Lauren & Lane – A colorful spring vow renewal at Point Reyes
Vow renewals vs. Elopements
When people think about adventure weddings, their minds often go straight to elopements—but vow renewals can be just as meaningful, intentional, and personalized. The main difference? An elopement is usually your first time exchanging vows, while a vow renewal is a chance to reflect on everything you’ve experienced together since the first time you said “I do.”
Planning a vow renewal often looks exactly like planning an elopement. You choose a location that speaks to you, craft a day that reflects your relationship, and create space for moments that feel true to who you are. Whether you’ve been married for five years or twenty, a vow renewal can be a way to celebrate growth, overcome hardship, mark a milestone, or simply reconnect with your partner in an intentional, beautiful way.
And if you originally had a quick courthouse wedding or a small celebration that didn’t feel like you—a vow renewal or anniversary shoot can be the perfect way to reclaim that story. It doesn’t matter when or where you first tied the knot. What matters is how you want to honor your love now.
Where is Point Reyes?
Point Reyes National Seashore is a rugged, wind-swept peninsula located just north of San Francisco on California’s coast. Known for its dramatic cliffs, moody beaches, rolling hills, and historic lighthouses, it feels like a little pocket of wild beauty tucked right into the edge of the world.
The landscape at Point Reyes is incredibly diverse—you’ll find misty forests of bishop pine, wide open meadows filled with tule elk*, and coastal trails that wind along high bluffs with ocean views that stretch for miles.
There are tidepools to explore, tucked-away beaches to roam, and iconic spots like the Point Reyes Lighthouse and Cypress Tree Tunnel that make for stunning backdrops.
For an elopement or vow renewal day, Point Reyes is a dream. You could start the morning with a quiet beach walk, share your vows in a secluded cove, picnic in the dunes, and end the day watching the sun dip below the horizon from a coastal overlook.
There are endless ways to craft a day here that feels just right—whether that means hiking, watching for whales, or simply being still together in a beautiful place.
*Fun fact– Well, I think it’s fun… You may or may not have noticed that this animal shares its species name with my business… that’s because I named my business for them. I actually grew up in Marin County, where Point Reyes is, and spent my childhood exploring Point Reyes and the surrounding areas. There is also a plant called “tule” that grows in marshy ecosystems along the west coast. Because of my background in nature education, I wanted to pay homage to the land that forged my love of the outdoors.
Getting Ready
Lauren and Lane originally eloped in Joshua Tree. Since then, they’ve built a cozy, beautiful life in the rolling hills of the North Bay. The backdrop of Point Reyes for a vow renewal was the perfect choice for their love story.
I met them at their home to capture their final touches of getting ready. I was enchanted by their beautiful home, and even more enchanted by Sid. Look at him! He’s the sweetest cat, and like to jump into the arms of people he trusts.
Looking around at their lively decor and the personality that fills their home, the colorful choice of wardrobe made a lot of sense.
After packing up the car, we set out for Point Reyes National Seashore.
Hiking the Chimney Rock Trail
Point Reyes has so much to offer, and so many iconic scenes. My favorite spot is the Chimney Rock trail. Back in my botanizing days, I used to spend hours out here, sitting amongst the little flowers, flipping through my guidebook, ID-ing the little blooms.
But it is also an incredibly unique vista. After you make it out to the point, you can turn back and see the thin stretch of land you’re on. Point Reyes has an incredibly unique shape… and my marine biology nerd is fighting to come out… OK, I’ll save it for the end of the article… If you’re curious, you can scroll down there and I’ll spew all my nerdy Point Reyes ocean ecology facts to you there…
The cliffs, the bay, the wildlife (read about this engagement shoot where we had some incredible animal viewings), it all adds up to an incredible adventure elopement experience.
Point Reyes Lighthouse
The Point Reyes lighthouse is an incredibly beautiful place, and a super fun stop for an elopement. We were a little too late to visit on this day.
After dillydallying around Chimney Rock, we missed the 4pm cut off for visiting the lighthouse. We were bummed, but there is a good reason for the early cutoff time… there is a HUGE staircase of 313 steps, and they need to make sure that the Observation deck is free of crowds before sunset.
If you want to visit the Observation Deck, I’d recommend fitting it into the day earlier on. Perhaps, visiting right when it opens at 10 am, then heading to a spot in the redwoods for a ceremony among the trees, then hitting one of the beautiful beaches for golden hour and a champagne toast.
Even though we could go down the stairs, we made the most of it, climbing around and exploring the rocks and grassy knolls. As the clouds rolled in for sunset, Lauren and Lane shared some tender moments with amazing views.
Bay Area Elopement Photographer
Hey y’all. I am an elopement photographer, and while I’m currently based in Bend, OR, I grew up in the Bay Area, and love any excuse to get back and explore the sunny landscapes of Northern California.
Places like Muir Woods, Point Reyes, Santa Cruz, Henry Coe State Park, and Napa are all close to my heart, and where I learned my fierce love for nature and the outdoors. I am a firm believer that many of the locations in the Bay Area are wildly underrated for adventure elopements.
If you have decided to elope in California, I’d be honored to be a part of that process. A big part of what I offer is planning and logistic expertise. From custom location recommendations to timeline assembly, I can help you with whatever you need for your Bay Area adventure elopement.
Some More Adventure Elopement Inspiration
Ok, nerds*… Point Reyes Marine Ecology
This is a pretty complex topic, and I’m going to attempt to edit myself to make it simpler…
Some oceanography basics:
- Every world ocean has a big current, called a gyre, that swirls around in a big circle. The Pacific Ocean’s flows west along the equator, north over by Asia, and south along the coast of Western North America. The flow of water DOWN the coast, combined with some other funky physics of living on a spinning planet, leads to a transfer of DEEP ocean water, up to the surface.
- The “iron limitation theory” is a scientific consensus that states that the amount of productivity a region of the ocean has is directly related to the amount of iron in the water. Areas where there is more river outflow tend to have high levels of productivity due to the input of nutrients and minerals. San Francisco Bay is just an enormous estuary where big rivers flow into the ocean.
So, these to facts, combined with the unique shape of Point Reyes, allows for incredibly high productivity. The nutrients and iron coming from the rivers of California (through the San Francisco Bay), and the nutrients being UPWELLED from the deep ocean, leads to big phytoplankton blooms.
Phytoplankton is teeny tiny plants that grow in the water column, and they are the base of the food chain for most marine ecosystems. With lots of stuff at the base of the food chain, we get more stuff at the top of the food chain. This means we get lots of fish, seals, whales, sharks, etc.
Soooo, yeah. Fun stuff. And I didn’t even get into the terrestrial ecology…
*We do not use “nerd” as a derogatory term here, and anyone worth knowing does not use it derogatorily either… this is just my opinion… And if someone decides to try and hurt you by calling you a nerd, you can just take solace in the fact that someone thinks you’re knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the world.
