Desert Elopement / Wedding Tips (from a local)

Are you thinking of eloping in or having your wedding in the desert? The desert is my favorite place in the world and you will love having your wedding in some of the most unique landscapes in the world. I’m mainly talking about Utah, (where I live) Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and some of California. Here are some tips from somewhere who’s lived in the desert for almost a decade!

SUNSET’S ARE BETTER THAN SUNRISES

I don’t know what it is about the desert, but the sunsets almost always outdo the sunrises. The sunsets are pink, purple, and make the whole landscape turn red and then dark purple at dusk. The colors are unmatched! The sunrises are definitely really pretty but I always choose sunset over sunrise if I can because of the unique red colors that pop at that time of the day! The red rocks are the prettiest near dusk.

HARSH LIGHT IS ACTUALLY YOUR FRIEND

In most places harsh light is frowned upon for pictures, because it’s a little harder to work with, but lemme tell ya, the harsh midday desert light looks so dang good!! It gives your photos a cool western vibe with and makes the desert mountains pop. It also showcases the warmth of the desert and it’s unique features such as arches. Taking your photos in the middle of the day is a great idea as long as you have a photographer that knows how to work with the harsh lighting.

AVOID THE SUMMER

Unless you’re totally fine with 105 degree weather and lots of sweat just avoid the summers honestly. You have to wake up super early and only do your ceremony and other activities in the morning or right before the sun sets in order to not possibly get heat exhaustion. It can get up to 117 degrees here in Southern Utah, and at that point you can’t even be outside anymore. The only outdoor activities during that time of the year is water activities so unless you want to do that I would just avoid this season entirely.

FALL IS THE BEST SEASON BY FAR

The fall in the desert is unmatched!! It’s 75 degrees all day, super pleasant weather, you can do anything you want, it’s less crowded, and the trees in Zion National Park and Utah turned to fall colors and you can get red rock and fall trees in the same photos!! You don’t have to wake up as early for sunrise or stay out as late. Literally it’s the perfect season and it’s by far my busiest season.

VISIT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS

The desert has some of the most unique landscapes anywhere in the world, make sure you take time on your elopement day to visit lots of different spots to see all it has to offer! You can see giant desert cliff faces, go on tall mesa overlooks, visit big rivers, see saguaros, visit Joshua trees, visit arches and hoodoos, and in some desert spots you can even visit pine trees and quiet desert forest spots. Make sure you or your photographer knows lots of cool locations around you so you can get a variety of photos! Click here to see how to find cool remote spots for your elopement.

TAKE PHOTOS DURING BLUE HOUR + STAR PHOTOS

Photos during blue hour (the time after the sun goes down when the whole sky is dark blue and purple) with the desert features are some of my favorite pictures ever! Dark purple skies with saguaros in the background make for some magical scenery you won’t get anywhere else.

Also the desert skies are usually clear so taking photos with the stars is always recommended! They are the coolest photos that not a lot of people have so if you’re interested in it make sure your photographer knows how!

These are some of my top tips! You’ll love your desert elopement and if you have any questions feel free to contact me!