Colorful Desert Bridal Inspiration Southern Utah Wedding Photographer

The desert in Southern Utah is beautiful in the spring. The cacti is in bloom, the moss on the rocks is bright and colorful, and everything is so green! I had been wanting to shoot at this location for awhile so I asked my talented friends if they would like to do a small creative shoot and this is the result! I wanted a bold, almost retro look for the bride’s hair and makeup, so we went with a messy, textured updo that felt like a twist on a French twist! The bold eye makeup paired perfectly with the bright red earrings and I just love that pop of color it gives. The bouquet is just dreamy, with the bright yellow flowers and velvet ribbon. It’s so bright and cheerful. I shot mostly film during this session, all Portra 400, developed and scanned by The Find Lab. Thanks to all of the vendors who contributed!

This bridal inspiration shoot was featured on Utah Valley Bride. You can check out that feature here: http://utahvalleybride.com/bright-spot/

Floral: Bloomers
Hair: Evan Stowers, The Desert Lounge Salon
Makeup: Chantel Petersen
Dress: Rent the Runway
Ribbon: Emmalinh
Film Lab: The Find Lab

Mountain Bike Babe Southern Utah Senior Portraits

Camryn is a high school senior this year and she will be graduating in May so we met up for a fun senior portrait session in a place where she spends a lot of time. She is an avid mountain biker, part of the high school mountain bike team in Southern Utah, so we thought it would be fun to include some photos of her riding her bike on her favorite trail. We packed into the Jeep and adventured out to desert for these lovely photos! The desert is so green and beautiful right now so I was pretty happy about that. Senior portrait sessions are always so fun. I love the idea of incorporating something you love to do in the photos, whether it’s a sport you play, an activity you enjoy, or just at a location that you feel suits your personality. Congrats to Camryn on graduating high school in just a few weeks!

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!

Zion National Park Wedding Photographer

I’ve been photographing weddings and couples in Zion National Park for the past eight years, and before that, I grew up exploring the mountains and trails in Zion. I was born and raised in St. George, Utah, a lovely town in the southwest corner of the state that is within driving distance to some incredible national and state parks, including Zion. It wasn’t until I moved to Southern California for college that I realized how much I need the mountains and desert landscape in my life! The desert is my home, it’s in my heart and soul, and it’s a place that I’ll always return to.

Over the past few years, I’ve watched Zion grow in popularity for weddings, elopements, and engagements. Even family photos. It’s become one of the top destinations for weddings and elopement in the region, and I can certainly understand why! The beauty of Zion is unparalleled and there really is a magical energy to the place. I grew up surrounded by the backdrop of these red mountains and it’s not something I take for granted. I think the experience of being with couples and families as they explore Zion taking photos helps me fall a little more in love with it every time.

Here’s the different thing about me as a wedding photographer: My goal isn’t just to capture the beauty of the landscape in Zion, which of course I will do, but rather to capture you within that space. Your joy, your love, and the special thing about your relationship that makes you choose this place to be the place where you exchange vows and make that lasting commitment to one another. Think of me like the perfect combination of beautiful scenic photos of your day but also those images that capture how it felt.

In addition to basically being obsessed with this place, I have a lot of experience with the process of having your wedding in Zion National Park. I greatly respect the National Park Service and so I’m familiar with their regulations when it comes to having your wedding in the park. They actually make it pretty easy to apply and it’s only $100 for a permit. You can find out more about that process here: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/weddings-in-zion-national-park.htm

I often tell my couples that if it’s not feasible to have their ceremony in the park, I know a lot of beautiful spots outside that the park that still offer those beautiful views! And we can always go into the park for some gorgeous photos either before or after the wedding ceremony. I know some good spots for that too, especially with the crowds.

