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A team of record-breaking slackline walkers were unexpected guests at a Yosemite wedding ceremony

Monica Humphries   

A team of record-breaking slackline walkers were unexpected guests at a Yosemite wedding ceremony
Thelife2 min read
  • Erica Houck photographed a wedding at Yosemite, where slackliners made an unexpected appearance.
  • The group of slackliners spent six days setting up the 2,788-foot-long line across the canyon.
  • Fortunately, the bride and groom welcomed the unconventional guests.

Taft Point in Yosemite National Park is known for its jaw-dropping views, peacefulness, and privacy.

But a wedding ceremony at Taft Point last weekend was filled with surprising guests - a team of highliners.

Highlining, which is similar to tightrope walking or slacklining, is a high-altitude sport where people balance and walk across suspended webbing.

When wedding photographer Erica Houck and the couple, Emily and Michael, arrived at their chosen spot for the wedding ceremony in the national park, a team of highliners had beat them to it.

Fortunately, the bride and groom were thrilled to share the space with the unconventional wedding guests, Houck told Insider.

A post shared by Yosemite Elopements (@ericahouckphoto)

"We were all so excited when we turned the corner and saw them," Houck said. "[Emily] thought it was so cool and loved having them be a part of it. I even asked if she wanted me to edit them out in any and she declined that, too."

Houck, who runs her wedding photography business, Erica Houck Photography, said that slackliners are a common sighting at Taft Point, but this group broke new records.

"We've never seen one this long, in this particular span of Taft, which is one of the most famous views of the park," Houck told Insider.

The group broke the state record for the longest slackline, ccording to the San Francisco Chronicle. It took the slacklining team six days to put up the 2,788-foot-long slackline. The former record-holding slackline was 954 feet.

One member of the 20-person slacklining team, Moises Monterrubio, told the Fresno news outlet KMPH that the group was very close to the ceremony.

"We definitely saw them next to us. We thought it was a special moment for them," Monterrubio said. "It was cool to share the space with them."

As the couple shared their vows, hundreds of feet behind them the slackliners could be spotted balancing and walking across the canyon.

When they fell off the line, it was often paired with screams. Houck said she was amazed by the couple's focus.

"The couple didn't even skip a beat reading their vows to one another either, despite the slackliners frequently yelling as they fell," Houck said. "It was both terrifying, yet beautiful to witness."

Houck said it's something the couple - and herself - won't forget.

"Not every client would have been as cool about it as my couple was, so I was very surprised and grateful we got to experience the two events sharing the space together," Houck said.

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