Utah Elopements: How to Elope in Utah
So you’re thinking about eloping in Utah. You’ve probably seen photos of and heard about the national parks in Utah. Utah is actually one of the most diverse states in terms of elopement locations! Here in Utah you can find mountains, thick forests, red rock deserts, amazing canyons, unique hoodoos, pink sand dunes, open grasslands, arches that seem to defy the laws of nature, and even expansive salt flats.
With so many amazing elopement locations in Utah, it can be hard to know where to start. But that’s why we’re here to help!
Fishers Tower elopement in Moab, Utah.
When to Elope in Utah
Utah is a decent sized state with varying landscapes and elevations which can all affect the weather. In southern Utah winters are milder with hot summers. While further north there are mountains with mild summers and colder, snowier winters. You also want to think about weekend versus weekday and sunrise verses sunset.
Spring
Spring is a great time for an elopement in the deserts of Utah. The desert areas warm up the fastest but can get quite hot in the summers. Some of the mountains in Utah are also good options in spring. But keep in mind the higher the elevation, the longer it takes for the snow and ice to melt. So if you want to plan a snowy elopement but not have it be too cold, early spring can be a great time to elope in the mountains of Utah! Spring does see the most rain which can really green up the desert regions.
Summer
By late spring the deserts of Utah are already quite warm. Summer is a great time to head to the mountains! While many people may traditionally think of places like Colorado for mountains, Utah has some beautiful mountainous elopement locations that are more private.
Fall
During the fall, just about anywhere in the state has some pretty nice weather. The deserts have cooled down some and you can find beautiful fall colors in the mountains. Fall is one of our favorite times of year because the crowds start to dissipate a little and the weather is nice for the majority of the fall season.
Winter
Winter is the least busy time in Utah, especially if you want to elope in one of Utah’s five national parks. Certain locations in the mountains may be inaccessible due to snow, but places such as ski resorts in Utah have lifts and wedding venues that are accessible in winter. Keep in mind the deserts do get snow as well because they are considered high deserts, although not as much as the mountains.
How to Get Started Planning Your Elopement in Utah
First, you need to think about what you would like from your elopement location. What is the most important thing to you? Do you need someplace very accessible or do you want to hike or take a Jeep to explore a location? What about privacy? Do you want to go to a beautiful location that is very popular or do you want to hear about some hidden gems of some less popular areas? What kind of weather and temperatures would you prefer?
These are just some of the questions you want to think of when considering elopement locations in Utah. From there, we can start to help you narrow down the best locations for you, based on what you’re looking for.
La Sal Mountains at sunset in Moab, Utah.
Time of the Day and Time of the Week
The time of day and time of week you decide to elope can really affect the experience you have for your Utah elopement. If you are eloping in one of the national parks, we highly recommend only planning an elopement on a weekday unless it is winter. The national parks in Utah have been pretty heavily marketed by state and local tourism boards so all the parks are pretty popular, and therefore fairly busy during peak hours.
Depending on the exact location you choose (that we can help you decide on), sunrise or sunset may be better for lighting and overall experience. Other locations are equally good at both sunrise or sunset. If privacy during your elopement in Utah is important, eloping on a weekday at sunrise will give you the most privacy.
Eloping couple in Moab, Utah at sunset.
Think About the Experience You Want for Your Elopement in Utah
Where do you want to stay? What kind of activities do you want to do? Do you want to make a vacation or honeymoon out of your trip to Utah? We are here to help with ideas for things to do and places to stay.
Think about what your ideal day would look like. You could stay in a nice lodge, private AirBnB, or maybe you’d prefer to stay in a camper van off the grid where you can see the stars. There are so many different activities you can include for your elopement in Utah as well. Jeeping, climbing, horseback riding, kayaking, hiking, having a picnic, and snowshoeing are just a few of the options. With so many diverse landscapes, Utah really does have a bit of everything no matter where you want to go or what you want to do! When you’re dreaming of your elopement day early on in the process, don’t limit yourself! Let your mind flow with ideas. We’re here to help you know what’s possible and help you create the perfect day. You just need some ideas and then we’ll come up with a solid plan to put it all together!
Bonneville Salt Flats elopement at sunset.
