Complete Guide to Eloping in Arizona
Considering Eloping in Arizona?
Arizona is full of unique and picturesque spots for your elopement. Wether you just want something scenic for a quick ceremony and some portraits or if you are looking to rent a property for a couple days of celebration, I am here to help you find the perfect fit. The bulk of this guide is a focus on the different regions throughout the state and some of the options you have available to you. My recommendations throughout this guide are mostly influenced by how these places will look in photos as how they might improve your experience. I don’t have any affiliation with any of these businesses and if you do choose to utilize any of them for your elopement, you should call them and discuss it with them first. In my experience, most small business owners are happy to be included but it’s worth paying the respect of discussing it with them.
Seasons
Here in Arizona we are fortunate to have awesome year round conditions. Obviously our summers are quite warm but you can escape the heat by heading into the high country. Conversely, we do get plenty of snow in large portions of the state in the winters. The mountains get afternoon storms through the summers and we get epic Monsoons in the late summers down in the desert. Arizona locals celebrate the rain and I personally find that the desert is prettiest in bad weather.
Travel
If you are flying in, I recommend flying into Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. If you plan on renting a car while you are in town, I would recommend getting something with 4x4 as it will really open up so many more options. Driving through the state is really enjoyable because our cities are built on grids and driving through rural Arizona is very scenic. If you are traveling outside the cities at all it is worth mentioning that there are not a ton of amenities along the way. Gas up and get your food before you leave or plan accordingly.
Regions
The bulk of this guide is a focus on the different regions throughout the state and some of the options you have available to you. My recommendations throughout this guide are mostly influenced by how these places will enhance your experience as well as how they will look in photos. I don’t have any affiliation with any of these businesses and if you do choose to utilize any of them for your elopement, you should call them and discuss it with them first. In my experience, most small business owners are happy to be included but it’s worth paying the respect of discussing it with them.
Table of Contents:
Sedona
Sedona is the classic Arizona Elopement spot. Folks travel from all over the world to revel in the red rocks. I have a love/hate relationship with Sedona. One one hand, yes, its very beautiful. However, on the other hand, Sedona is incredibly crowded and the traffic is often pretty stiff. Sedona is a phenomenal year round destination but I strongly caution you to avoid planning for anything for Friday-Sunday between the months of May and September. Something else to keep in mind is that Cathedral Rock now requires you to take a shuttle to the trailhead and while I usually don’t object to these kinds of policies, the shuttle does stop running before the sunset.. which kind of defeats the whole point. One of the best things you can do for your Sedona Elopement is to hire some sort of driver. Trying to find parking can be a pretty stressful ordeal in this town so it’s worth it’s weight in gold to have the peace of mind that we can navigate the area without worrying about access. I know I just kind of hammered down on Sedona for a minute there but I really do love it there. The views of the red rocks are obviously stunning. I have found that the Oak Creek Canyon is the most underrated part of the area. This spring fed creek has crystal clear and cold water flowing through a beautiful rocky canyon. Inside the canyon you will find mostly Pine and Aspen trees, making it an awesome spot to enjoy autumn colors. There are some beautiful rental properties and a few good food options. The whole town does close around 8pm so you will want to plan your meals accordingly if you plan on staying out for photos through the sunset.
Here is a list of some picturesque bars, restaurants, and hotels in the downtown Sedona area that would be fantastic for your elopement.
Bars & Restaurants:
Airbnb Properties in the Sedona area:
Previous Galleries from Sedona
Tylor and Rachel’s Elopement
These two hosted a small elopement with just their parents. They rented a beautiful cabin in the Oak Creek Canyon.
Amanda and Mitch’s Tlaquepaque Micro Wedding
Tlaquepaque is a beautiful little arts village in the heart of Sedona. This couple rented out a portion of it for their small reception.
John and Julia’s Bell Rock Engagement Session
Bell Rock is a great spot for your ceremony as well as portraits. This place features a paved parking lot with well maintained trails. The panoramic views give you a great backdrop of red rocks.
Phoenix
Downtown Phoenix has some awesome options for your elopement. I have really become a big fan of city elopements because they seem to really promote spontaneity. There are a few really great hotels as well as rental properties you can stay at and Phoenix also has a quickly blossoming bar/restaurant scene. Ceremonies are always a bit of a head scratcher with city elopements because it can often seem totally out of context. Courthouses are an obvious and solid choice. There are various city municipal areas that you can rent that also work. We also have some really great museums that could also work. Following the ceremony, I recommend we spend some time exploring the city. We often will take some portraits, step in to a bar for a cocktail (get some photos there), then hit the street and shoot more portraits. Think of it as an elopement photo bar crawl.
I recommend that you pick a couple bars you really like and call ahead to see if it is ok with them if you come by and take pictures while you are there. Make it clear that you are also going to be a paying customer and that you are really calling ahead to see if it is ok if your photographer is there with you taking some photos. I have found that these small business owners/managers are less likely to say no to you than they are to me.
Here is a list of some picturesque bars, restaurants, and hotels in the downtown Phoenix area that would be fantastic for your elopement.
Airbnb Properties in the Phoenix area
Previous Galleries from Phoenix
Ashley and Zach’s Downtown Phoenix Elopement
This elopement was a ton of fun, They got married in front of the Historic Courthouse in Downtown Phoenix and we just explored the city for the afternoon. Tons of good cocktails, pizza, and portraits.
