Arizona Elopement Photographer
Elopements, Vow Renewals & Adventurous Couples Sessions in Arizona
Hi, I’m Carrie —
A traveling elopement photographer with a soft spot in my heart for capturing love stories in the beautiful state of Arizona. If you’re looking for epic landscapes, great weather, and a little adventure, Arizona is the perfect place to elope! For scenery, you can choose anything from towering red rocks to canyon overlooks to mountains, cacti, forests, slot canyons, and more! In many spots you can experience a variety of different landscapes at the same time or within a short distance of each other. The diversity of this state makes it a really fun road trip destination — which is an amazing way to extend your elopement beyond just the day you say your vows.
Plan a full week of adventures throughout the state (or even make your way over to California or Utah, too) and pick your favorite spot to have your ceremony!
An experience like that deserves to be documented and I’d love to be the one to do it. Check out the info below to learn more about eloping in Arizona and what I offer as an elopement photographer.
Getting Married in Arizona
MARRIAGE LICENSE
To legally get married in Arizona you’ll need a marriage license which costs $83 and must be obtained in person at the County Clerk’s Office. You may need to schedule an appointment in advance if you’re traveling from out of state or planning to get married within the next 30 days. Once you have your license, you can get married any time from that same day up to one year, at which point it will expire. For your ceremony, you’ll need an officiant and two witnesses and the signed license must be returned within 10 days.
LOCATION PERMIT
Depending on your elopement location, you may need to purchase a special use permit to have your ceremony there. The price of these depend on the specific location, the size of your group, and if you plan to have any type of setup. These are typically only a few hundred dollars, which is WAY cheaper than a regular venue. It’s important to obtain one if the location requires it.
If I’m your photographer, I will help you out here! You are responsible for applying for any necessary ceremony permits, but I’ll point you in the right direction for who to contact.
BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT ARIZONA
The summer months in Arizona can be extremely hot due to the desert environment and the winter can bring extremely cold or at the very least, more unpredictable weather (depending on which part of the state you’re in), so I always recommend Spring and Fall for planning your Arizona elopement! In the spring you have the chance to see wildflowers in bloom and in the fall the colors of the leaves change. Paired with milder weather, both of these seasons are beautiful times to visit! I recommend aiming for the shoulder of the season (so early spring or late fall) to avoid crowds and planning your elopement on a week day no matter what time of year you visit.
Best Arizona Elopement Locations
SEDONA
— Towering red rock formations, vortexes, 4x4 off-roading, tons of hiking trails.
This is one of my favorite Arizona Elopement locations!
HORSESHOE BEND
— An iconic spot overlooking the Colorado River. Red and orange rocks. Slot canyons nearby.
LAKE POWELL
— View the beautiful blue waters from above at a remote overlook, hang out down below on the beach, or rent a boat to take your adventure past the shores. If water sports are your thing, THIS is the place.
GRAND CANYON
— Amazing place to watch the sunset or sunrise!!
SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS
— A craggy, volcanic mountain range east of Phoenix. Saguaros and desert plants.
SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK
— Saguaros are the universal symbol of the southwest and THIS is the place to go if you want to be surrounded by them!
AND MORE!
— It would be impossible to list out every single beautiful place in Arizona but hopefully this gives you some inspiration for your own elopement day! I offer customized planning assistance to all my couples which includes detailed location help.
Recent Work in Arizona
Where to Stay for Your Arizona Elopement
This will ultimately depend on the specific location you pick for your elopement, but in general, I recommend booking a place to stay that really adds to your overall experience! Most hotel rooms are dark, small, and not very cute. Where you get ready for your elopement is part of the story of the day, so having a beautiful space with lots of light, will make a huge difference in your photos. Plus, having a private place that feels a little bit like a home away from home will make it feel even more special. Here are some ideas:
A VRBO home one of my couples booked for their Lake Powell elopement.
UNDER CANVAS
If you want a really unique accommodation for your elopement, I highly recommend Under Canvas, a glamping resort offering upscale, safari-inspired tents, allowing you to experience the outdoors in a fun, yet luxurious way! You can book a private tent for yourselves or even host an intimate wedding here with a small group of your loved ones.
