I met Emily while on a family vacation in Florida

Pre-pandemic we were at a barbecue together when her toddler took my toddler to the ground with a bear hug. We laughed, got to chatting, shared that we were both photographers and became social media friends.

When I saw that she was looking for a photographer to travel to Zion National Park to capture their elopement, I immediately reached out, and we began researching and planning right away.

In order to get married in Zion, you must obtain a permit and choose from the list of designated ceremony sites. Info and application can be found here!

Emily and Michael chose the Temple of Sinawava for their ceremony. To access the temple, you must either ride the shuttle, or book a private tour service, which is what we opted for since we wanted to have their first look at the temple. We wanted to travel up into the park and hike to the canyon overlook for sunset portraits after. You are able to drive a personal vehicle up the Mt. Carmel Highway and to The Canyon Overlook trailhead. We were given 1 hour for the ceremony, and because the temple is surrounded by mountains, planning is crucial for optimal lighting.

I arrived a day in advance to see what the crowds were like, time how long it took to drive, park and hike as well as observe what time the sun was dipping down. I also wanted to find backup locations in case we ran into heavy traffic on the two lane highway or were unable to park at the trailhead.

Emily and Michael began their elopement by getting ready together.

After getting hair and makeup done with Beauty By Luvi, we met in Springdale, Utah, at The Desert Pearl Inn, a clean, open, modern hotel, located steps from the river, and just outside the gate of Zion National Park. It is also a shuttle stop for the Zion National Park shuttle. After Emily slipped into her dreamy BHLDN gown, the rad crew from Zion Jeep tours picked us up in two separate groups, with Michael heading into the park first, so that he wouldn’t see her before their first look.

The Ceremony

We arrived at the Temple 3 full hours before sunset time. The Temple is located just steps from the parking lot and is all abilities accessible. Officiated by Michael’s sister, they smiled, teared up, laughed,

admired the incredible surroundings and sealed their family with a kiss. It was perfect and despite being located directly adjacent to the trailhead for the wildly popular Narrows Trail, it felt very private.

Zion Canyon Overlook

We returned to the Desert Pearl and retrieved our personal vehicles to make the 30 minute drive up the Mt Carmel Highway. We reached the trailhead with about an hour of sunlight left in the day. After adorning Emily with a beautiful handmade flower crown, we hiked the mile up to the canyon overlook. There were plenty of people, even in March, but luckily, they were all kind enough to give us a prime spot for photos. The two of them slow danced, cheered, and loved on each other while we watched the sun bathe the canyon in golden light and finally dipped softly behind the mountains. We hiked back down, running, laughing and completely in awe, along the now quiet highway in the twilight.