2-Part Earth Day River Elopement in Three Rivers, CA

An Earth Day Elopement

The love and respect Hannah & Steven have for Mother Earth is truly an incredible thing to bear first-hand witness to. It makes you want to hold it so delicately in the palm of your hands, like it’s a rare jewel you so desperately want to cherish and protect.

Everything about their day was filled with the utmost intention, from the date that they chose — earth day, to their location, the gifts that they got for their guests (everything thrifted because as they described themselves — “we love looking for treasures at antique stores, flea markets, thrift shops -- we love giving a home to things that are no longer wanted or forgotten.”), and the details that they included in their day.

In their first inquiry to me, they said, “We both love the water and on a recent trip to Oregon, we fell in love with driving through the forests and stopping for a dip in the rivers. And so, we wanted the river to be a part of our day. We want the day to be intimate, celebrating the earth, the water, and really focused on capturing the time with our loved ones while having our own little moment.”

To give some insight on why they chose the location that they did, they said, “In all our roadtrips to and from the PNW, we always make it a point to stop in Kern to soak in the hot springs. It's been a spot where we would talk about the roadtrip ahead, getting excited and the spot that we come back to to reflect on everything that we experienced when we're returning home. It just kinda clicked that we would hold our wedding here -- looking ahead and reflecting on how we got here.”

Part 1 - Private Vows at Sunrise

Their day started before the crack of dawn. We drove into Sequoia National Park in the dark, and met at the trailhead parking lot where they spent a few minutes getting ready before we embarked on our hike in to the river. As we walked past a small cave, H & S excitedly climbed in to explore, the light from their headlamps bouncing off the rocky ceiling of the cave a few inches above their heads.

We continued our hike in. Objects started taking on more distinctive shapes as the sky started lightening up, like someone was turning up the dimmer on a light switch. A gentle breeze blew and danced around our ankles. Birds started waking up. The sound of rushing water could be heard off in the distance — the river was close.

We had the whole place to ourselves, as we arrived at the river and the two very excitedly explored around, taking in the sights and sounds of this incredible place. They stopped to appreciate the moss on rocks, the river below them, the bees pollinating the flowers… Watching them explore this trail with so much curiosity and wonder brought tears to my eyes.

We found a large rocky area next to the river where they decided this was the spot they wanted to exchange their vows. Laying down a blanket next to the gushing river, they sat down together to write their vows before exchanging them, the river drowning out everything else around them except their words to each other.

Hannah had prepared a special gift for Steven — a watch with an engraving on the back, and the time set to 7:25AM based on the timeline I had prepared for them. The watch needs to be worn in order for it to run, so the time that Hannah had set had not changed until Steven took it out of its box… at exactly 7:25AM. It was an absolutely mindblowing moment that I still cannot wrap my head around.

We spent the rest of the morning taking portraits and exploring around, before heading back to our cars just when other hikers were arriving for the day.

Part 2 - A Surprise Ceremony with Family at their Three Rivers airbnb

We took a break after their sunrise elopement and met up again in the evening for their ceremony with their guests at their airbnb in Three Rivers. Three Rivers is a cute little town 20 minutes from the south entrance of Sequoia National Park, with restaurants and coffee shops overlooking the Kaweah River. Many airbnbs are located right along the river, and H&S found an amazing airbnb with an incredible outdoor space and a short walk down to the river itself.

In the 10+ years H+S have been together, their parents had never met. So under the pretext of finally introducing their parents, H+S invited their families to an airbnb they had rented in Three Rivers to have a family weekend together. They kept their plans to actually get married that weekend a complete surprise to their parents, while their siblings helped to pull it off (they helped set up the arch for the ceremony farther down on the river bank, hidden from view from the main house).

When I arrived at their airbnb, I pretended to be the airbnb owner coming to check on the AC units. I found a spot in the back hidden from their parents to photograph their details, while their siblings helped to make sure their parents weren’t anywhere close to see what I was doing.

After getting ready together in their room, we sneaked downstairs and broke the news to their parents who were gathered on the patio, thinking that they had all just gotten dressed for a dinner. I think it took a minute for the news to sink in 😂 H & S then had both their parents walk them down the “aisle” to their ceremony spot on the river bank. It was a beautiful ceremony, where their three huskies stole quite a bit of the show 😅

As the sun set and night fell, the family gathered over a candlelit dinner on the riverbank with one of the most delicious spreads of home-cooked Korean & Vietnamese foods I’ve ever seen. Did I mention they even reserved a place setting for me at their table? 😭

Such an incredible day spent with two incredible and sweet people who love Earth so much they wanted Earth Day to be their day. What an incredible honor to document these beautiful intentions manifested in every decision they made for their special day. 💚🌿

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Check out Hannah & Steven’s elopement featured on Wandering Weddings here!