then have your ceremony and photographs together among the trees. If guests are attending, include time for their photographs before everyone moves on.

Next comes a real break: food, water, a restroom stop, and the drive to your coastal location. Leave a separate window for beach portraits before returning to your evening plans.

This is an illustrative sequence, not a fixed schedule. We’ll set the actual times around the approved ceremony, route, access, conditions, and your photography coverage.

How much photography time should you plan for?

Start with what you want included. Getting ready, vows, guest photographs, two landscapes, travel, and a meal add up quickly. A short ceremony doesn’t mean the whole experience will be short.

When you reach out, tell me whether you want both settings on the wedding day or whether you’re open to a separate adventure session. That gives us options if your priorities need more room than one day comfortably allows.

I’ll help you look at the coverage and timeline together so the time you book supports the experience you want.

Make the space between the locations meaningful, too

Your wedding story includes more than the scenery. It’s the anticipation before seeing each other, the emotion during your vows, and the little look you share afterward when it sinks in that you’re married.

I want your plans to leave room for all of that.

Explore my Redwoods photography page and elopement photography options, then reach out with your ideas. We can start with the trees, the ocean, and what matters