Your Small Yosemite National Park Wedding: How to Plan an Unforgettable Celebration with 20 Guests or Less – Real Wedding Cost Breakdown

Picture this: towering granite cliffs, misty waterfalls, and a golden sunset painting the sky—all with your closest loved ones witnessing your “I do.” If that sounds like your ideal setting, then a Yosemite National Park Wedding might just be your perfect match!

But hold on, lovebirds! Before you dash off into the wilderness with your bouquet in hand, let’s talk planning! Here’s everything you need to know to make your Yosemite National Park wedding feel truly special (without the unnecessary stress).

And the bonus? I’ve also included a cost break down from a real Yosemite National Park wedding.

1. Pick the Right Season

Yosemite is breathtaking year-round, but each season brings its own flavor to your special Yosemite National Park wedding.

• Spring (March – May): Wildflowers bloom, waterfalls roar, and love is in the air (literally—thanks to cool breezes). Expect some crowds, but mornings are serene.
• Summer (June – August): Warm weather and clear skies make it ideal, but it’s also peak tourist season. Although people generally are very nice and will move out of the way for wedding couples. You can also opt for sunrise session for a normal private experience.
• Fall (September – November): Crisp air, golden leaves, and fewer tourists? Yes, please! This is one of the best times for a Yosemite National Park Wedding.
• Winter (December – February): Dreaming of a snow-kissed ceremony for your Yosemite National Park wedding? Yosemite in winter is pure magic, but some areas may be closed due to snow. Pack warm!

2. Find Your Ideal Ceremony Location and Apply for Wedding Permit

There’re a few things to consider when choosing a ceremony location for your Yosemite National Park wedding. Where are the locations for ceremony? Do they open for the day you’d like to have your ceremony? How many people (including vendors) are allowed in each location? Is the location wheelchair accessible? Is parking available on site? Are there any other rules and regulations?

Luckily, the Yosemite wedding page has all the information for their 12 official outdoor locations. Plus one more, the Yosemite Valley Chapel, is the only indoor ceremony location within the park! And here’s my wedding gift to you – a table view for quick comparison between locations.

No matter which location you choose, you’ll need a wedding permit for your Yosemite National Park wedding. The permit is nonrefundable and costs $150. You can start applying up to 1 year in advance and more than 21 days prior to your wedding day. Pro tip: in order to pick your desired date and time, please apply early.

With 20 guests or less, you have the freedom to choose all of these stunning locations. But if your party is fewer than 11 people, you are allowed to pick any location within the park, except for open meadows and riparian environments. You can contact their main wedding permit officer, Catherine via email for more information.

Pro tip: Please note the Yosemite requires park entrance permit per vehicle during weekends and holidays from 9am – 5pm. But the park entrance permit will be waived with your Yosemite National Park wedding permit. So please share your Yosemite National Park wedding permit with your guests. Or, simply choose to get married on a weekday when park entrance permit is not required.

3. Accommodation & Reception Space Inside the Park

Let’s keep your celebration inside the park. Why is that? Yosemite is a very popular destination year round. Sometimes entering and exiting the park could easily be delayed up to 2 hours due to traffic at the gate. Staying inside the park will make sure your time is used wisely and ultimately elevates your Yosemite National Park wedding experience.

• Wawona Area:
  • The Redwoods in Yosemite is a vacation home rental nesting in the Wawona area, about 4.5 miles inside the south gate of Yosemite. Yosemite’s Luxury Estate is one of their cabin rentals that can sleep up to 22 people. It’s perfect for you two and 20 guests or less! The cost for 2 nights is around $5,500. You’d have a private space to get ready before ceremony and hang out with your closest loved ones afterwards, making your Yosemite National Park wedding experience so much more intimate and meaningful. Once you book the cabin, you can also opt to rent out their Event Center as your reception space. Or you could just use the large living room space that comes with El Capitan cabin for your reception! Please check out their FAQ page for additional questions.
  • Wawona Hotel: The Sunroom at this Victorian-era hotel offers the perfect space for your intimate reception. Rental fee starts at $4,962 for 50 guests, not including accommodation. But please check their official booking site for more details and customization.
• Yosemite Valley Area: There’re 3 establishments all in the valley which makes it very convenient if your ceremony is in the valley area. And they all have the same booking site
  • The Ahwahnee: A majestic grand hotel with unique architecture, tugged at the end of the valley and right in front of a granite cliff, making it so unforgettable. The Solarium room offers breathtaking views as ambient for your intimate reception. It costs about $5,000 for 40 people or less, not including accommodation and other fees.
  • Yosemite Valley Lodge: Just steps away from Yosemite Falls, this lodge sits truly in the middle of the valley. It offers both indoor or outdoor reception space with Yosemite Falls view.
  • Curry Village: This is a simple and rustic establishment offering cabins and camping tents as accommodation. Whether it’s indoor or outdoor, its cost-friendly reception rental starts at $2,500 for 50 guests. Think a cosy campfire with fairy lights and champagne under the stars.

