destination wedding photography

Luxury Destination Wedding at Auto Camp Zion National Park

Weddings have a way of revealing who you are and the way your people show up for you. A wedding is the perfect opportunity to see all of the attention, care, and love that a couple has put into their relationships as it gets reflected back to them. It was immediately clear that Cassie + Danny had a tribe that loved them fiercely! Their destination wedding took place at Autocamp, a luxury glamping destination located in Virgin Utah, just outside of Zion National Park. It was the ideal location to host this eclectic crew who traveled from Southern California to the desert of Utah.

The first night at Autocamp was an epic Welcome Dinner featuring a massive spread from Chef Shon Foster. It was immediately obvious that this group knew how to have a good time and had great style! Among a sea of Stetson hats, Pendleton sweaters & bolo neckties you could pick out a few famous faces in the crowd. It ended up being a fun and mellow hang that got everybody in wedding mode. 

Wedding day we were greeted with good vibes and blue skies, perfect for an outdoor wedding in Zion National Park! The fellas hopped aboard a tour bus at Zion Autocamp to get spiffed up for the day ahead. It was a laid back scene that involved a really great looking custom suit paired with designer shoes and accessories. But what stood out the most was the solid friendships. These guys all had Danny's back to make sure his day went smoothly. Meanwhile the ladies were getting ready for the day in a beautiful suite at La Fave. It was a relaxing pace and Cassie really seemed to be taking it all in with the full support of her people.

Laura and her amazing crew at Forevermore Events had an absolutely stunning ceremony set in the grass field located at Switchback Steakhouse in downtown Springdale. The set up was amazing, nestled next to the Virgin River and with the peaks of Zion all in the background. The ceremony was so sweet and heartfelt. You could feel how much these two love each other and were incredibly supported by so many family and friends.

Time to head back to Autocamp to eat and P-A-R-T-Y! 

Chef Shon was back for another night, which is  always a good sign! He and his crew threw down an awesome spread and topped the night meal off with an ice cream table. 

We had heard that some of the bride and grooms close friends were going to do a special performance and as I mentioned earlier there were some VERY famous faces hanging in the background. There was a buzz about what could go down and we were excited. 

Time to cut loose! Our cozy wedding tent in sleepy Southern Utah was about to throw down. DJ Bobby Booshay started cutting and mixing an awesome live DJ set. It’s not every wedding that brings in a touring DJ and this guy was slaying his set! Then the badass drummer known as Rook climbed up on the stage and he started playing to Bobby’s set. It is hard to overstate how insane this was! This is a guy who is used to playing in sold out stadiums in front of thousands of people and he is crushing a set for an intimate wedding in a little ol’ town in Utah. Words aren't adequate! After these guys put on a set of a lifetime, Grammy award winning country singer Dustin Lynch climbs up on the table with a microphone. He gives a really sincere speech about how much he loves our bride and groom and then breaks out singing his hit song Stars Like Confetti. Our bride and groom are having the time of their life and Dustin hands the mic to Danny to sing the chorus! It was pure magic.

Now this was hard to top. But suddenly, their wedding guest and friend, Machine Gun Kelly, is climbing on the table with the microphone. He gives a heartfelt toast and apparently our bride is the reason this man can leave the country to tour. Dude. MGK is now joining his drummer Rook and DJ Bobby Booshay and he starts performing now too! Absolutely wild!

The party is thoroughly hyped and the dance floor was full to the brim with everybody. Mom’s, grandma’s and what feels like half of L.A are all cutting loose and having a good time. This was definitely a wedding to remember. We absolutely love when wedding guests are part of the entertainment. It's always a great way to express love for the couple on their wedding day and is a touching show of affection. I’ll never forget the day that we were able to witness Internationally touring artist do that for this bride and groom. These guys were amazing, but there was true love and joy in these performances and it was incredible!

