Alex + Jake's Moab Elopement | Small Wedding in Utah
Moab Wedding Photographers | The Hearnes
Arches National Park + Moab, Utah
We had so much fun celebrating Alex & Jake’s elopement in Moab! They were our first Utah elopement of 2021, and what a great way to kick off spring in the desert. After reaching out to us back in September, we kept in touch with them and got exciting updates as they got [officially] engaged, navigated quarantine, and planned their dream wedding. They wanted an intimate wedding with their favorite people among the gorgeous red rocks of Moab. Both of them love to travel, so this wedding was the perfect encapsulation of their adventurous personalities.
Elopement Location: Arches National Park & Moab, Utah
Bride’s Dress: Willowby by Watters from BHLDN, boots by Eddie Bauer
Hair: Leah Solowey
Bouquet: Tellurian Events
Location Information: Alex & Jake had their first look in Arches National Park. A permit is required for all elopement and wedding ceremonies in Arches, and can be found here. Their ceremony and sunset portraits were on BLM land outside of Moab, which requires a special use permit from the local BLM office. All vendors involved in elopements and weddings on Moab-area BLM land also need a Special Recreation Annual Permit. Both of these can be obtained by contacting Sharon Brussell (sbrussell@blm.gov) .
Please note, the landscape surrounding Moab (including Arches and Canyonlands National Parks) is extremely fragile and should be respected by all visitors. It’s important to know about cryptobiotic soil, and protect it by staying on established trails, roads, and durable surfaces! Please be sure to read up on the Leave No Trace principles, and research how they specifically apply to the desert landscape around Moab when planning an event or photoshoot out here.
We started the day with a first look in Arches National Park. Alex got dressed in our camper (AKA the Mobile Bridal Suite!) and she and Jake exchanged emotional hugs when they saw each other for the first time. The peaceful sunrise setting was the perfect backdrop for their first look photos. We hiked around Arches a bit and found some gorgeous reflective tiny desert ponds left from the recent storm and lovely boulders for scrambling. Alex and Jake both wore cute and comfy hiking boots which looked so adorable with their formal wear! Even cuter than their clothes was the ear-to-ear grins that they both wore as we wandered among the sandstone arches and dusty red rocks.
The day was clear and bright, with the blue sky and red rocks perfectly complementing Alex’s flowing dress. I could really feel the love as Jake and Alex walked hand-in-hand. They were awed by the towering sandstone formations (rightly so), but mostly they couldn’t keep their eyes off each other :) We had an incredible time exploring with these two lovebirds!
Next we did a short hike to spend some time with Moab’s famous red arches. During our hike, the rising sun shone through the arches, casting a breathtaking glow. Alex and Jake danced in the light, soaking up some of their last few moments before their wedding ceremony. After we wrapped up our morning shoot, the two went back to their hotel to eat breakfast and get ready for the rest of their big day.
After a relaxing break, we met up with Alex and Jake and their small group of friends and family to caravan out to the ceremony site. We had discussed a number of different spots for the ceremony, in the end Alex and Jake picked this spot because they loved the towers and mesas, and I don’t think they could have chosen a more beautiful location! We were able to guide them through the process of obtaining a permit through the local BLM office to hold their wedding there, making the planning process for their ceremony super easy and painless.
The ceremony — officiated by their pastor Joshua — was extremely meaningful, including their family and friends on a group prayer, and was even graced with some local Moab BASE jumpers mid-vows, classic! Alex and Jake walked back down the “aisle” (in this case, a dusty trail in the middle of the desert) and celebrated their union with a kiss in front of the snow-capped La Sal mountains and cheers from their people. Then the marriage license was signed, we took formal photos of the bride and groom with their honored guests, and to cap it all off, Jake’s dad hosted a champagne- (and cheese!) toast to the newly married couple.
We then did a short hike up to a ridge so that Alex and Jake could spend some time together in the moment, just the two of them. They read each other letters that they had written ahead of time and enjoyed an intimate first dance to “Golden Hour” by Kacey Musgraves. “Golden Hour” has been their song since they first started dating — and it was a perfectly fitting choice as the sun began to set and Callen and I photographed them in the glowing golden light.
We ended the day the same way we’d begun it: just the four of us, enjoying each other’s company and basking in the glory of the sublime landscape around us. The only difference was that Alex and Jake were now married! The setting sun cast a fiery red glow on the sandstone formations behind them, framing Alex and Jake in an unreal way. As the sky darkened, they donned headlamps for the last bit of the hike and we captured a few more portraits — and enjoyed the lingering last few moments of their wonderful wedding day.
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The Hearnes Adventure Photography is run by Abbi and Callen Hearne, a husband & wife elopement wedding photography (and planning!) team with a major emphasis on adventure. Unless stated otherwise, all blog and social media posts are written from the perspective of Abbi!
We’ve completely built our life around adventures in beautiful places, and one of our greatest joys is sharing the adventure with our couples. We lived on the road full time for a few years and then fell in love with a little house in the desert of Moab, Utah; our favorite place throughout all of our travels. We still spend about half of the year living on the road, traveling to more favorites like Alaska, throughout the American West, and beyond.
We use our extensive experience and expertise in the outdoors to plan unforgettable custom elopement days for every couple. We usually work with couples to plan everything from their elopement location down to the vendors they’ll work with and the timeline of the day(s) we’ll spend together. We always shoot together and we have kept things intentionally small, working with a limited amount of couples each year such that we can bring our full value to every single planning email, phone call, and of course, elopement day!
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