I never cease to be amazed by this planet. You think you need to traverse space and elope on Mars to get these colors? Let me save you a friendship with Elon and suggest a simple road trip to Vegas instead! Honestly, I was so enthralled by this place, every turn displayed a new, otherworldly beauty. It completely swept me off my feet. This is the Valley of Fire State Park, outside of Las Vegas in Nevada. With miles of gorgeous red sandstone rock formations and 2000 year old petroglyphs, bighorn sheep and other wildlife - we even saw wild horses on our drive through nearby Lake Mead - it’s truly a place of wonder.

I’m not one for hot weather, and this is NO place for a summer wedding, so this elopement took place in mild and pleasant March. I’m also not really a Vegas girl, so it was surprising to me how close this vast and quiet landscape is to the bustling city of sin, separated by a convenient set of mountains that keep most of the light away from this place at night. This same night I stayed into the night with my husband to experiment with astro photography because I’d heard how little light pollution it has, and I was struck by how incredibly noiseless it was. No birds, no bugs, barely a breeze. And despite its incredible beauty, not many travelers either. There is only one campground in the boundaries of the park, and it seems they are quite respectful there. We stayed at a motel in the closest little town, Overton, which definitely gives big Route 66 road trip vibes. But you could easily stay the night in Vegas of course, with about an hour drive back to the city.

Right away you can see that this is an elopement setting of wild dreams. What better place to run off into the sunset with the love of your life than this epic, colorful desert? If you choose your spot right, you’re unlikely to see too many other people, though you may come across a bighorn sheep or two (I was lucky enough to see a nursing lamb and his mama earlier this day, along with plenty of extended family!)

If you’re planning your wedding and thinking up ideas of how to keep the stress levels low, I’m here to tell you that eloping isn’t what it used to be, and it can look however you want. The setup for this day was as simple as could be: bride, groom, dress, suit, bouquet, a few romantic details, and a vehicle to take you there. There’s truly no need for added decor with scenery like this, but you could bring a blanket for an evening cocktail and picnic, or for star gazing later. What’s incredibly special when you get married in a place like this, is it’s a part of you and your family history forever. And of course the photos you get… places like this make for wedding photos that you want to print as big as your walls can hold!

I would LOVE to help you plan your adventure elopement, somewhere meaningful to you. Yes, I’m willing to travel for things like this. If you have something totally wild in mind, let’s make it a reality!