the 4 most popular Sedona elopement locations

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Why couple’s love Sedona Elopement locations

What makes Sedona’s most popular locations so popular?

When deciding on a stunning elopement location in the southwest, Sedona is always a top contender. It’s the perfect meeting ground of amenities and adventure. Comfort and rugged. Minutes from civilization, yet feeling like you’re completely enveloped in nature.

And when it comes to access, with the Phoenix airport just under a 2 hour drive away, it’s no wonder that this red rock wonderland only continues to grow in popularity. From AirBnB’s through boutique hotels and first class resorts, Sedona is ripe for romance at every turn. As this little town continues to draw in tourism from all over the world, the restaurant and shopping scene also keeps growing to meet the ever developing demand.

And the gorgeous show stopping Sedona elopement locations are all either a short off-road drive or within 3 miles of hiking. And we aren’t talking steep mountain hiking like up in the North Cascades of Washington either! That equates to mostly flat trails requiring a short amount of hiking to get to world class sunrise and sunset views.

Now that we’ve described what makes Sedona elopement locations so popular, it’s important to mention that we’ve photographed adventure elopements in Sedona for years and were local to the area for a number of them. We’ve captured 100+ elopements in the Sedona area, so with all of that experience under our feet, an important note before we jump into the top 4 elopement locations most couples eloping in Sedona are drawn to!

Where can you elope in Sedona?

This is a very important question! Sedona is nearly half a million acres of red rocks, mountains and beautiful deserts, but you can not elope just anywhere.

Rules that apply to what Sedona elopement location you’re able to utilize are simple but important. There are no setups of any kind without approval from the forest service office (think no rugs, tables, or arches), no groups larger than 75 people and the only paid vendors that can be present without acquiring a special use permit are the officiant and the photographer. If you have any questions about permits/rules, you will want to reach out directly to the Forest Service Rangers for the Red Rock District. Our biggest advice is to not assume something is okay just because you saw it on social media. Pinterest is notorious for spreading illegally captured events and creating misguided expectations!

The 4 Most popular Sedona elopement locations

Important Logistics to consider

• Best time of day – Sunset for sure but Sunrise is lovely, just not iconic
• Guest Friendly? – Not for most guests due to the steep hike
• Parking – For sunrise yes, for sunset you’ll need to take the shuttle
• Bathroom – Yes! One at the trailhead
• Trail Difficulty – Steep for most. Short but challenging.
• Privacy – The least private Sedona elopement location, sunrise or sunset

Important Logistics to Consider

• Best time of day – Sunset Only
• Guest Friendly? – Only if they’re capable of a short but steep hike
• Parking – Plenty of parking along the dirt road
• Bathroom – None once you’re past the paved parking lot 4 miles down the long road
• Trail Difficulty – Short and easy with a slight hill down from the parking AFTER the 4 miles of off roading
• Privacy – Completely dependent on the day. Sometimes not at all and sometimes extremely.

Important Logistics to Consider

• Best time of day – Sunrise or Sunset
• Guest Friendly? – For most guests yes unless sever mobility impairment
• Parking – Plenty of parking for sunrise, expect to get there 30 minutes early to secure sunset parking
• Bathroom – Yes! One at the trailhead
• Trail Difficulty – The most flat of the bunch and short as well.
• Privacy – For sunrise often extremely private. For sunset much more likely to be private than either Cathedral rock or Merry Go Round.

Important logistics to consider

• Best time of day – Sunrise Only
• Guest Friendly? – Only if they’re capable of a short but steep hike
• Parking – Plenty of parking for sunrise
• Bathroom – Yes! One at the trailhead
• Trail Difficulty – Steep for most. Short but challenging.
• Privacy – In our experience it has always been reliably private for sunrise.

Sedona elopement locations to avoid

Why wilderness areas are off limits for elopements

It is important to know that in Sedona you are not allowed to elope on Wilderness Land, this mean you can not elope at Devil’s Bridge, West Fork or at other popular areas you may have seen images of floating around on Pinterest, Instagram and other places. You can always email the Forest Service rangers for more information on this or to try and seek special permission as sometimes they will grant it to a couple. This rule is in place by the Red Rock Forest Service.

A great map resource for seeing what is Wilderness Land and what is not is Gaia. Do not worry though, we lived in Sedona for years and know the area like the back of our hands. We are always happy to help with suggestions that would best fit your elopement day from a specific adventure to any amount of privacy desired.

