Kate Waterman Rose - Northern California Wedding + Elopement Photographer

Harley Farms Goat Farm Elopement

Pescadero Goat Farm Elopement at Harley Farms: A tall white barn rises above a lush green garden, decorated with a little square painting of a goat on a hill. The location is Harley Farms Goat Dairy, a goat farm in Pescadero, California

It was a stunning fall morning in Pescadero, California. The sky was an immaculate blue, the fields green from recent rain, and the sun warmed the day quickly. Harley Farms Goat Dairy was just a few miles from the coast, and though it’s nestled on the edge of the San Francisco Bay Area, it felt like worlds away from the city.

The goat farm held a special significance for David and Veronica, a spot that they had visited on special occasions in the past. And - as if in some divine coincidence - the farm had a secret garden, a quiet nook amongst flowers and trees where the couple could hold their elopement ceremony privately, uninterrupted by farm visitors. After getting ready in the barn, the sweethearts were personally escorted to the garden by Dee, the hostess and proprietress, who officiated the ceremony and made sure the couple had everything they desired.


After reading their vows, they celebrated with cake, champagne, and goat cheese that had been made here at Harley Farms, and enjoyed a calm, private moment together in the gardens. Fully relaxed, the two packed up their ceremony items and walked back to the main farm, stopping briefly at one of the farm’s paddocks to visit an inquisitive alpaca.

Back at the main farm, they enjoyed a visit with two of the farm’s goats, and wound down with a quiet walk through the farmhouse garden and some private time in the barn, looking out through the open doors at the surrounding landscape and feeling the warm breeze on their faces. After wrapping up their marriage license paperwork in the office (with the assistance of a friendly farm cat), they set off excitedly to their car and to their new lives together.