Where to Elope in Utah and the Best Elopement Locations
There are such a diverse variety of landscapes and location options in Utah! Even within one region of the state you can find landscapes that are so vastly different. For example, in the Moab region, you can find both red rock deserts and blue mountain peaks with alpine lakes.
Locations in the Greater Salt Lake City Region
The areas around Salt Lake City have a diverse amount of locations in a relatively small area. The bigger city has lots of options for places to stay and things to do, then you can easily get away from the city into nature in a lot of different environments.
Antelope Island State Park
This state park is located right outside of Salt Lake City. This state park was once considered for recognition as a national park! So you know it is worth a visit. Here there are free roaming bison. There are many hiking and biking trails here, paddling sports, mountains to see, and beaches to walk.
Bonneville Salt Flats
The Bonneville Salt Flats are a unique landscape of Utah. These salt flats formed when a large lake dried up and left salt and mineral deposits across a huge area. The salt falts are a very barren environment, plants can’t even grow here. Here the salt flats almost look like year round snow. Certain times of year, shallow water can collect in the salt flats making some really beautiful reflections. With mountains in the distance, this is truly a beautiful elopement location with unique landscapes.
Cottonwood Canyons
Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons are located in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest just east of the Salt Lake Valley. These canyons are beautiful locations year round. In the late spring and through summer, wildflowers abound in these areas. In fall, the aspen trees fill the canyons and valleys with vibrant fall colors. In winter, the snow covers these areas and turns them into winter wonderlands, with world famous ski resorts and winter retreats. There are also many lakes in these areas that can make for some really great elopement locations in Utah. These canyons are right in our backyard (literally), and there are so many stunning locations throughout the area that are sure to make your mountain elopement dreams come true.
Ceremony space near Big Cottonwood Canyon, Park City, Utah
The Mountains of Utah
Utah has more mountains than a lot of people think! Park City, the Wasatch Range, and the Uinta Mountains are all absolutely beautiful areas. While people may think of Colorado, Wyoming, or Montana for mountains, the mountains in Utah are pretty epic! Park City offers some of the best skiing in the country. And while it is a popular winter destination, it is absolutely beautiful in the summer as well. Wildflowers cover the mountainsides, rivers run through the valleys, and waterfalls cascade down from the peaks. You can also find some incredible mountain views just outside of Moab in the La Sal Mountains. This is an amazing place for a multi-day elopement to get the best of both the red rock desert AND the mountains in one experience.
Eloping in the National Parks of Utah
Each national park has something unique about it. The national parks of Utah are all in the desert regions. Keep in mind that all the national parks require permits for weddings and even small elopements. It is best to contact them a minimum of 4 weeks in advance for a permit. Each park has designated wedding locations.
Pro tip: book us as your photographers before you submit a permit and we’ll help you fill it out with times, dates, locations, backups, and all the other required information!
Zion National Park
One of the top destination in Utah for people wanting to elope and just tourists in general is Zion National Park. In fact, Zion is the third most visited national park in the nation. This park is busy and we can’t overemphasize that! During most of the year, shuttles are needed to access much of the park. However, the wedding locations within the park are in some less visited parts of Zion. And if you’re willing to hike a ways, you can get even further from the crowds in much of Zion.
Arches National Park
Home to over 2,000 natural stone arches, Arches National Park near Moab is another popular destination with some really unique landscapes. Not every arch is large or easily accessible though. Arches is a great national park to elope in if you want unique landscapes with easily accessible spots for family as well as more private hiking trails the two of you can hike for more photos later.
Canyonlands National Park
Located just across town from Arches NP, Canyonlands National Park is the largest national park in Utah. We would say that Canyonlands rivals even the Grand Canyon for beauty! Not to mention, Canyonlands is a much less visited park than the Grand Canyon. The Island in the Sky is the most accessible part of Canyonlands and it has the best overlooks where it can feel like you are on top of everything. On a clear day, you can easily see a good 100 miles or so into the distance.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon is known for it’s colorful formations known as hoodoos. Technically the park is not a canyon but a series of natural amphitheaters and hoodoos. It’s actually the largest concentration of these hoodoo formations anywhere on earth. Bryce Canyon is often an overlooked area for elopements in Utah and the whole park just has a really unique look to it that creates an amazing backdrop for your elopement.
