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 Elopement at Sunrise

Imagine standing on top of a cliff overlooking the breathtaking views of Zion National Park, watching the mountains turn pink and purple as the sun rises. You are in your wedding attire, waiting to share a intimate first look with your bride or groom before the wedding ceremony. You have timed everything so that the light is at it’s most magical for this moment. No big deal right? Ha! Let’s walk through it.

Depending on the time of year the sun usually rises around 6am. It can take a 30 to 45 min to drive to the Canyon Overlook trailhead from Springdale and an additional 30-45 min to hike to the top of the Overlook. For those doing the math you may need to leave your hotel at 4:30 AM or earlier depending on how close you are staying. Leaving the hotel at 4:30 you say? That’s not awesome, but it is doable. Don’t forget that you are going to need to leave time for hair, makeup, oatmeal and coffee! What about when to put on the dress? Some brides hike in their dress, while others change at the top.

Are we starting to paint a picture?

The light at the top of Zion Canyon is absolutely stunning but it moves fast and can be tricky to shoot in at sunrise. So whenever you see an effortlessly beautiful bride standing on the edge of the canyon, please know that it didn’t just happen! We work closely with our couples to plan everything accordingly so we are in the right place at the right time for optimal light and views of the canyon.

One of the reasons that we love photographing elopements and weddings in Zion National Park is because of the type of couple that this place attracts. Julie and Kevin traveled across the entire US, bringing their closest friends and family. The entire group was up and ready at the crack of dawn to meet up with us in Springdale, Utah, located just outside Zion National Park. We caravanned up the canyon and began our hike to the top in the pitch black of early morning. Huge props to this crew for being on time and ready to go! The air was crisp and fresh and the stars were bright. A beautiful morning. It’s not a super difficult hike, but it can be a bit tricky in some spots, especially in the dark. Luckily we had the best crew and we got to the top of the canyon with a little bit of time to spare. Zion is absolutely magical before sunrise and it was worth it.

You need to have a wedding permit to get married or elope in Zion National Park and Canyon Overlook is not one of the permitted locations. We met up at sunrise just for the first look and photos afterwards and then chose a private location on BLM land that still opted for some great views of the canyon.

Julie is a bride that has a passion for film photography and requested that we cover the day with a lot of film. We are camera dorks that love documenting on film and so we brought out all of the cameras on this day! Both 35mm and medium format make an appearance in this gallery so we hope you enjoy. We got set up just in time for the magical light show of sunrise to begin. We love the way the sun starts to slowly fill the canyon with its light. The way it begins to turn on all the features of the canyon one by one as if on queue.

The type of couples planning their weddings and elopements in the beautiful desert of the southwest are looking for an experience that is bigger than them. There is something so lovely about the way it all unfolds. Zion National Park offers a drama and a sacredness that man can’t compete with. We can only place ourselves into these scenes and let nature change us with its elements. This morning was special and one that we feel privileged to use our cameras to bear witness to. Thank you to Julie and Kevin for inviting us to be a part of your wedding day!

Zion National Park Wedding Vendors

Photography: M. Felt Photography
Floral: Jocelyn’s Floral
Dress: Martina Liana Bridal
Film Lab: Indie Film Lab

Zion National Park Wedding at Lazalu Retreat

Imagine an intimate wedding under the stars of a dark sky in Utah. You’ve brought all of your closest friends and family and, of course, your dogs! The scene for the wedding takes place in a picturesque field that is touching the boundary of Zion National Park. Lazalu is our absolute favorite wedding venue in Zion. Every aspect of this amazing artist retreat turned wedding venue knows that it’s job is to not distract from the amazing vistas that surround it. Sacred and ancient canyon walls rise up from every direction that you look! The sun drops behind the cliffs as you and your guest are enjoying custom cocktails and appetizers and the blanket of stars start to fill the sky. It’s time to move your guests into the oak grove where a lavish scene awaits them. Flowers hang from the sky with the lights and the well appointed tables are set with all the trimmings and special details. Every guest has a place set with a photo and hand written note about what your relationships mean to them. This destination wedding in Zion National Park PARK literally had it all! 

Complete with a photo booth, bounce castle and karaoke, not one single detail was missed.

But most importantly this wedding was absolutely full to the brim with love! The type of people who choose to have their destination wedding in a place like Zion National Park are special. They tend to value their relationships above all else. The couples that a place like Lazalu wedding venue seems to attract are in a category on their own. They choose to build an experience for their guest in a temple that has been constructed by nature.

We started the destination wedding weekend with these two beautiful people with a private vow ceremony in the desert outside of Zion. Just the four of us plus two of the cutest dogs. You can see the full post from that day here.

We shot with both film and digital at this wedding and you will find a mix of both in their gallery below. We feel that shooting with film and digital is the best way for us to honor the documentary wedding style that we love so dearly!

Wes and Noreen. Thank you for inviting us to document your wedding! We hope these photos speak for themselves and that the love, joy and absolute fun shines through every single image. 

ZION NATIONAL PARK Wedding Vendors

Planner: Forevermore Events
Zion National Park Wedding Venue: Lazalu
Hair and Makeup: Beauty By Freckled Fox
Floral: Bloomers
Catering: Kelso’s
Rentals: St. George Party Rentals
Photo Booth: Photo Booth Bus
Entertainment: Festival Sounds
Content Creator: BACHD

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