Desert Canyons & Aspen Tree, Moab Utah Elopement

When we started planning Matt and Caitlin’s elopement day with them, they wanted two very contradictory things. Caitlin really wanted desert vibes: expansive canyon views, redrock, arches, etc. Matt loved that, too, but he also really wanted some mountains and greenery. So, we settled on an epic Moab, Utah elopement to get both desert canyon views AND aspen trees/mountains. Let’s just say, it was truly awesome!

Matt and Caitlin originally wanted to camp along a 4×4 road in Moab, but it was sheep mating season. So, instead, they stayed at a nice hotel, and we met them along the 4×4 road before sunrise. We set up their backpacking tent for Caitlin to change in, and helped arrange Matt for a sunrise first look. The sun was trapped behind the clouds, so we had more soft light to work with before the sun emerged. Their first look was beautiful! We set them up on a rock with views of the canyon. Caitlin walked over to Matt barefoot and they got to see each other all dressed up for the first time! After that, we explored on the rocks and kept “oooh-ing” and “ahhh-ing” over the canyon views as the sun came up. Sunrise is truly one of the most serene and peaceful times!

After taking some sunrise portraits, we sat on a cliff and shared stories, coffee, and some cinnamon rolls! It was a great way to start the morning and kick off their all day elopement adventure in Moab! Adam even got to mess around with the drone a ton. I wish we had some behind-the-scenes shots of us trying to get out of the drone footage (LOL). Keep scrolling to read more about the adventures we went on with them!

Making our way from the Canyonlands area, we headed to grab lunch and go to the ceremony location that we had scouted out the days prior. We found the perfect, private pond with mountain views and lots of aspen trees! We caravanned to the spot and met up with their officiant, Thomas Tobin. Thom made Matt a drink while I helped Caitlin assemble her wedding bouquet. They grabbed a few small bouquets from the grocery store, but we wanted to elevate them a bit! Since they couldn’t bring their sweet doggo, Finn, they brought a pheasant feather (he’s a hunting dog) to include in Caitlin’s bouquet.

We ended up spending a little bit of time before their ceremony asking them about their relationship. It was a great way to transition from their engagement to actually getting married! Their ceremony was a spot that Matt and Caitlin picked when they arrived. It had some great views of the water and the mountains that separated Utah from Colorado. Thom gave a beautiful ceremony, and Matt & Caitlin’s vows were so sweet! After we took some portraits in all of the greenery, we headed to catch sunset at Arches National Park.

Once we got to the park, the clouds covered the sun and the sky started to get pretty moody! We walked around and explored a few different arches. Everyone was congratulating the happy couple! It was beautiful. We managed to have some private time at a couple of the arches, which was great. But always remember to be respectful of other visitors when exploring popular locations!

Anyway, it was an epic celebration, and I don’t think it could’ve gone any better! We loved being able to celebrate with these two and get to know them better. Now we’re just trying to manifest more Moab, Utah elopements in the future!!