There are multiple Under Canvas locations throughout the US, but for an elopement in Arizona, the closest options are the Grand Canyon location and the Lake Powell - Grand Staircase location. Under Canvas Grand Canyon is just 30 minutes outside the park so it would be the perfect place to stay for a Grand Canyon elopement, or even an elopement in Sedona, which is about an hour and a half away. Under Canvas Lake Powell is technically in Utah, but it’s just across the border and less than 30 minutes from Page, AZ which has a lot of amazing elopement locations.
Photo from Under Canvas website.
AIRBNB OR VRBO
Airbnb is usually the first place I look for accomodations while traveling! You can find lots of private, spacious, beautifully decorated homes with a variety of amenities to potentially include in your elopement experience. For example, a pool, fire pit, hammocks, patio with a grill, etc. If you’re having a few guests, your airbnb could be a nice option to use as a “reception” space. Invite everyone to an intimate dinner in the backyard or a day after pool party. If it’s just the two of you, consider hiring a private chef to come cook for you after your elopement adventures! Just make sure you check with your host that any type of event or extra guests are allowed as Airbnb does have some limits on this sort of thing.
A lot of my couples have also booked homes through VRBO, which is similar to airbnb. On the website you can filter your search for “events allowed” which may be the better option if you do plan to have extra people.
AMANGIRI
For those that want a truly luxurious, experience of a lifetime elopement, let me tell you about AMANGIRI. Amangiri is a luxury 5-star hotel and resort that literally blends into the untouched red-rock country surrounding it. You can rent an entire retreat style Pavilion with its own living and dining area, spacious bedroom, private pool, and exclusive access to the most breathtaking desert landscapes. Or you can stay in one of the uniquely designed Suites that offer desert views, private pools, sky terraces, and outdoor lounges with a fire place. Lastly, if you want to share your experience with a small group of loved ones, the four bedroom Mesa Home on the property would be perfect for you. This home offers complete privacy with desert views, a living room with a fireplace, a professional-grade kitchen and dining room, bathrooms with rain showers and soaking tubs, and a 50-foot infinity pool set into an expansive stone terrace, complete with sun loungers, lounge seatings and a dining area.
A cool thing about Amangiri is that it’s not just a place to stay, you can actually have your elopement here too! The suites and homes are beautifully designed, with incredible scenery in every direction, and there are over 12 miles of trails on the property if you want a little adventure, too. Amangiri is technically also in Utah, just across the border from Page. Although you could spend all your time at Amangiri and be completely satisfied, there are lots of other locations nearby if you want to venture out even farther too.
If you book an Amangiri elopement with me, I’ll offer extra coverage to make sure that your experience here is fully documented.
Photos from Amangiri Website.
OTHER VENDORS
Once you’ve picked your Arizona elopement location, settled on a date, and booked a place to stay, then you’ll want to start planning the rest of the details!
Depending on your vision for the day, you may want to hire a planner, florist, hair and makeup artist, and/or private chef or caterer to help create the ultimate elopement experience for you.
Planning the Rest of Your Arizona Elopement Experience
DETAILS
Pick out something to wear that you’re excited about and that you feel confident in! Add some fun accessories to complete your look and think about other little things to really make the day special. Some ideas are: personalized vow books, wedding day perfume/cologne, something to include your pets (like socks, a pin, or a little poster or card with their faces). I also love to encourage couples to include things that are significant to their relationship, like old love letters or a special playlist with your favorite songs, gifts that you’ve gotten each other over the years, etc.
DAY-OF ACTIVITIES
Really take some time to envision what you want your day to look like and make room for some intentional time together. This could look like getting up for sunrise on your wedding day to have a quiet morning together, or buying ingredients for your favorite breakfast and cooking together before you get ready, or packing a picnic to share at a viewpoint. It could also look like a helicopter tour or jeep adventure or a campfire after the sun sets. Make your whole day fun and exciting and full of your favorite things! This will look different to everyone, which is one of the best parts of eloping - you can do whatever YOU want!
DAY BEFORE OR AFTER SESSION
One thing I highly recommend if you’re planning a destination elopement, is having more than just the elopement day documented. Doing a day before session with your photographer is a fun way to get comfortable in front of the camera, get more photos in something besides your wedding outfits, and have even more memories from your trip captured. Almost all of my couples book one of these! Alternatively, you can do a session the day after your elopement. This idea would be a fun option if you’re roadtripping around Arizona and you want photos in multiple locations!
Why Hire Me as Your Elopement Photographer?
