Elopement at Canyonlands National Park Utah
There is a magic to the desert that is impossible to truly understand until you’re standing 800 feet up on a cliff feeling the updraft from the canyon below, seeing the colors of the sunset dance across the vast open sky. Its ethereal—the way the space carries sound, the way you can feel entirely alone and yet connected to all that surrounds you. I will never, ever get over the way it feels to stand so small in a place so encapsulating like Canyonlands National Park.
Kristine & Eric. I felt like the connection between these two went deeper than words, more mystical than vows could explain. Both of them wrote words that were kind and inspiring, but even in those there was an energy that lay beneath it all—as though the words didn’t matter because something less physical was doing its work. Their officiant Conner facilitated a perfectly unstructured space for this.
We popped craft beer instead of champagne and watched as Kristine & Eric explored the cliff edges, marveling at the way the sunlight filled the space of the canyon below them. After the sun went down, we made our way back to the car and stopped at a cliff edge for a few more photos in the last little bit of light. Kristine asked us to play a song and the two had a “first dance”. We shuffled around, capturing the magic that is blue hour as Kristine & Eric spun and held tight. The song carried through the open space, and the softness of Kristine’s dress and the late hour light made this whole evening feel almost…spiritual.
Something I seem to be consistently reminded of when we shoot couples like this, is that love is powerful, deeper than we can ever know, and inexplicably beautiful.
Your Narrative blog will appear here, click preview to see it live.
For any issues click here
Location: Canyonlands National Park
Getting ready location: Under Canvas Moab
Officiant: Conner Strickland
Flowers: The Potted Pansy
Dress: Catherine Deane from A&Bé Bridal Portland
Groom’s Attire: Pendleton
Rings: Point No Point Studio
Cedar & Pines is a wedding and elopement photographer duo made up of Nate and Megan Kantor, a married couple living in their Airstream and traveling the American West. They believe in honest wedding photography, capturing the small candid moments to the epic landscape views. They travel to photograph intimate weddings and adventure elopements from the mountains of Colorado to destination weddings in California, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Washington, Patagonia and the ends of the earth.