And speaking of the crowds… Zion National Park is the third busiest park in the nation and it continues to grow each season. Zion saw more than 4.5 million visitors in 2017, a 5 percent from the year before. The busiest season is June through August, although April through September can be pretty packed too. But don’t worry! I am quite used to the crowds and I know the best ways to avoid them when possible and work around them when it’s not! It’s totally worth it :)

If you want to learn more, I wrote a whole blog post in my ProTips series about planning your wedding in Zion National Park so you can check that out here!

You can also read this super helpful blog post from one of my lovely brides.

Featured Vendors:
Forevermore Events
Bloomers
Sarah Boling, Lunatic Fringe Salon
Tracy Sotirakis
Switchback Grille
Bit n’ Spur Saloon
Bison and the Bird Videography
Steve Masefield, Officiant

Red Rock Bridals

One of things I love most about living in Southern Utah is the beautiful location options we have here. Snow Canyon State Park is definitely one of my favorite places to shoot. I absolutely loved photographing Elissa for her bridal session over the summer. Elissa and Travis were planning their wedding in Pine Valley where they would be surrounded by mountains and greenery, so she chose the red rock desert landscape for her bridals. I love how the rocks in Snow Canyon contrast with her lace dress and cathedral veil. Elissa had so many lovely personal touches to her bridal attire: her dress was handmade by her grandmother, and her turquoise jewelry belonged to her grandmother on her other side. I loved it! If you’d like to check out the wedding day you can do so right here!

Engagements in Zion National Park

Zion National Park is hands down my favorite place for an engagement session. In fact, it’s probably my favorite place to photograph anything— weddings. couples, families, you name it. I’ve been coming to Zion to play and hike since I was a child, and I’ve been photographing weddings and couples there for the past 7 years. There is nothing like it! I was really excited when Shara told me she wanted to hike to this spot in Zion for their engagement photos. We picked a day in the off season to beat the crowds and I’d say it was well worth it!

I loved working with these two for their engagements and wedding day! They are truly kind and genuine humans. Their happiness and love really radiates from their photos, don’t you think? Make sure you scroll to the end to check out their rad engagement video by Madison Rhoton.

Summer Barn Wedding in Southern Utah

It doesn’t get much better than this lovely barn wedding in Southern Utah. Jordan and Evan held their ceremony in a beautiful straw field overlooking Kolob Canyon. The reception was held inside a gorgeous red barn that belonged to a family friend. Their wedding was focused on the things that were most important to them: family and each other! I love these two and their families. Joey and I were so happy to be part of their day. One thing that really stood out to us is the sweet and close relationship that Jordan has with both sets of her parents. As a stepmother myself, I was incredibly touched by the fact that Jordan wanted both of her moms with her while she got ready, and she did a first look and a dance with both dads. It really had an impact on us to witness such a special relationship. Also, I've never cried during the mother and son dance but this one had me in tears.

It was really important to Jordan that they have sunset portraits in this beautiful field so we made sure to set aside a good amount of time for that during the reception. It was definitely worth it!

Floral: Jocelyn’s Floral

Venue: Private Residence

Editorial Glam Meets Boho Style in this Same Sex Wedding at Willow Glen Inn

Clay and Kyle had an editorial style, modern, and edgy wedding at a charming little bed and breakfast in Southern Utah. This wedding was everything. When Clay and Kyle first contacted me about photographing their wedding, I loved them right away. I felt like they had such a unique vision for their wedding photos and they completely trusted me to carry it out. There were so many fun DIY elements to this day- from the hand picked fabrics for the handmade dreamcatchers made by Kyle and his awesome mother. I loved the antique chairs that they used for their wedding dinner table. The umbrellas hanging from the air over the reception. It was so unique and fun!

After this wedding, I just wanted to photograph more same-sex weddings. It was like all of the love that is normally at a wedding was more magnified and special. Plus, these two grooms were just a blast to be around. They are truly genuine people and I fell in love with their families too! I left their wedding feeling rejuvenated and just so damn happy that I get to photograph such a special day in people’s lives. I’m so excited to share their photos with you!