There’s nothing that says Wild West quite like an area called “Dead Horse Point”. Andrew + Tenille planned for their ceremony there, on a band of sheer cliffs set hundreds of feet above the Colorado River overlooking the snaking canyons below. Smoke leftover from a faraway wildfire left the skies hazy and warm. We hiked a short distance with their families to a little nook in the cliffside for their ceremony. Surrounded on one side by sandstone steps and boulders, and on the other by a vast network of canyons below, Andrew + Tenille said their vows.

There are so many benefits to having your wedding in the desert. For one, you can easily get married in the “off-season” months, of March, April, October, and November, when more wedding vendors have availability and travel and accommodations are cheaper. And if the location being secluded is important to you, you have your pick of absolutely incredible epic spots where you won’t find a soul in site—after all, eloping is usually about not having 100 people around to watch you say your vows, so why do it in an overcrowded view? The desert weather at certain times of year can be pretty mild compared to other places, and when it does rain in the desert, it’s a stunning thing to experience.

Their ceremony was emotional, warm, and dotted brightly with poignant letters from their best friends who stood by them. Grandparents and older family watched with caution as I’m sure they felt Shannon & Todd were a little too close to the edge for comfort. But for the couple, that kind of exposure is just their average weekend activity. After their first kiss, we snapped a few photos on the cliff, then quested our way down a switchbacked dirt road in their truck, stopping for photos at a spot appropriately named “Thelma & Louise Point”.

Hannah and Collin’s adventurous elopement in the Moab desert was embodied by an epic sunset and stunning landscape views. We started the day at Dead Horse Point and ended the day on a ridge as the alpenglow lit up the desert towers.