Erika & Austin's Zion Elopement | Sand Dunes, Slot Canyons & A Desert Overlook
Adventure Wedding Photographers | The Hearnes
Zion National Park | Southern Utah Desert
Erika and Austin started their morning at a spectacular desert overlook in Zion National Park, followed by some leisurely exploration of a slot canyon, then wrapped up their elopement day running around the soft wavy sand dunes. Such is the versatility and diversity of the Utah landscape! These two definitely took advantage of all the unique beauty that southern Utah has to offer, and we’ve got the photos to prove it. What a wonderful day!
Elopement Location: Zion National Park & Southwest Utah Desert
Hair + Make Up: Chantry Wagstaff
Bouquet: By Bloomers
We began the day before sunrise, sporting headlamps to hike up the side of a mesa in Zion National Park. As the morning light began to spill over the red cliffs, we reached our destination, an overlook with views of the whole canyon. Erika and Austin looked so lovely in their wedding attire — Erika even had a custom jacket emblazoned with her new married name ;)
These two chose Zion for their elopement after taking an incredible trip to Utah in 2019, which they later agreed was their favorite adventure they’ve had together. Zion was the highlight of that trip, so it was only fitting that they would return two years later to get married!
After enjoying the breathtaking sunrise, we spent some time exploring a nearby slot canyon. Stretches of the canyon had pools of rainwater that made for some fun adventure and scrambling — as well as some neat photos. I love how intimate the narrow walls of a tiny slot canyon can feel, as if you’re tucked away from the rest of the world. Erika and Austin embraced that feeling and we captured some very sweet tender moments between the two of them.
We took a break after sunrise, then met back up at some nearby sand dunes for sunset. The sand dunes here are made of red and pink sand, providing the perfect backdrop for Erika and Austin’s neutral ensembles. It helped that they both were positively glowing! We romped around on the soft dunes, playing with light and contrast while the sun dipped low in the sky. Erika and Austin scrambled up steep dunes, danced in the evening breeze, and snuck celebratory smooches.
By the end of the session, they had both surrendered to the sand, abandoning their shoes and socks in favor of the feeling of soft warm red sand between their toes. I photographed Erika twirling in her dress with the golden sunlight around her and the pink sand under her feet. To cap off a day well spent in this gorgeous little corner of the state, she and Austin exchanged a few (several!) triumphant kisses and basked in the glowing sunset light.
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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.
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 cozy 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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