Full Day Elopement in Sedona

Want to know what a full day elopement in Sedona looks like? Lexi + Brittany had the most epic elopement day that started with a hike in the dark for sunrise and ended with a jeep ride on a mountain after sunset. Their elopement was filled with happy tears, laughs, and so many memories. Since it was just the two of them, they got to put their entire focus on each other and nothing else. They were intentional with each moment they spent and their day was stress-free and easy.

Sunrise Elopement in Sedona

Lexi + Brittany started their elopement day with a hike in the dark just before the sunrise. They changed into their cute matching boots and picked out the best view for them to read their vows. Once the light was a bit brighter, they stood in that spot and hugged each other for a few seconds before starting their vows.

Hugging before vows is something I encourage each couple to do in order to reset your focus and be in the moment. Absorb the views, each other, and connect before you start.

After their ceremony, we celebrated with some champagne and adventured around the rock for some epic sunrise elopement photos. I just loved their custom champagne glasses! Also- fun fact about their bouquets: they made them! They each stopped at several stores and spent the night designing these florals together and they came out amazing.

Elopement Photos at the Gym

After celebrating, we headed to one of Lexi + Brittany’s favorite places- the gym. They are both gym teachers and fitness is an important part of their lives, so it was only fitting we went and had some fun lifting weights in wedding attire!

Snap Fitness was so welcoming and allowed us to use their space!

Sunset Elopement Picnic in Sedona

We took a midday break and met back up for an epic off road trip up the mountain for a cake picnic. They brought along fun games, their polaroid camera, and the cutest custom cake topper for their cake. We made sure to fit in intentional time in the timeline to absorb and enjoy this moment and all the views. They played games and enjoyed their food until the sun set and then we headed over to the view for their first dance.

When the sun had officially set, we packed up and headed to the jeep to get some blue hour photos and wait for the stars to come out. It was a truly epic day. Scroll down to see their exact timeline and hear what they had to say about their day!

Elopement Thoughts From the Couple

Why did you choose to elope?

“We always knew that we wanted to have a small wedding, and originally wanted to buy a house and have it in our back yard! When our house search wasn’t going well, we thought it would be a while until we were able to get married. While we were scrolling through instagram one day I stumbled upon an elopement photographers page and it was like a light bulb went off! We decided that eloping was perfect for us because did not want to have a big wedding, and we wanted the day to be just about us and our love.”

How was your elopement?

“We eloped in Sedona, Arizona. We did the 8 hour package because we couldn’t decide between sunrise or sunset! We started the morning at Baby Bell Rock, where we said our vows and popped champagne. While we were hiking up in the dark we were so excited for the day, we couldn’t stop smiling. We had the perfect sunrise at Baby Bell, and loved how there was no one around. It truly felt like we were in our own bubble when reading our vows. The morning at Baby Bell was one of our favorite parts of the day. It felt so special just being with each other, and everything feeling so surreal that it was actually happening after spending months counting down the day!

Something that was really important to us was to take pictures at the gym in our wedding outfits, so after Baby Bell we headed to Snap Fitness! This was a super unique and untraditional part of our day, and we are so glad that we made time for it. Fitness is a huge part of our lives, so it only felt right to incorporate it into our wedding day. Since we did sunrise and sunset, we had a break in the middle of the day. It was so nice to have a break to relax, eat, and touch up our hair and makeup. We were able to eat at a local barbecue restaurant and reflect on the morning. We also took this time to facetime our families and tell them the news that we got married.

For our sunset session we went to Merry Go Round rock. The drive there was about an hour, and it was for sure a bumpy ride! We had a lot of laughs on the drive there because of how ridiculously bumpy it was, the drive was definitely memorable and something we look back on and laugh about. We had a picnic with meat and cheese, and cake. We also brought a game to play, since that is something we enjoy doing together. We tried to be really intentional about our day, and include things that are meaningful to our relationship. Going to the gym, making charcuterie boards, having picnics and playing games are all things that we do that remind us of us! We wanted to include and have these moment captured on our wedding day. The views at Merry Go Round Rock are absolutely incredible! We were so shocked and excited that there was no one else there while we were there, it felt so special and private.”

Do you have any regrets about your elopement?

“Our elopement day was perfect, and exactly what we wanted! We chose not to tell anyone about our elopement until the day we actually eloped. We kept it a secret for months, and this definitely contributed to it being a stress free process. We do not have any regrets about our elopement day! The only thing that we were torn about with eloping was the fact that we would not have pictures in our wedding outfits with our families. We decided to have a very small reception while back at home later in the summer with only our immediate families, and it was perfect! We rented a small pavilion, brought all of the small momentos that we eloped with, made charcuterie boards and popped champagne. We were able to still have our private adventurous elopement in Sedona, and get family pictures at our reception at home with our families. We had the best of both worlds and it was exactly what we wanted.”

What advice do you have for future couples looking to elope?

“DO IT! If the most important thing about your wedding day is you and your partner, eloping is IT! We had a perfect day without having to please anyone else, and it was all about us. Our biggest piece of advice would be to not rush the day and think about it as “activities” that you are doing together rather than just a photoshoot. We do love the more traditional wedding poses and photos, but the candid pictures of us just being together are SO special!”

Sedona All Day Elopement Timeline

6:00 am Start hike
6:30 am First Look
6:45 am Vows + Rings at sunrise
7:00 am Bridal Photos and champagne pop
8:00 am Head back to trailhead then head to gym
8:30 am Gym photos
9:30 am End photo time

BREAK

4:00 pm Arrive at Trailhead and begin drive up
5:00 pm Arrive at the top
5:15 pm Picnic
6:00 pm First Dance + Bridals
7:00 pm Blue Hour Photos + Leave
8:00 pm Arrive at Trailhead. End Photos.

Review from Lexi + Brittany

“Karen was AMAZING! She captured our day so beautifully and made the process enjoyable and stress free! Karen was friendly, professional, and easy to reach every step of the way when a question would come up.

We did the 8 hour package with the video add on. We are SO glad that we decided to do the video as well! The pictures were beautiful, but seeing the day through video was so special! There were many moments that we didn’t even remember doing/Karen was recording that made the video so perfect. I couldn’t imagine NOT having the video now. With the 8 hour package we did a sunrise and sunset session, and also went to take gym pictures at a local Snap Fitness. Even though the gym was not your typical elopement location, Karen was down for it and did a great job seeing our vision and making it happen! She also reached out to the manager and got permission for us to be there, which was huge help when planning. Initially I was worried that the 8 hour package wouldn’t be enough time, but it ended up working out perfectly! I think we were able to fit everything in without feeling rushed.

Karen was a great guide throughout the planning process. She was so helpful when choosing our location and encouraging us to do what we want on our wedding day. On the day, she kept us on track with our timeline, while at the same time letting us lead the way and have a lot of “natural” moments. Our images were absolutely beautiful, and we have gotten so many comments from friends and family saying that our photographer did a great job, and these pictures look like they should be in a magazine!

I would recommend Karen to everyone. She helped make our day so perfect, and we will treasure those memories, images and video that she delivered forever!”

More Sedona, Arizona Elopement Inspiration

If you’re wanting to elope in Sedona, be sure and also check out these Sedona Weddings and Elopements I’ve photographed!

Desert Elopement in Sedona | Lindsey + Alex

All-Day Sedona Elopement | Amanda + Mitchell

Sedona, AZ Elopement Photographer

Hope you loved this Desert Elopement in Sedona as much as I did! Lexi + Brittany’s Arizona wedding was an absolute dream to document! If you’re thinking about eloping like these two did be sure and check out my full guide on How to Elope in Sedona, Arizona!