Elopement days are hands down my favorite and this one will always have a special place in my heart because of the joy around the occasion. Welcome to this beautiful Arches National Park Elopement day. Meet Mackenzie and Samuel, their joy was contagious and I am so excited to share this with you friends!
Mackenzie and Samuel were so great, they came all the way from Minnesota! They wanted to elope at Arches National Park so badly that they road tripped all the way to Utah! This road trip was no joke because that’s about 17 hours ya’ll! Spending the day documenting their love story was so special! I never take for granted that I get the privilege of documenting a day that is so special, and moments that only come around once.
Mackenzie and Samuel are such an adorable couple, so fun, energetic, and down to earth, that right away I felt at home with them and their families. They trusted me with their whole day and were willing to go anywhere and do anything, and their country approach made the day so much fun!
Something that stood out to me on their Arches National Park Elopement (and it still does when I look back on their pictures) was their friendship.
Mackenzie’s best friend Jessica came and they had the cutest pillow fight together before getting ready for Mackenzie’s beautiful day. (These pictures are proof that jumping on the bed never gets old and you should do it well past childhood because few things can give you such pure joy).
Mackenzie’s mom helped her get dressed and then gave her a present. It was a white handkerchief with “All grown up in lace and pearls. On my wedding day, I’m still your little girl” embroidered on it. (Isn’t that the cutest?!)
After that emotional moment came another and another! Then, Jessica helped her bestie get her veil on and finish getting ready for her sweet “first look” with dad right outside the fun glamping tents they stayed in. (They were Under Canvas Moab for you curious cats out there.)
Then, we found an old barn out in Moab that seemed to have been placed there just for them.
It added so perfectly to their country elopement at the Arches National Park.
The sweet couple had their First Look here and it was as if no one was around but them. It was one of my favorite moments of their day, (not only taking their first look pictures but all the ones that followed.)
They included so many fun details in their Arches National Park Elopement!
For instance, she wore white jeweled crocs under her beautiful white dress and he wore a cowboy hat, cowboy boots and a belt buckle. Mackenzie had pheasant feathers included in her bouquet and Samuel had bird designs on his ring because they’re hunters. The attention to detail was something else! I so loved their custom name tags for plates on their sweetheart table and save the date stationary! You can see how beautifully it all came together because of a strong vision in place.
Before their ceremony, the couple had lunch at their sweetheart table and wrote each other a sweet note while joking around together.
Then, we made our way over to the Arches National Park for the fun part, the elopement ceremony! The ceremony was so short and sweet. Surrounded by their closest friends and family they vowed to love and cherish each other so under the Utah sun. Then came their first kiss as husband and wife, and that was that, they were married.
Congratulations were said, hugs were fiercely exchanged, and beers were shotgunned, it was so epic!
Then came more pictures! The Arches National Park is not just perfect for elopements, it’s just a perfect backdrop for anything, especially pictures. So did we take pictures?! Yes we did, because that’s how you freeze memories in time!
So from behind the lens I took click after click of their special moments.
So, after taking pictures all over the Arches National Park we went back to their sweetheart table for some much anticipated wedding cake. And of course, champagne was present, it was a celebration after all!
No elopement is complete without some s’mores by the bonfire, right? Right. So, that’s exactly what they had to do! They sat so close by each other and the fire, Mackenzie rested her head on Samuel’s shoulder as the sky got dark with the sun gone for the night. It was a moment that kept growing in beauty because of the love story that was told.
Then the day ended in the best way, with the couple dancing under the Utah night sky.
As the stars filled the heavens and the twinkle lights added to the romance of the occasion Mackenzie and Samuel held each other in a close embrace. A perfectly romantic end to a day of celebrating their love for each other.
Planning and Styling: Ember and Stone Events
Officiant: Love Lady Bandit
Flowers: Sweet Sage Floral
Video: Tanner Castro Films
Stationary: Studio Sanchez Co
Cake: Sugar Rush Custom Cake
Hair and Makeup: @hairby_linzy
Did you love Mackenzie and Samuel’s Arches National Park Elopement so much and need more? Perfect! Then check out more amazing elopements on the blog!