For one, I’ve been to Arizona many times to photograph couples and scout some of the best locations in the state! Although I don’t live here, it’s a place that I’m incredibly inspired by and because I only visit a limited number of times a year, I really believe that every time I am here, I create some of my best work. You’re getting me at my most creative and inspired!
You’re also not just hiring any old wedding photographer when you hire me. Elopements are my specialty! I really connect with this type of wedding experience and am usually involved a lot in the planning process because I truly want to help couples create the best possible day.
It’s important to me to really get to know you and give you the space to open up and show me who you are. This not only makes our time together a lot more comfortable, feeling more like friends hanging out than being followed around by a vendor, but it more importantly allows me to document you in the most natural, honest way. I want to give you photos that FEEL like you. Just as much as you’re investing in me, I’m investing in you.
If this sounds like the type of photography experience you’re interested in, check out my packages below and reach out so we can chat further!
Every Arizona Elopement Package Includes:
HELP PICKING A DATE
After chatting about your ideas and the type of experience you want, I’ll help you narrow down a date based on what fits your vision best!
LOCATION RECOMMENDATIONS & ADVICE
Based on your preferred scenery, time of year, etc. I’ll help you narrow down location ideas and pick out the perfect spot for your ceremony and adventures!
ELOPEMENT EXPERTISE
Elopements are different than traditional weddings in a lot of ways so having someone who specializes in planning and capturing these types of experiences is especially helpful! I’ll send you questionnaires to make things as personal as possible along with tons of other resources to guide you along the way as you craft a day that’s as intentional, unique, and adventurous as you want.
VENDOR & ACCOMMODATION RECOMMENDATIONS
I’ll help connect you to any other other vendors you need for your day and send you ideas for places to stay that will enhance your overall experience!
ITINERARY & ACTIVITIES
Eloping means you can spend your day doing whatever you want! I’ll send you some fun ideas for activities and excursions to do on your day or even on the rest of your trip!
CUSTOM TIMELINE
I’ll help you create a timeline based around all things you want to include in your day, the locations you want to see, and the best lighting for photos — all while making sure you’re able to have a relaxed and stress free experience, with room for breaks and spontaneity!
UNLIMITED PLANNING ASSISTANCE
I’m here for you throughout the WHOLE process. If you need help, have any questions, or just want to brainstorm ideas together, let me be a resource for you! I want you to feel supported and encouraged to have the best day ever.
TRAVEL TO ANYWHERE IN ARIZONA
All my travel costs are included in the prices you see so there are no extras fees no matter where in Arizona you choose for your elopement.
Multiple Coverage Options
I offer a variety of coverage options from 4 hours (for elopements with no guests) up to multi-day coverage.
Pricing starts at $7,500
Arizona Couples Session
In addition to elopement photography, I offer couples sessions throughout Arizona as well. Meet me there for engagement photos, an anniversary session, or just to capture a fun adventure during your travels!
I book smaller sessions like this up to 3 months in advance, unless I’ve already got Arizona on my travel schedule.* If you book a session while I’m already there, you’ll receive a discount on travel.
Pricing starts at $2,500 for 2 hours.
Let’s Start Planning This Incredible Experience!
“WOW! We can’t say enough good things about Carrie!”
Carrie was originally supposed to photograph our 160-person wedding in Ventura, CA. Like most 2020-2021 couples, we had to change up our day a bit. We were so nervous Carrie wouldn't be available for our change of plans, but turned out she was able to travel to Sedona, AZ with us for our more intimate "COVID-19" wedding (that was the best decision we could've made). Upon changing our plans to a smaller, more "elopement-style" wedding, Carrie went to work location scouting for us and helping us plan/schedule the events of our big day. She made everything so easy and went above and beyond to check on permitting, restrictions and even communicated with park rangers for us. We had no idea where we wanted to get married in Sedona, we just knew we wanted to do something adventurous (not a venue), so the guides she created were incredibly helpful. Our wedding day was everything we could've hoped for and more, and Carrie played HUGE part in that. She captured our day perfectly and was such a joy to spend time with, which is really important when you climb a mountain together, lol. You should've seen her scaling the rocks with her gear, capturing special moments along the way! After the wedding, Carrie AGAIN did not disappoint. Two days later we already had a sneak peak gallery with 70 photos! We couldn't believe it. And just over two weeks later we had our entire gallery. We highly recommend Carrie if you are looking to do an adventurous elopement. She goes above and beyond for her couples and is so dang talented!
