Married in the Redwoods: Rooted in Love in Santa Cruz & Big Sur
Your Ceremony Beneath the Giants
When Donna performs a ceremony among the redwoods—whether in Santa Cruz or Big Sur—she speaks with reverence for the forest and your love. There’s a kind of hush the forest asks for. These trees have witnessed centuries of love, loss, rebirth, and renewal. They are the elders of the land. And she gives them a moment to settle around us before we begin.
Your ceremony will be woven with the your promises, and your dreams, and she honors the forest as a silent witness. It’s there in the gentle sway of branches overhead. It’s in the way the light flickers across your joined hands. It’s in the soft, living breath of the land surrounding us—all of it holding the space with dignity and grace.
Couples often tell Donna later that they felt the ceremony “land in their heart” in a way they didn’t expect. Nature does that. Especially the redwoods.
The Moments Rebecca Captures
While Donna guides your ceremony, Rebecca slips quietly among the trees with the eye of a storyteller and the heart of an artist. She doesn’t just take photos—she captures the feeling of being there.
It’s the way she notices:
The soft glow of sunlight warming your faces as you exchange vows
The stillness of the forest when you speak your promises
The tender, unplanned gestures between the two of you
The way the redwoods frame you—like nature’s cathedral arching above
The quiet laughter that bubbles up when the love becomes too big for your chest
The look you give each other when you realize: this is our moment
Her lens finds poetry in the ordinary, magic in the subtle, and truth in the in-between moments. She honors the forest much like you do—moving with respect, gentleness, and a sense of gratitude for the gift of bearing witness.
When Rebecca photographs a redwood elopement, she captures not just images…
but the living heartbeat of the forest and the warmth of your love inside it.
The Redwood Trees as Your Witnesses
When we marry couples in these ancient groves, we witness something extraordinary. Just as the redwoods have endured centuries of storms and still rise skyward, your love becomes part of a lineage of resilience.
Everyone who stands with you becomes part of your “root system”—
your families,
your friends,
…… and Donna and Rebecca
Each of them has offered you wisdom, comfort, encouragement, and steady presence. Just like the trees in the forest, no one stands alone.
And when two people choose to marry—truly and wholeheartedly—they become like companion trees: rooted in intention, lifting each other up, and growing toward the light together.
Whether your ceremony takes place in the hush of the Santa Cruz Mountains or the rugged majesty of Big Sur’s redwood canyons, the message remains the same:
Love is connection.
Love is resilience.
Love is a living, growing thing.
Wherever your heart leads you—Santa Cruz or Big Sur—our wish for you is the same:
May your love grow like the redwoods—deeply rooted, resilient, and ever-reaching toward the light.
May you weather life’s seasons with tenderness and steadiness.
May your roots intertwine in trust and joy.
And may the forest always remind you of the strength you share.
Let the Forest Hold Your Love
Each time we step into these groves with a couple, we walk with gratitude. These aren’t just ceremonies—they’re threshold crossings. They’re moments when love, nature, and intention meet.
If your heart is calling you to be married among the redwoods—whether wrapped in the charm of Santa Cruz or the wild beauty of Big Sur—we would be honored to help you create a ceremony that feels alive, meaningful, and wholly yours.
Elope Santa Cruz
Where love grows tall, just like the trees.
📸 Photography by Rebecca Stark – Big Sur and Santa Cruz elopement photographer
💍 Ceremony by Donna with Honey in the Heart – Big Sur and Santa Cruz officiant