What to do on your elopement day!

Zack + Andrea got married in Sedona at Cathedral Rock! Even though Cathedral Rock is one of the busiest places in Sedona to elope; we made sure that they felt like they had the whole place to themselves while they created their perfect wedding day.

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One way we did this, is by finding small spots along the whole hike that were tucked away from the main trail. We snuck away off the trail for the ceremony, for their first dance + for the little picnic they had! We even found a “secret spot” at the top of Cathedral Rock that not many people know about! It was JUST the two of them in this epic spot! 

(All while keeping with Leave No Trace principles as we went “off the trail”.)

While planning this wedding day with them, I encouraged Andrea + Zack to think about what else they’d like to do on their wedding day besides just get married! Andrea + Zack chose to have a small picnic with their favorite sandwiches and their favorite beers from Michigan. They chose to have a first dance because they loved that aspect of traditional weddings! And they went on one epic, bad ass hike!

(they had random hikers sign as their witnesses, how cool is that?)

I always encourage my couples to think of their wedding day as more than “just a ceremony and some photos”. Just because you’re eloping, doesn’t mean that your wedding day doesn’t deserve to have just as much coverage! You two have chosen to skip a traditional wedding and all the traditional activities that go with it! But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a wedding day jam packed with activities that feel like “you”! You have the opportunity to do exactly what the two of you want on your wedding day, because you don’t have to think about anyone else when you’re eloping!

I always ask my couples these questions. 

1. Envision your PERFECT day! What does that look like? 

2. What have you ALWAYS wanted to do? Do that on your wedding day! 

Some couples don’t even know where to start with what to do on their wedding day! So, here are some of my favorite suggestions!

- Wake up + cook breakfast together

- Do some exploring and have a morning hike together

- Pack a picnic

- Do an epic helicopter tour

- A road trip! Hit up a couple different spots you want to see!

- Visit a winery/brewery

- Roast smores by a campfire

- Go skinny dipping

- Kayaking

- Cliff jumping

- Horseback riding

- Go camping!

- Have a private, candle lit dinner made by a local chef

- Skiing/Snowboarding

- Gaze at the stars

- Take a Jeep tour 

- Take a wine + painting class

- Go skydiving

And there are so many other ideas! The amazing part about eloping instead of having a traditional wedding is you can do whatever the f@#k you want to do! So, have FUN with it! Think of incorporating some of these epic activities for your elopement day! Your wedding day can be so much more than just the two of you getting married!

Make your wedding day an experience that you’ll never forget!

If you’re still trying to figure out if an elopement is right for you check out my other blog HERE! It’s a whole blog centered around breaking elopement myths so that you better understand what an elopement day looks like and what they mean. Ultimately, helping you to figure out if it’s right for you!

If you’re in search for an epic elopement photographer who will help guide you through the planning process of getting married in the great outdoors—come say hi! Click HERE to fill out my contact form and we will make your adventurous wedding day dreams come true.

Read Andrea and Zack’s review of their experience with me!

“Our experience with Rebekah has been nothing short of amazing and I am so grateful for her. From the first time I reached out to her I knew we would be making the right decision by choosing her as our elopement photographer. The reason is that she is SO much more than that.

She helped with planning locations, provided lots of vendor recommendations, and did a lot of work to try to find another option for vendors when one didn't work how we planned. She works so hard to try to make your elopement the best it could possibly be and I felt so relaxed yet excited about wedding planning once we made the decision to go with her. She helped make it feel easy.

We were unique in that when we reached out we were living in Michigan and planning to move to Arizona a few weeks before our elopement. Both her and her husband provided so much help through that process as well and overall it really feels like you have a friend in all of your planning.

On the day of the elopement it was only us and Rebekah and it felt so comfortable and was so much fun! We were able to be our quirky selves and truly just have the day we wanted. She provides you with sneak peaks soon after your elopement and when we got them my jaw dropped. Obviously I had seen her work so I knew how good it was, but she captured the day and emotions perfectly and I couldn't believe that we now had these photos that we could go back and relive our best day ever with. They're magical and I still can't stop looking at them. She also was able to provide the final gallery several weeks before the expected time and it was a wonderful surprise.

To anyone looking here to hire Rebekah as your photographer, just do it. You won't regret it.”

