Sedona, Arizona & Denali National Park Elopement Inspiration
As your adventure elopement photographer I am always super stoked to bring ideas to you for your elopement day! Adventure elopements do not always have to involve a hike, they could involve a plane! Arizona is spectacular with Sedona and Northern Arizona being prime locations for couples to tie the knot, but they are also prime locations for tourists. Most of my couples that elope say the number one thing when they consider a location is privacy. By using a flight service to get to a location it couldn’t get more private. I am super excited to introduce to you some local Sedona vendors for your elopement day, show you this beautiful shoot with Tim and Ashley and tell you more about your elopement options here in Arizona and in Alaska using AlaskZona and Fly Denali Inc!
Ashley and Tim are based out of Scottsdale, Arizona which is also home of the AlaskZona flight company! These two had a more traditional wedding a few years ago, but were super stoked to get dressed up again for this adventure. They are always in the desert and beyond exploring together. Their most recent adventure being remodeling their new home together. Ashley’s off road adventures in her Tacoma and travel photos have inspired me for a while on Instagram and I was stoked to work with her and her husband to bring this alive for all of you. Their day for the shoot was much like what your day could be like for your elopement. They got ready in Scottsdale and headed North to Sedona to meet at the Airport. If you wanted to though you could take the plane from Scottsdale to Sedona for your elopement. We took a few portraits along the Airport Mesa Trail for some of those red rock desert vibes before heading into the pines. We met, Eric, the pilot at the airport for a brief introduction and then flew East to Rim Country. The flight was incredible over the red rocks to over the untouched Arizona canyons with snowy pines. You could even see Humphreys in the distance! It was an amazing snowy night the evening before in the desert so we landed in fresh snow. There was not another soul around for miles. These two were able to play in the snow, dance around, share moments together and warm back up in the plane. Our flight back landed us at the airport just in time for a beautiful Sedona sunset. These two headed back to Scottsdale soon after to get home to their pups. While if you were eloping you could enjoy a dinner at the restaurant in the Sedona airport, which I hear good things about! Or you could dine at any of the other amazing local spots. If you didn’t have to go back into Phoenix you could stay in town (check out the top places to stay on this blog post) and explore the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell or Flagstaff over the following days.
Sedona Elopement Vendors and Beyond:
Mountain High Flowers
One of the best florist for your elopement right here in West Sedona off of the 89A. Working with Martha is smooth and she has beautiful floral designs to go perfectly with the red rocks.
Eirthie
If you are looking for unique beautiful jewelry that wont over power your elopement day look and supports local Sedona artist then you want to check out Eirthie. Danielle makes hand crafted ear rings, necklaces and bracelets fit for any bride eloping in the Northern Arizona desert.
Reclamation
The wedding dress Ashley wore was designed by Reclamation, which you may have seen some of my other brides wearing! While this designer, Trista, is not based in Arizona she creates one of a kind dresses specific for you. Her dresses are always so easy to move in too, giving you lots of freedom for your adventure elopement.
AlaskZona & Fly Denali
AlaskZona is the flight company that took us from Sedona to Rim Country. The experience was amazing! Their flights go out of Sedona or Scottsdale. You can take tours or you can take flights and land elsewhere. Other landing locations in Arizona include Sunrise Park Resort (a ski resort), Pleasant Valley near Young, Arizona, the high country desert in Southwest Arizona near Wickenburg and Yuma and to any other Airport in the state. Flights are available in Arizona from late October to April 15th. The plane that we used in this shoot can hold four passengers, giving you two room the photographer and one other person which could be an officiant. In 2021 there will be an additional plane available that will hold more passengers if needed. Flying AlaskZona here in Arizona is great for an anniversary session, an elopement or a proposal! As the pilot said during our flight on the shoot, there is so much of Arizona people will never see from the ground. He is so right! The experience is romantic, exciting and the privacy it offers is incredible.
Totally feeling the idea of flying in to your elopement location, but not in the desert?! The same pilot also flies in Alaska for part of the year! You can take this idea to the complete next level and elope in Denali National Park on a glacier. Flights are available with Fly Denali May 15th through September 30th each year. They are based in Healy which is 15 minutes from the National Park and can land within the park on glaciers, outside of any of the wilderness areas, in some of the Alaska BLM and state land range. They could also fly you to a stay at the Wood River Lodge where you could elope and stay for your honey moon. It is remote and has stunning views all over. They can also taxi you from Fairbanks or Anchorage airport to transport you easily and you would not need to rent a car.
Check out this video to see one of the flight tours in Denali National Park that Fly Denali offers! Imagine this being your elopement day <3
While I am an elopement photographer much of my job entails getting to know you two and helping you plan the most epic wedding day to tell your love story! If you are interested in eloping and flying to your location either in Arizona or Alaska or somewhere totally different reach out! I am here to help you figure out the location logistics of how, when and where! Never let planning stop you from have the most connective and you wedding day! (Also, shout out to Ashley for taking this picture of me and Eric during our flight!)
Follow us on Instagram!
Save to your Pinterest for later!