4. Book a Photographer Who Gets It (Free Timeline Example)

A Yosemite National Park wedding is also gorgeous but the planning process can be wild. If you’ve read this far, I hope all the information doesn’t overwhelm you. We’re regulars in the park who know the ropes (and the best secret spots) can help you dodge the stress, plan your day like a pro, and make sure you’re actually enjoying the moment—not just surviving it.

And to top it off, we’ll capture all the breathtaking, windswept, jaw-dropping moments while keeping your adventurous wedding smooth as butter. Your Yosemite National Park Wedding deserves not only epic photos but a fun and stress-free experience from the get-go. So here is your early wedding gift from us – a tentative timeline example of how your wedding day can be:

9:00am – 11:00am Breakfast with loved ones
11:00am – 1:00pm Getting ready
1:00pm – 2:30pm Travel to Ceremony Location (depends on where your ceremony is, it can take up to 1 hour driving)
3:00pm – 5:00pm Ceremony & post-ceremony group photos
5:00pm – 7:00pm Sunset couple portrait around the park that brings you back to the reception (Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, Tunnel View, Taft Point, Glacier Point or a hidden waterfall? We help you to plan a smooth route that makes sense!)
7:00pm – 10:00pm Reception

5. Vendor Recommendations

• Catering
  • Willow Creek Catering: Offer quality fine dining catering service for small size gathering
  • Cakewalk Heirloom Baking Company: Farm to table sustainable catering and luxurious cake shop
• Hair & Makeup
  • Makeup Art by Elise: Excel in natural glow makeup style. Bridal hair & makeup starts at $500, additional hair & makeup starts at $250/person. Travel fees may apply.
  • Joyce Zhou Design: Excel in neutral minimalist asian makeup style. Bridal hair & makeup starts at $750. Travel fee may apply.
• Floral
  • Desert Rose Creative: Alyssa offers fresh floral arrangement service that follows Yosemite National Park’s guideline. Her service for Yosemite National Park wedding starts at $2,000. She will set up your ceremony site and then can transfer the florals back to your reception for an additional fee.
  • Fern and Sun Palm: This dried flower bouquet shop from Etsy offers a varies colors of arrangement ranging from $60 – $150, adding a rustic yet romantic vibe to your wedding day. Why is it a great choice? Dried flower bouquets are usually cheaper than fresh flowers; Yosemite National Park encourages and prefers dried flowers; You get to keep it forever!
• Officiant
  • Kimberly Vaughan: Ceremony in the valley – $775; Ceremony at Glacier Point & East Side – $825.
  • Carol Dewey: Service pricing starts at $375 with a $100 retainer.
• Musician
  • Coque Ross: Acoustic solo guitarist based in Fresno, CA. Starting price at $200/event.

6. Cost Break Down From a Real Yosemite National Park Wedding

For Thuy & Greg, Yosemite National Park is absolutely their favorite place on earth. When they first reached out to us 2 years prior to their wedding, they had no idea where to start planning, and not sure if they should just elope with just the two of them.

We collectively picked a date, got their wedding permit, the couple starting feeling more confident with planning and realized that they’d regret if they didn’t include their closest friends who witness their growth as an individual and as a couple.

And after numerous texts & calls we had over the span of 2 years planning, their Yosemite National Park wedding came to fruition on September 17th, 2024, with 20 closest friends traveling all over from the world to yet again witness a new chapter of the newly weds’ lives. The best part? A cozy and intimate DIY reception at one of the Redwoods in Yosemite Wedding rental cabins – Thuy & Greg dancing slowly as a married couple for the first time, The teared up voices from heartfelt toasts filling up the high ceiling living room and the fun time playing board game echoing with laughters. What more could the couple have asked for?

Thuy & Greg’s Yosemite National Park Wedding Cost Break Down

Wedding Permit in Yosemite	$150
Accommodation for 22 people at Redwoods in Yosemite	$5,500
Hair & Makeup	$2,000 including travel
Florist	$2,500 including travel between ceremony & reception
Invitation Suites (custom wooden gift box + RSVP cards)	$500. Designed by the bride. We helped ordering from China
Signages and other decorating prints	$100
Food & Drink for 2 days & 2 nights	$2,000. Bride & Groom and guests all helped to prepared
Ceremony officiant	Free. Done by friend who is ordained online
Photography + Videography + Planning guide	$9,000. Custom package from us

7. Other Useful Planning Tips & Resources

• If you’re flying into California, I’d highly recommend to fly into San Francisco International Airport (SFO), as it’s the biggest international airport near Yosemite and it’s about 3.5 hours drive to Yosemite Valley. Please check all the commercial airports near Yosemite here.
• Feeling adventurous? A roadtrip with this amazing van allows you to explore all the awes California has to offer in a liberating way. Go ahead! You’re off to your honeymoon!

8. Conclusion: Keep It Simple & Savor the Moment

The best part of a small wedding? Less stress, more love. Keep things simple, focus on what matters, and soak up every special moment.

Your Yosemite National Park Wedding will be a story worth telling for generations—so make it unforgettable.

Ready to say “yes” to the adventure of a lifetime? Yosemite is calling, lovebirds! We can be your planning sidekick—helping you dodge the stress and embrace the fun. Let’s Chase Life, Choose Happy!