Intimate Muir Woods Wedding

There is a specific kind of silence in Muir Woods. Even when it’s busy, the height of the redwoods seems to swallow up the sound, leaving you with just the crunch of the forest floor and the occasional bird. It’s the kind of place that demands you slow down, which makes it an incredible spot for a wedding that’s more about the atmosphere than the production.

For this session, we had a couple that just fit the scenery. They went with a cornflower blue and burgundy palette that felt perfectly balanced—bright enough to pop against the deep, earthy greens of the ferns but moody enough to match the redwood bark.

The Style: Burgundy & Cornflower Blue

He wore a sharp burgundy shirt that looked incredible against the forest backdrop. It’s a color that feels warm and grounded, especially when the light starts to get low and filtered through the canopy. Her use of cornflower blue was such a smart choice—in a forest dominated by shadows and dark wood, that specific shade of blue adds a crispness that keeps the photos feeling light and airy. They were just a genuinely cute couple: relaxed, easy to talk to, and totally unfazed by the logistics of a forest shoot. When the couple is this chill, the photos always turn out more authentic.

Navigating the Woods

Because Muir Woods is a National Monument, you have to time things perfectly. We usually aim for early morning or late afternoon to avoid the heavy crowds and catch that directional light that creates those “God rays” through the trees. One of the best things about Muir Woods is how accessible it is—you get that deep-wilderness look without a three-mile hike, which means your gear (and your outfit) stays looking fresh.

Why It Works

Shooting here is all about scale. You’re working with trees that have been standing for a thousand years, so the goal is always to capture the couple as a part of that landscape rather than just putting them in front of it. A Muir Woods wedding is strictly ceremony-only—no big setups, no chairs, no noise. It forces you to focus entirely on the vows and the environment, which is exactly how a redwood wedding should feel. Between the burgundy blazer and the pops of blue, this couple looked like they were part of the forest’s own color story.