Arches National Park Intimate Elopement by Jess Palatucci Photography

March 14, 2022

For the past few years, many couples have had a change of plans when it came to their wedding. Due to the pandemic being so unpredictable, it was tough for many couples to even plan their wedding! Despite all of the crazy changes, that never stopped Ashton & Erik. They had the time of their lives during their Arches National Park Intimate Elopement.

While I am based in Philly, I absolutely love being able to travel around the world for my couples. For Ashton & Erik, they love being able to travel to Moab, Utah with their friends. Mainly for activities such as hiking and driving around in their Jeeps. Naturally it was the perfect location for them to elope. I booked my flight, hopped on a plane to Moab, Utah to capture Ashton & Erik’s special day.

Getting Ready, First Look & Portraits

Ashton got ready with her friends at Under Canvas in Moab, Utah. You would never know, but there was actually a huge hail storm that passed over us while getting ready. Essentially we all huddled into the tent until eventually the storm passed. Luckily for us, it left us with the most beautiful weather for the rest of the day for their elopement. While we were finishing up the final touches to everyone getting ready, Erik met up with us to do a quick first look and some portraits before heading over to their ceremony spot.

This is also a good time to note that if you are going to be moving a lot on your wedding day… wear comfortable clothes & shoes! Elopements and especially ones where there is uneven terrain, the last thing you want is to be in pain on your special day. Dress for the location because trust me, you won’t regret it.

Arches National Park Intimate Elopement

Once portraits were finished, we made our way over to Arches National Park. Arches National Park has some of the most beautiful red rocks I think I have ever seen. Filled with over 2,000 natural stone arches and hiking trails galore, it seriously is one of the best locations if you’re looking to get married with a view. We hiked up to The Windows Section of the NP, which is easily some of the most breathtaking views in the entire park. Within this section we landed on the perfect spot, the Turret Arch. It was quiet with not too many people around, which worked out in our favor since this spot can be a heavy tourist attraction. We finished the rest of Ashton & Erik’s portraits there before heading underneath the arch for their ceremony.

Ashton & Erik’s friend and tattoo artist, Des, married them under the arch in front of their best friends and family. So if you’re looking for a sign to have your best friend marry you & your partner… this is it. Once the ceremony was over, Ashton & Erik were officially newlyweds – yassss! We then continued around the park to some of their favorite spots such as the Sand Dunes Arch. Remember how I said you should wear something comfortable if you’re going on an adventure? Yeah, this is exactly why! We took some more portraits before heading back down to meet up with the rest of their guests.

Brew, Blues and BBQ

We finished off their intimate elopement by meeting up with their friends & family for an incredibly delicious BBQ dinner at the Blu Pig. Brews, blues and BBQ is their actual slogan and I think made it the perfect ending to an absolutely perfect day, don’t you think?

A few months later, Ashton & Erik decided to celebrate back in New Jersey at the Smithville Inn with all of their friends and family who couldn’t fly out to their elopement. It was the best of both worlds because Ashton & Erik got to elope in a location that meant a lot to them and their own love story. Then they also got to celebrate with those who weren’t able to attend which made for double the fun and everyone wins!

If you loved this Arches National Park Intimate Elopement, then you’re going to love this Paris Château Elopement!

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