ZION NATIONAL PARK WEDDING VENDORS:

Planning: Forevermore Events
Venue: Auto Camp Zion and Switchback Grille
Catering: Chef Shon Foster
Video: Tanner Castro Films
Sound: Festival Sounds
Hair and Makeup: Kandice Delgado
Cake: CBJ and Company
Rentals: St. George Party Rentals
Film Lab: The Find Lab
Entertainment: Machine Gun Kelly, DJ Bobby Booshay, Rook, Dustin Lynch

Zion National Park Destination Wedding at Lazalu

She was from Utah. He was from England. They met in NYC and fell in love. They eloped in Las Vegas during 2020 and planned an epic celebration in the backcountry near Zion National Park in Utah.

The day started with blue skies in a gorgeous field full of wildflowers. The bride and groom had a quiet morning getting ready at the off-grid Zion wedding venue called Lazalu, nestled just outside of ZION NATIONAL PARK with stunning and private views of the red rock mountains. The charm and beauty of Lazalu provided a beautiful backdrop and setting for the day. Lazalu used to be an artist retreat and is now one of our favorite Zion wedding venues. It is a perfect way to combine the experience of an adventurous destination wedding in a national park with the quiet and secluded experience for a luxury wedding in the Southwest.

The couple shared their first look in a field overlooking the Zion landscape. Gucci shoes and a custom Markarian wedding dress. 

Jordan and Ricky knew what was important to them for their wedding day and they worked with the best wedding planner in Southern Utah for Zion destination weddings to make it happen: Laura at Forevermore Events! They envisioned  dinner and dancing under the stars in their favorite place in Utah. An experience for their city friends like no other! The blue skies quickly turned gray as a torrential summer thunderstorm moved through the mountains. 

Our favorite moments include watching as all of the guests worked together to move the entire wedding to shelter, and the bride and groom running through the field with a bottle of Dom into the wildest party with a live band. A terrible storm couldn't keep this party down! These humans are as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside. 

The night ended with clear skies and a sky full of stars, as Jordan and Ricky and their favorite people moved outside to the grove with a live DJ and a disco party. 

From the bride, as featured in Over the Moon

"Watching our people save the wedding was a really emotional experience, and I think we were both just taking that in. It felt like a culmination of their love and support over all the years. Ultimately, it just felt like how we handle all obstacles—together, with good humor, and with the support of the people we love.”

ZION NATIONAL PARK WEDDING VENDORS:

Wedding Planner: Forevermore Events
Photographer: M. Felt Photography
Zion National Park Wedding Venue:
Lazalu
Videographer: Dalton Call
Florist: Bloomers
Rentals: St. George Party Rentals
Catering: Chef Shon
Music & Entertainment: 
Mimi Knowles
Justin Cornwall @whatjustin
Gown Designer:
Markarian
After Party Rentals: Festival Sounds

Intimate Destination Wedding at Zion Red Rock Oasis | Zion National Park Wedding Photography

Of all the destinations in the world to host a wedding, Zion National Park is up there with the best of them. These high school sweethearts along with their two beautiful children felt the same way. Zion Red Rock Oasis ended up being the best wedding venue to host their closest family and friends and provided the perfect backdrop for their wedding. Jake is himself an accomplished adventure photographer and loved the fact that we are hybrid wedding photographers, meaning we shoot both digital photography along with analog film photography. It is always an honor to be chosen by a fellow photog to document their most important day for them. The red rock backdrop of Zion National Park provided the perfect setting for this national park wedding. The wonderful friends and family that had gathered to celebrate this wedding in the desert provided all of the sweet, tender and fun moments.

Our only agenda for the day was to document everything as it happened, and we were more that happy to oblige! An intimate wedding in Zion National Park that turns into a wild party when the sun goes down? Sign us up!

