Whenever the subject comes up around the office of our favorite weddings of all time, Camille always cites her brother’s wedding in Temescal Gateway Park. “It really was one of the most gorgeous weddings I’ve ever been to, and the venue didn’t cost a dime!” Camille’s brother Collin was smart and totally ahead of his time — using parks as outdoor chapels has caught on with style conscious brides who want a gorgeous and memorable day without overspending on an elaborate wedding.
Abbi and Callen Hearne have capitalized on the trend by becoming “adventure wedding photographers” who specialize in helping couples plan and document unforgettable weddings in National Parks.
“I’ve found that one of the biggest benefits of a National Park wedding is the pure lack of stress our couples have,” says Abbi. “Plus, there’s nothing truly as timeless as mountains, deserts, or glaciers. They’ve been around way longer than any human-made trends!”
Their breathtaking photos are hard to argue with: styled event spaces are fun, but no backdrop is more stunning than our nation’s parklands. And the best news is that many of these park venues are incredibly affordable — or even downright free — when it comes to small weddings and elopements. Scroll down to discover The Hearnes photography in 7 of the most beautiful National Parks, and start planning your big day:
photo by the hearnes
Zion National Park in Utah
“The couples we photograph have decided to scrap all expectations and standards for a ‘normal’ wedding, paired down their guest list to something much smaller (we shoot weddings with up to 25 guests, but a lot of our couples have less than 10, some with no guests at all!), and dropped most of the unnecessary wedding details,” says Abbi.
“I love that our couples can come back to these parks in 50 years and say ‘we got married right here’.”
photo by the hearnes
Yosemite National Park in California
“It’s no secret that Yosemite National Park is our favorite, and definitely the most popular National Park among our couples,” says Abbi. “Yosemite holds so much meaning to me personally, and I believe it’s the most striking, wildly unlikely and beautiful landscape I’ve ever seen. That being said, Moab, Utah is where we call home and we love the desert SO much, so Arches and Canyonlands National Parks are also very high on our list!”
photo by the hearnes
Mount Ranier in Washington
photo by the hearnes
Arches National Park in Utah
photo by the hearnes
Glacier National Park in Montana
photo by the hearnes
Canyonlands National Park in Utah
“The grandeur of these places really brings a genuine weight to the magnificence of a wedding day,” says Abbi.
photo by the hearnes
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park in California
“After I shot my first elopement with two guests in the redwoods of California, I knew my calling was elopement in the outdoors,” says Abbi. “I could list a million reasons why, but one of the biggest ones is how at home I personally feel in these places. My husband and I were coming to Yosemite long before we were shooting weddings here, and intend to come long after. We truly love these places and love our time spent in them, so for our job to mean exploring these places with incredible, similar-minded couples is truly a dream come true!
We work really hard to only book with couples that we vibe well with and that share similar values as us: loving and respecting the outdoors, believing in something greater than themselves, prioritizing experiences over things.
We absolutely love our time spent with our couples, and selfishly, these outdoors-focused wedding days with fewer guests and more adventure mean we get to spend more time with these incredible people!”