Sam and Emily’s Downtown Phoenix Engagement Session
The Hotel San Marcos was our primary location for this shoot. The quirky historical design made for some really fun photos.
Eric and Ciara’s Canyon Lake Elopement
Canyon Lake is probably my favorite spot near the Phoenix area. The drive there is really scenic and the views actually get even better past the lake.
Tucson
Tucson is going to give you a similar experience to Phoenix in the sense that it a cool city with some great mountain locations just outside of town. With Saguaro National Park to the east and Mount Lemmon to the north, there is a remarkably diverse array of landscapes. Mount Lemmon stands at a remarkable 9,171 feet and the drive up features a huge diverse range of microclimates. The city of Tucson really differentiates itself from Phoenix in how they preserve so much of the natural habitat in their landscaping and they do a really great job of conserving a lot of their historic buildings. The Barrio Viejo neighborhood in the western side of the city is my personal favorite. There are some beautiful rental properties, bars, and restaurants all nestled together. If you like the idea of eloping in the city and want something that features more classical western character, Tucson is an excellent option.
Here is a list of some picturesque bars, restaurants, and hotels in the downtown Tucson area that would be fantastic for your elopement.
Previous Galleries from Tucson
Austin and David’s Downtown Tucson Elopement
These two had a super relaxed wedding day. We chatted over some scotch at the Arizona Inn before heading to the Tucson Historic Courthouse for their ceremony. After the ceremony, we drove down to the Barrio Viejo for portraits and cocktails.
Rocky and Blanca’s Engagement Session
We found this epic Airbnb in Tucson for their engagement session. These are some of my favorite portraits.
Andy and Katy’s Tucson Elopement
The San Xavier Del Bac mission is also referred to as the White Dove of the Desert.
Flagstaff
I really love Flagstaff. This mountain town is situated nearby so much of the best parts of the state. You can choose to do the full city elopement in town or you are only an hour and some change away from The Grand Canyon or Sedona. Page is also about two hours away. Whatever you choose to do, there isn’t really a bad time of year to do it. This area of the state gets quite a bit of snow in the winters and the summers are mild compared to the deserts all around it. The town has a lot of really great bars and restaurants by foot as this is probably the most walkable town in Arizona.
Here is a list of some picturesque bars, restaurants, and hotels in the Flagstaff area that would be fantastic for your elopement.
Bars and Restaurants:
Airbnb Properties in the Flagstaff area:
Previous galleries from Flagstaff
Josh and Marissa’s Grand Canyon Elopement
This elopement started and ended in a huge cabin in Flagstaff. With the Grand Canyon only an hour or so away, this wedding day had all of the epic adventure and cozy comfort bundled together.
Mitch and Amanda’s Downtown Flagstaff Engagement Session
This gallery gives you a great view of downtown Flagstaff. I love all the brick buildings.
Page
Page is an interesting option. On one hand, you have the most epic landscapes in Arizona, on the other hand there isn’t a ton of great lodging and restaurant options. This region is home to such landmarks as Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell, and many many more. In my opinion, this is the most picturesque desert in Arizona.
Airbnb properties in the Page area
Previous galleries from Page
Kyle and Sam’s Lake Powell Elopement
The Under Canvas Lake Powell location has it’s own slot canyon! Check out this intimate elopement.
Anthony and Rylee’s Page Elopement
Horseshoe Bend really is one of the most incredible places I have ever seen. This vast desert has no shortage of interesting photo ops.
The Mogollon Rim
With the exception of Flagstaff, Arizona’s forests are wild and remote. Located near Payson, The Mogollon Rim is a vast and remote region. There are a number of lakes and streams scattered around and most of those spots require 4x4 to access them. If you are interested in staying in a cabin for your elopement or just doing a quick ceremony and portraits thing for your elopement, this area is fantastic. The views you see in the image above are just two hours away from the Phoenix area.
Airbnb Properties in the Mogollon Rim area:
Previous Galleries from The Mogollon Rim
John and Mariah’s Mogollon Rim Elopement
Check out how pretty the Rim is in the summer. A dense pine forest with crystal clear lakes, what else do you need?
Eric and Christina’s Mogollon Rim Engagement Session
The Rim in the winter is glorious. Check out these photos from a snowstorm on one of the many creeks
Prescott
Once the capital of Arizona, Prescott is a beautiful little historic town only 90 minutes north of Phoenix. There are some interesting lakes in the area that would make great locations for your elopement. Watson Lake is the most notable as it has a really unique landscape made up of huge boulders. Downtown Prescott also makes for a great ceremony location with the Historic Yavapai County Courthouse in the city center.
Bars and Restaurants:
Airbnb Properties in the Prescott area:
Previous galleries from Prescott
Jonathan and Brenna’s Prescott Micro Wedding
This was such a unique wedding. They actually rented a few cars on a moving train for their reception.
Paige and Sebastian’s Prescott Engagement Session
We spent the entire shoot at this beautiful Airbnb. I love incorporating an inspiring property with portraits.
The White Mountains
The White Mountains in eastern Arizona are rugged. A large portion of it sits on Native American reservation land and outside of a few cool cabins, there isn’t going to be much here that you can’t already get on The Mogollon Rim. This area is frequented by hardcore outdoorsman and thats about it. All that being said, it is a pretty forest and the cabins up there are pretty cool.