Private Locations for a Sedona Elopement

While the areas above are very busy and very popular it is important to remember they are not the only places for your Sedona elopement, just the most popular Sedona elopement locations.

How to Find a More Private Sedona Elopement Location

Most of our couples that choose an elopement-type wedding are doing so because they value privacy, the outdoors and the experience of an adventure-style wedding. This can be hard to achieve in the places above. We strive to help our couples bring their exact vision to life. With a little more hiking on your elopement day, you can reach incredible locations where you are unlikely to come across anyone.

We do not often post publicly about these places because we want to keep them as little foot trafficked as possible and protect them the best we can as they are mostly social trails/climbing areas. As people who have lived and adventured in Sedona, it has been heartbreaking to watch places like the Subway cave go from a local secret to a social media craze. A location that wasn’t even on any map or hiking resource is now on social media daily, geo-tagged and flooded with traffic.

For this reason we only share information about specific fragile locations during the planning stage. We send location guides to our couples where they get the full details and images form past Sedona elopements to be able to check it out better!

Best Wedding + Reception Venues for a Sedona Elopement

A lot of our eloping couples choose to have a private dinner at a venue space or at their Airbnb rental with their guests following their adventures. We also have couples who choose to share a multi-day elopement where they spend one day out adventuring just them two and day two spent with their loved ones at a venue space. Every Sedona elopement looks different and that is part of the beauty in eloping – you get married your way! No rules! This is also the wonderful thing about Sedona, it is a great location to host an adventure wedding or an elopement with guests.

Based on photography and what the venue can deliver to the couple experience wise, these are our 3 favorite wedding venues in the Sedona area.

• Little Daisy in Jerome
• Red Agave
• L’Auberge

Two of these locations made our list for the top 40 Intimate Wedding Venues for Adventurous couples. See the full list here if you want more epic options outside of Arizona! If you require a venue for your elopement it is important to know these venues can book early in advance due to the popularity of getting married in Arizona, but especially Sedona so be sure to inquire soon!

“Immediately after our initial zoom call with Traci & Bill, we agreed we found our elopement photographers. Traci & Bill guided us through the process seamlessly. They were available to zoom call at any point during our elopement planning.This meant a lot to us, to check in, and address any questions. They were not just photographers, they were pivotal planners of the day.
Traci and Bill are thorough, kind, and truly our elopement was so special because of them. We were in such great company. Bill officiated our ceremony, he expressed our story so well, it was very touching. Traci’s skill and attention to detail, gifted us a gallery that far exceeded our expectations.
From a glorious sunrise over the red rocks, to a beautiful Sedona sunset, and night under the stars. Traci & Bill captured the day so beautifully, we will forever look back on these photos with such joy. Thank you Adventure & Vow!”

Deanna + Matt

Get in touch with us to learn more about the best sedona elopement locations!

Sedona elopement location FAQs

are sedona elopement locations private?

The popular Sedona elopement locations can be private, but it is the luck of the draw. Since Sedona has no permit system for weddings on public lands, that means you’re fully at the mercy of whoever else has planned an elopement that day. As mentioned earlier, sometimes Merry Go Round you’ll have to yourself, and sometimes you’ll be sharing it with multiple other wedding couples, their guests, and all of the Jeep tours!

Do I need to hike far to my elopement location?

Nearly all Sedona elopement locations are under 3 miles of hiking. So for most couples, this would be considered not far. With that in mind, there are some locations you can park and you’re truly there. This often means less privacy, but you can’t beat the access.

Will there be another Elopement at my location?

There can be, and for some locations like Cathedral rock you should expect to not be the only eloping couple. Working with a knowledgable team who knows locations that are equally as stunning without the crowds is key to avoiding this if being around another wedding is something you would not want for your experience.

Which Sedona elopement locations are best for guests?

Of the top 4 locations mentioned above, Bell Rock and Merry Go Round are best for guests. That said, the location that is best will depend on your group size and their capacity to hike into the location. If Grandma is coming along, then a, you park and you’re there, location is typically best.

If your group is fit, intimate in size and eager to adventure, then all locations become fair game!

Are Sedona elopement locations better at sunrise or sunset?

Sedona has elopement locations that are best typically either at sunrise or sunset, rarely both. For example, Merry Go Round is stunning for a sunset ceremony, but sunrise there has very bad light. This is something that a skilled adventure elopement photography team (hey there!) will navigate for you so that you can rest assured you’re receiving the best images with an unforgettable experience to match.