Vendor List:

Photography: M. Felt Photography
Planning: Poppy Lane Events
Venue: Zion Red Rock Oasis
Floral: Poppy Lane Events
Rentals: St. George Party Rentals
Taylor Made Events
Makeup: Beauty by AllieJ
Hair: Hair by Brooke
Cake: Cake Couture
DJ: Electric Audio 4 U
Bartending: Silver Lining Events Bartending
Catering: Chef Alfredo’s

Kiki & Peter Intimate Destination Wedding in Zion | As Featured in Rocky Mountain Bride

Kiki and Peter met through a mutual friend after college, while both living in Wisconsin. The two hit off over a Brewers’ game and quickly became inseparable. From Madison to Milwaukee, the couple dated long distance for over a year and a half. Kiki and Peter eventually moved to Phoenix together so Kiki could start grad school. After her graduation ceremony, Peter asked Kiki to marry hm in front of their families and closest friends. Overjoyed she said “Yes!” They planned an intimate and relaxed wedding in Zion for that summer. After visiting Zion a few summers prior, Kiki and Peter fell in love with the park and the charm of Springdale, Utah so they opted for a southwestern destination wedding! It was so special for the couple the share the beauty of Zion and the culture of the Southwest with their intimate guest list.

From the bride: “Peter and I will never forget sneaking away for an intimate hike together the day before the wedding. We were truly able to slow down, soak it all in and capture epic shots with our amazing photographer before walking down the aisle. I don’t think either of us have ever felt such a strong sense of belonging.”

Vendor List
Wedding Planning: Forevermore Events
Floral: Bloomers
Beauty: Tracy Sotirakis
Bridal Shop: A & BE Bridal Shop
Catering: Padre Canyon Foods
Dress Designer: Rue de Seine
Entertainment: Festival Sounds
Invites: Minted
Menswear: Tom James
Rentals: St. George Party Rentals
Cake: Cupcakes by Julie
Venue: Zion Mountain Villa

Winter Elopement in Zion National Park

 

I’m always thrilled when I get to photograph couples in Zion National Park. I’ve been doing photoshoots and weddings in the park for about 7 years of my professional career and elopements are quickly becoming some of my favorite shoots there. Musetta and Jurg contacted me about photographing their elopement in Zion National Park on Christmas Eve. That’s not normally a date I would schedule a wedding, but they had the coolest story and Musetta and I really connected over the phone so I said yes! They are both from South Africa and knew they wanted to get married in Zion because it was such a special place to them. The story of how they met is pretty cool too. They went to school together when they were young teenagers but didn’t keep in touch as they grew up and went their separate ways. Years later, their paths crossed again when Musetta was living in the states and Jurg was in South Africa. A year and half later and lots of traveling back and forth, here they are exchanging vows on a cliff in Zion!

We trekked up Canyon Overlook Trail for their bridal photos on Christmas Eve, and waved to the tourists who shared well wishes and exclamations of wonder as the bride hiked around in her wedding dress. Turns out this is one of my favorite things about weddings in national parks- it’s so fun to see how delighted other people are for the bride and groom. It’s a wonderful way to feel connected as humans. We spent some time after the ceremony taking portraits at various locations in the park until the sun set. It was a beautiful evening. Congratulations to the bride and groom!

 

Sabina & Justin Destination Wedding in Punta de Mita, Mexico

Sabina and Justin’s destination wedding at Imanta Resorts in Punta de Mita, Mexico, will always be a favorite of mine! They wanted an intimate beach setting for their destination wedding and I think they picked the perfect location. Imanta Resorts is the most stunning property I’ve seen- completely private and secluded on a beach cliffside in Mexico, about 45 minutes from Puerto Vallarta. This wedding was magical in every sense of the word. Joey and I climbed about a million steps while shooting this wedding and I lost my Rainbow sandals on the beach somewhere after the ceremony, but it was pretty cool to shoot this wedding barefoot. Can’t complain about that. The reception was held under a tent right on the sandy beach, and the evening ending with a wild dance party and beach bonfire. I’m ready to return to Punta de Mita already!

Sabina and Justin’s intimate destination wedding in Mexico has been featured on the pages of Brides magazine, and was the cover of Elite Wedding Collection magazine. It was also selected for a feature in Style Me Pretty.