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Campervan Elopement to Big Sur and Yosemite
National Parks, Renter Guest Posts, Trip Ideas & Guides
Photo by Lunalee Photography & Amanda Summerlin
We’re not crying… you’re crying! Christlyn and Erik’s photos from their eight-day Escape Campervan road trip elopement from San Francisco to Big Sur to Yosemite are, as the kids say, #goals. What an amazing idea, and how incredibly well they captured it. Needless to say, we are THRILLED, and we couldn’t wait to share their story with our Escapee community.
You can read about the whole thing on their blog, but we pulled out a few of our favorite photos and excerpts for your enjoyment.
Why elope?
“The idea of eloping, for us, was inspired by two things. The first is that we are wedding photographers ourselves so we felt the need to do something a bit different than what we typically do on a weekend. But really our biggest inspiration came from our drive to live adventurously. We got engaged while hiking Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina and wanted our wedding to continue the theme of grand adventures.”
Picking up the campervan
“After nearly a year of planning, the day was finally here. Our amazing friends drove us to the airport at 3 am and by 6 am we were in the sky headed to San Francisco. Our first stop once we landed was to pick up our Escape Campervan for our road trip. This thing is seriously awesome! It’s the size of a cargo van with a full kitchen. The back seats go from a cozy dining area to a super comfy queen size bed in no time. It had everything we were going to need in Yosemite.”
Their wedding day
“The day was finally here! All the planning, all the imagining, all the excitement, it all came together today….Even though this had been the moment we had imagined over and over again, I still couldn’t believe this moment was really happening! ….As we each read our vows, our voices cracked as we each tried to hold back the tears. It was a losing battle. Once we had exchanged rings, the smiles poured out uncontrollably and that was it! We were married!”
The first day as newlyweds
“The next morning we said goodbye to Big Sur and hit the road for Yosemite for our honeymoon. Yosemite has some of the most spectacular views I’ve ever seen. The waterfalls cascading a thousand feet down to the valley floor below with Half Dome looking over everything is awe-inspiring to say the least….We stayed the first night in a parking lot overlook area with the perfect view of Half Dome. We even cooked pancakes on the gas grill that came with our van. Truly, the height of luxury! We awoke the next day to the most beautiful sunrise.”
Final thoughts
“The whole experience was all so exciting and magical! Erik and I can’t wait to go on more adventures and we have already decided that trips like this (minus the wedding part) shouldn’t be a rarity in our life. We plan on celebrating our wedding anniversary by going on at least one big trip every year.”
Thanks so much for letting us share your beautiful story, Christlyn and Erik!
To see more of their photos, visit Lunalee Photography. Wedding day photos by Amanda Summerlin.