venue | harley farms goat dairy

florals | ampersand

cake | butter&

dress | davids bridal

suit | anatoly & sons

A gravel path winds invitingly through the garden below the barn; red, purple, and orange flowers are blooming
As the bride prepares inside, she hangs her wedding dress from the barn's doorway, where it hangs prosaically
As we step inside, we see the groom in his suit zipping up the back of the bride's dress
The groom smiles as he helps the bride dress
The bride poses in her dress, looking to the side, her back to the camera. Her glasses frames catch the light coming in through the barn doors
The groom, already in his suit, handles a garment bag, which holds his change of clothes for later
The bride peers over the back of a tall wooden chair, gazing glowingly at her groom-to-be
She brushes at the groom's hair, perfecting it for the upcoming ceremony
As the couple gets ready for the elopement ceremony together, they smile sweetly
As they walk down the staircase from the barn where they prepared themselves, their officiant and hostess, Dee, looks on with glee, seeing them in their wedding clothes for the first time
They pause at the entrance gate to the goat farm's secret garden, taking in the scenery and embracing the moment
The bride gently adjusts her bouquet
A chalkboard sign beckons them in to Harley Farms' secret wedding garden, which they'll have to themselves for the ceremony
The bride, groom, and officiant all grin with glee as they reach their chosen spot under the wedding tree, its narrow branches naturally arching over them
As the ceremony begins, the sun peeks through the tree branches, bathing the couple in a warm glow
The bride and groom look into each other's eyes, full of energy; the officiant begins her speech
As we zoom in on the bride's face, we see the love in her eyes, the excitement bubbling up in her throat
As we zoom in on the groom, he begins to speak
The groom reads his vows from a red notebook; the bride and officiant stand rapt with attention
He cradles the vow book gently in his hands as he reads
The officiant looks expectantly at the groom as he recites
The bride smiles, glowing with joy
The officiant laughs as the groom reads a witty and poignant remark
In preparation for her own vows, the bride hands the groom her bouquet and accepts the red notebook in return
She begins to read her own vows, looking up at her groom admiringly
The groom smiles back at her warmly, holding the bouquet
As she continues to read her views, we step back for a wider view, to appreciate the beauty of the garden around them as the light slanting through the trees
She continues to read attentively from the red notebook
The groom smiles at her lovingly
Her vows done, the bride closes the vow book and looks at her groom
As the bride and groom take each others' hands, the officiant takes the bridal bouquet, and begins to end the ceremony
The bride and groom hold hands tightly, saying their "I do's"
They ready themselves to exchange rings
Almost shyly, they slide rings on to each others' ring fingers; the officiant laughs joyously in the background
They soak in the moment as the officiant begins to pronounce them married
They take hands one last time as the ceremony ends
And then they sweep each other up in a kiss, hugging tightly
The officiant and hostess, Dee, hugs the couple in congratulations
Through the garden greenery, we see the couple and their officiant gather around their refreshments
The bride and groom fill glasses with champagne and toast to their new lives together
The officiant and hostess looks at them both with admiration
The bride and groom both glow in the midday sun
Laid out on a rustic wood table, we see the couple's elopement cake, champagne, heirloom glasses, and a special cake of goat cheese made on site at Harley Farms
The bride and groom both hold the cake knife together as they slice the delightful elopement cake from San Francisco bakery Butter&
Through the flowers, we see them carefully make the second slice in the elopement cake
They each take a slice
The groom offers the bride a bite of cake from his fork, and she accepts, closing her eyes to savor it
The two kiss under a tree, colorful branches hanging down around them
They smile and look out at the private garden around them, reveling in the moment
They take hands and swing away from each other momentarily...
... then come together in a dance
The bride twirls under the groom's arm, her long white skirt swooshing out around her
Relaxed, they walk through the green meadow together, ready to head back to the goat farm
Carrying their cake in a little box, they walk along a tree-lined drive together
As they stop at one of the farm's enclosures, a sociable alpaca approaches the fence to investigate them
They walk together alongside the farm's pond
The bride and groom stop by the edge of the water and enjoy a private moment together, feeling the wind in their hair
As they return to the farm yard, they walk past a sign advertising the Harley Farms Goat Dairy and advising visitors to leave their pets at the front gate
The bride and groom lean over the fence at a goat enclosure and give attention to a friendly goat
They rub it under the cheeks and tickle it's nose
As the goats are let out of their smaller enclosure to roam around with the bride and groom, the bride and groom crouch down to pet them
Fond of their newfound freedom, the pair of goats run around the yard
The bride and groom lean over to scratch behind the ears of a black and white goat
A farm worker corrals the two goats into spot so the bride and groom can pose with them
The bride and groom pose happily with the two goats
As they pause in the garden next to the goat enclosure, the bride looks up at the groom momentarily, meeting eyes
They walk through the flowers and bushes together
The couple revisit the black and white goat, which comes to the edge of its enclosure to see them
They reach over the white fence and scratch the goat behind the ears
The newlyweds walk through the garden, quietly talking to each other
They stop and turn to each other, smile and laugh
They stand on the porch of the white barn, looking out across the goat farm
Inside barn, they snuggle together, light from the open barn doors illuminating their faces
They stand together and look down at the landscape through the open barn doors
The bride reaches out to adjust the groom's floral boutonniere
The bride and groom both smile as the bride holds her bouquet to her face
She tenderly reaches out and adjusts the groom's boutonniere again, which has been bumped sideways
Her floral bouquet rests softly in her lap
As they stand next to the open barn doors, a breeze comes through, gently ruffling their hair
They lean in close for a passionate kiss
They lean in together and look out at the landscape; the bride closes her eyes and relishes the moment
The two head outside and walk through the garden together
As they walk along the gravel garden path, we can see the garden around them bursting with flowers, bordered on the edges by a cottage and a little white picket fence
As they go inside to sign their marriage license, they meet one of the goat farm's several cats, a friendly black tom
They rub its tummy gently as they take care of their wedding paperwork
The bride makes small talk with one of the farm workers
The groom smiles, his eyes lighting up
The bride and groom grin, their marriage license signed, now legally married
They gather their things and head out to their car, still dressed in their wedding finery
The pair walks off into the parking lot, the sunlight glowing around them and glittering off of a pond in the distance.

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