A Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Wedding | Maya + Brian

An Intimate wedding ceremony at Henry Cowell Redwoods in Santa Cruz

When Maya had first reached out about getting married at Henry Cowell State Park in Felton, followed by a dinner at the famous Shadowbrook restaurant in Capitola - I was like - YES PLEASE! To say I was excited, is an understatement.

They rented an airbnb nearby since they were traveling from Southern California. It was in a great little neighborhood and cute spot to get ready and where we had their first looks. It was a family affair with their kids, parents, siblings and their families. It was such an heartwarming and fun wedding under some ancient redwoods. Having scoped out the ceremony location beforehand - they were perfectly tucked away from the crowds.

The bride’s brother served as the officiant and after Brian gave out the call sign that we were ready for her to walk down the makeshift aisle - everyone was ready. There were some little snags, but they were quite cute and special (like forgetting the rings part) and a special song played for their processional.

We made our back out through the park with little stops everywhere for photos, of course.

One thing to note is, you have to get a permit to do a wedding ceremony at Henry Cowell State Park (and actually a lot of state parks, beaches or the like do require permits - whether its for the ceremony itself, doing only photography or even both! So do your research or you can reach out and I’d be happy to help guide you in the right direction)

If you are interested in getting married at Henry Cowell State park - reach out to their special events department either by phone or email: (831) 335-6324 mtnspecevent@parks.ca.gov.

After the redwoods, we left for Shadowbrook! If you haven’t heard of Shadowbrook - I highly suggest to check it out. One of the things that makes this restaurant special (& famous) is aside from being at it’s location for over 75 years and steeped in history (pun intended) - is the cozy cable car or rather the use of the “hillavator” to ride down into the actual restaurant’s entrance. You can of course bypass the little ride (it only is able to take about 4-5 adults, maybe 6 (…maybe) each trip). Before it was a restaurant, Shadowbrook was a log cabin built in the 1920s by realtor Verne Byrne. And before the hillavator, guests were brought to the restaurant by water taxi! You can learn more about this romantic spot here.

The restaurant is very picturesque with lots of greenery, so it was a perfect end to our day together.

Wedding info:
Makeup & Hair - Nicole Elizabeth
Ceremony - Henry Cowell State Park
Reception dinner - Shadowbrook