Dreamy Sunrise Red Rock Elopement

Jane and Anthony knew they wanted a wedding day full of excitement and fun- surrounded by nature and beauty. They were pretty flexible on locations, so after talking through the best places to elope in April- they ended up choosing a red rock elopement location- Arches National Park. When they picked their red rock elopement ceremony location, I let Anthony and Jane know that specific area can be pretty crowded during the day, so we decided to have their ceremony at sunrise- which they were totally down for!

Their ceremony location was about a 1.6 mile hike in with 600ft of elevation gain- meaning we had to start much earlier than sunrise to be sure to get there in time to change & have a first look. Jane and Anthony also wanted to get some star photos on the hike up, so we made sure to leave plenty of time before sunrise- meaning we started their day at 3am!

Jane & Anthony brought along 5 family members, Jane’s sister and Anthony’s brother & parents. Most adventure elopements that include family typically don’t start at sunrise- so this was a super cool experience and their families were great sports about hiking up some elevation in the dark.

Related: If you’re thinking about having family at your adventure elopement, check out this blog post with the 3 best ways to include family in your elopement

As the sun rose, Jane’s sister helped her get dressed, and Jane & Anthony had the sweetest first look. They then had their ceremony under the Arch, and celebrated with a sparkling cider toast and some family photos. Then the family started to head back, while Jane & Anthony spent the rest of the morning hiking & exploring, then ended the afternoon with a picnic among the red rocks.

Looking for more information on eloping in Arches National Park?
Check out my Arches National Park Elopement Guide here!