Capitol Reef National Park
This park is the least visited national park in Utah. Capitol Reef has some natural dome formations that remind some people of the domes of capitol buildings. This park is also located in a literal “wrinkle” in the Earth! There are many unique formations here including canyons, natural bridges, domes, and other colorful rock formations.
Where to Elope in Southern Utah
Southern Utah is home to vast desert landscapes, canyons, natural bridges, and some really remote terrain. Here you can also find one of the largest and one of the most beautiful reservoirs in the United States. Some of the areas in southern Utah even rival the national parks for beauty!
Lake Powell and Glen Canyon
Lake Powell and Glen Canyon are all in the same area but it is a very very large area! There are many remote roads, hikes, and areas to boat into. There’s the popular areas that are easy to find or easy to get to, but there are so many hidden gems if you value a private, adventurous elopement experience. There are so many options for things to do in the area. Take it easy and take a house boat out on the lake, for something more adventurous, you can paddle into various slot canyons. Go on an epic hike to reach a remote overlook, or if you’re not into hiking, take a Jeep trail to a similar area for your elopement in Utah.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
If you thought Glen Canyon was a large area, Grand Staircase-Escalante is MASSIVE! As one of the most remote areas in the country, it offers just about everything you can find in Utah’s 5 national parks, plus a few extra things. This area is so remote, it was actually the last mapped area in the contiguous United States. Here you can find arches, bridges, slot canyons, cliffs, rivers, waterfalls, sand pits, and even a large collection of fossils. Be prepared if you go into the more remote parts and depending on where you want to go, you may need a Jeep or other capable vehicle. But there are also some beautiful areas that are more private than the national parks but still accessible.
Kanab, Utah
As a cute little town in the middle of an amazing red rock desert, Kanab makes for an amazing place for an epic elopement in the desert. This is the place to be if you want to explore some of the most beautiful red slot canyons. Kanab is located between Glen Canyon and Zion, almost on the Arizona/Utah border. Keep in mind that the Kanab area is remote with more limited lodging options, so book in advance. Although there are plenty of camping options.
Travel To And Within The State Of Utah
Utah is a pretty large state with a lot of areas to fly into. If you want to elope in the Salt Lake City area or the mountainous regions, the Salt Lake City Airport is the best way to travel in. If you’re going to Moab or one of the national parks in that area, the Grand Junction Regional Airport — just over the border in Colorado — is the best place to fly into. You can also take a tiny plane connecting from Salt Lake or Grand Junction directly into Moab’s small local airport.
For southern Utah, one of the best bigger airports to fly into is the Las Vegas International Airport. Many couples like to take a road trip throughout Utah depending on the time they have, in that case, flying into larger airports can be easier and reduce flight costs. The Salt Lake airport also has connecting flights to various smaller airports that can get you closer to your destination.
Depending on where in Utah you are traveling to and where you want to elope, a Jeep (or other high clearance four wheel drive vehicle — hello new Bronco!) can gain you access to other locations and may even be required to get to certain locations. For mild trails a rental through a regular car company may be ok, but we really recommend renting a Jeep or ATV through a company that specializes in these kinds of rentals, especially if off-roading will be a big part of your experience.
About Your Utah Elopement Photographers
We are Olivia and Bryan. We live in the Salt Lake City area, but travel all throughout the state of Utah and surrounding areas for couples that want to have a little adventure for a truly magical wedding day! We work together to tell your elopement story in an authentic way that captures who you are and the fun time you have together. We would love to talk more with you and see what you have in mind for your day!
Our Elopement Packages for Utah
We are here to help you every step of the way. We send a questionnaire that goes over things to get to know you as a couple better and that asks about what you are looking for in locations and in your elopement experience. Then we get to plan out locations! You don’t even need a specific spot in mind, that’s what we’re here for. You’ll also get vendor recommendations once you settle on a final location. We’re also here to help with tips, tricks, ideas, what to pack, and more. We’re here to provide everything you need to create your own epic elopement adventure! Our pricing starts at $4000 for partial day elopement packages in Utah that include both photo and video coverage. View more pricing and information. We’ve gone over just a few of the best elopement locations in Utah. There are soooo many other hidden gems!
Contact us to get started with planning your elopement in Utah and we can help point you in the right direction of some truly amazing locations.
x Olivia + Bryan