4 Tips to Choosing the Best Elopement Location

My husband and I eloped last year, and it was incredible. We had always wanted to go to Iceland or Ireland, elope in the wild, and then have our honeymoon right after. Instead, we ended up getting married at Horseshoe Bend in Arizona because it was closer to home, and left us more time to relax. Our elopement was amazing, and I’m so happy we decided NOT to have a traditional wedding. Elopements are my favorite thing to shoot, and a lot of eloping couples have a hard time narrowing down a location. I’m spilling all my secrets today! Here are my top 4 tips to choosing the best elopement location - and they might surprise you! 

First, I wanted to explain why we opted for an Arizona elopement instead of heading across the Atlantic. We had picked Horseshoe Bend for our engagement photos. We had never been there before, but it looked amazing and we wanted to go somewhere cool and explore.

On the day of our engagement shoot, it was rainy and a bit stormy, but we started hiking anyway. Within a few minutes it got SO cold, but we went for it cause we were committed! Once we arrived at our pre-planned location, we got set up, and our photographer started shooting.

Me + my hubs on our elopement day. Photo by KMT Photos

For like, all of two minutes. All of a sudden there was a torrential downpour! We ran back to our car while water rushed everywhere around us, lightning struck down from the sky and hit the ground around us, and crazy, tornado-style winds threatened to blow us off the cliff…

I thought I was going to die. It still makes me anxious thinking about it. LOL. We only got about five photos, but since we had planned this whole trip just for the engagement shoot, we said NAH. We went back the next day for a reshoot and got fun, awesome photos. 

I didn’t want to have a tainted image of Horseshoe Bend, and we wanted our elopement to be someplace special, so we went back there to get married. On our elopement day, it was the perfect, perfect day. It was so calm, slightly warm with a gentle breeze, and the sun was shining. It was all in stark contrast to our previous visit, and it couldn’t have been a more perfect day. 

You may be thinking, “Rebekah, cool story - but what does this have to do with our elopement?!” 

Hang tight - and keep reading. 

Here are my Top 4 Elopement Location Planning Tips: 

1. Weather

It’s super important to look at what the weather’s going to be like for the location you want to elope in. Obviously if you’re not local to a particular area you won’t know what the weather is going to be like, but that’s why it’s a good idea to do some research ahead of time. 

Also - what do you want out of the weather on your elopement day? 

Are you hoping for a warm sunny day? Do you want to elope in the Grand Tetons in the snow? Even if you DO want snow, you may not want to be completely snowed out! I lived in Wyoming for a year, and when it snows you can’t get anywhere. A nice fluffy layer of snow is cute and pretty, but most people don’t want to be in a white out or blizzard on their elopement day. 

2. Time of the Year 

Think about what time of year you want to elope. You have a bit more flexibility when planning an elopement than you do with a traditional wedding. 

You don’t have to elope within the month, and you also don’t have to wait 2 years. You can elope anytime you want - just make sure that the time of the year or season works for you. 

3. Hiking Elopements 

To hike or not to hike? 

You may see gorgeous mountain elopements and envision yourself doing just that, but a lot of the time it’s a 14 mile hike both ways. If that’s what you want to do, then totally go for it! But consider how much you might be hiking, and whether or not you’re comfortable with that.

Some people want to drive and then just have a short walk instead of a day-long hike. 

Be mindful of the location you’re choosing and how much hiking is involved. Also, is a hike something that really speaks to you and that you want to incorporate into your elopement? 

I offer 2 day elopements if you want to hike somewhere awesome, camp out, and then hike the next day and elope at sunrise. :) 

This Zion elopement required some hiking, but it was SO worth it!

With hiking in a very specific place, you can always ask your photographer for suggestions. If you’ve narrowed down a general area (for example Zion or Yosemite), you can ask your photographer to help you pick a specific spot to elope in. 

Yosemite National Park is a super popular elopement location. It’s beautiful, but it’s SO busy. If you’re comfortable with it not being quite so private, though, then it’s a great spot! 

When we got married at Horseshoe Bend, it was so busy! We even ventured off the main stretch to get away from the crowds, but there were still so many people there. Despite the unexpected guests, we still had a gorgeous day! I’ll be the first to admit though, that it was a little distracting. I prefer more privacy for myself, and I like to have privacy for my couples as well. If you’re a very private person and don’t want the world watching while you tie the knot, that’s something to keep in mind. 

Popular Elopement Spots

You can also have your ceremony in a secluded, private spot and then go elsewhere for photos. If there’s an epic elopement location that you’ve seen and love, it’s not to say that you can’t go there if it’s busy. It may just be a better option to go there after your ceremony in case you run into hikers or people passing by.

4. Elopement Locations -

A new place vs. someplace special 

For your elopement, you have two options: 

1. Pick a place that you’ve always wanted to go to, OR 

2. Pick a place that’s really special to the two of you. 

Someplace special to the two of you 

For example: If you got engaged while on vacation in Ireland, or Redwood National Forest. If that’s your special spot and that’s where you want to get married, awesome! 

If you love Colorado and it’s sentimental to the two of you, then you can absolutely choose that as your elopement location!

Going somewhere you’ve always wanted to go:

I’m a big fan of eloping at a dream destination, because you can just turn it right into your honeymoon! 

If you’ve always wanted to visit Morocco, then that might end up being an epic elopement location for you!

You can elope, celebrate, and then immediately start your honeymoon. You can also have your photographer take cute honeymoon photos the next day. Picture the two of you just chilling, playing on the beach together, exploring… 

To narrow down your elopement location - you don’t have to pick an exact spot! 

Reach out to your photographer and let them in on your must-have list. If you want to hike, but don’t want to hike 20 miles, put it on your list. If you want to get married when it’s cool outside, but not snowing - add it to the list. If you have dream destinations on your list but aren’t sure if it will be perfect for you since you’ve never been, ask your photographer for advice. Elopement photographers are also elopement planners, so you can get way more help with making sure your day is perfect. 

I hope these top 4 secrets to choosing the best elopement locations were helpful! If you need some elopement inspo, contact me and I can help you plan your epic dream elopement! 

Arizona Sunset Bridal Shoot | Talyn and Kenny

Our bridal shoot with Talyn and Kenny was nothing short of magic. Not only are they hilarious and absolutely adorable together, we had one heck of an evening! 

From meeting a cow to being gifted a Bible from a drunken stranger, this Arizona sunset bridal shoot was one to remember! 

My hubby Trevor came along with me for the shoot, and we met Talyn and Kenny close to sunset. They looked amazing in their suit and wedding dress, and Kenny was killing it with his GQ-style poses. There were a ton of bugs (I would say there were killing it too), but we had a blast anyway! 

I love hunting for amazing locations for my couples, and I love shooting in state parks. For Talyn and Kenny’s bridal shoot, we went to a gorgeous creek. There was a lush, perfect grassy bank along a babbling brook, and the light was amazing. We were the only ones there (or so we thought!). It was so calm and serene. We then stumbled upon Milky the cow, who we later realized is a boy…(can you guess how we figured that out?!). We found his name hilarious, because he obviously doesn’t produce milk…so I said he’s more “Milk-ish”. LOL

Talyn and Kenny were loving their time together and took every opportunity to snuggle, kiss, and twirl. They were also happy to flip each other off with their ring fingers (which had us all laughing our asses off). They were pure magic together, and it was so awesome to be able to spend time with them.

That’s why I love bridal shoots and always recommend them, especially if you have a hectic timeline on your wedding day. It gives you a chance to spend some quality time together and get amazing, fun photos. 

Not sure what a bridal session is? Or are you hoping to include one in your wedding package, but not sure if it’s worth it? This is why a sunset bridal shoot is a must - and why you deserve it. 

We finished the shoot as the sun went down. As we were getting ready to leave, a car full of strangers pulled up to us. One guy started talking to us and it was immediately obvious that he was drunk. He was rambling and kind of freaked us out a bit, and then said to one of the other guys in the car, “yo yo yo, give me my bible!” Naturally we freaked out a little bit more!

Talyn and Kenny, still in their wedding outfits, watched with us as one of his buddies opened the trunk of the car and pulled out an ornate wooden box. Drunk Guy #1 opened the lid of the box to reveal a beautiful, white leather, gold embossed bible. 

He handed it to Talyn and Kenny and said, “this is your wedding gift!” He told the four of us (as we stood there dumbfounded) about his 4 marriages, and left us with very sage (albeit very drunk) relationship advice. With that, he left with his buddies, we breathed a sigh of relief, and then we proceeded to laugh hysterically at the randomness of it all. 

The setting sun was shining on the bible box, so I got one last shot of Talyn and Kenny holding their new wedding gift. We headed home, a night of randomness and hilarity coming full circle. I seriously could not have asked for a better evening, and I’m so glad that Trevor and I got to spend time with Talyn and Kenny to make (and experience) some magic. 

If you loved this Arizona sunset bridal shoot, then check out this Wyoming bridal shoot in Grand Teton National Park! 

You can also get more tips about planning your wedding day here on my blog!