Emotional Elopement at Valley of Fire State Park

Eloping at Valley of Fire State Park wasn’t Justin and Megan’s first idea for a wedding. Justin and Megan’s Plan A included getting married on the beach in Hawaii. That wasn’t in the cards, however.

As the pandemic has shown us the past year and a half, you can’t plan too much when it comes to travel or weddings. The virus threatened to surge again, which meant Justin and Megan couldn’t gather a big enough group to have the wedding they envisioned.

Justin and Megan decided instead of their beach wedding, they would hit the opposite side of the spectrum: they decided to elope in the desert of Nevada in September.

Guests Arrive

This ceremony took place at Seven Sisters, which is one of the elopement locations you can choose within Valley of Fire State Park. As the sun rose, the shadow of this rock provided the best cover for guests. The sun shines brightly at 10am in the morning in the Nevada desert.

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The Ceremony

If you’re thinking of eloping in Valley of Fire State Park, you DEFINITELY need a permit. You can’t just show up and expect to get married. In order to get married here, you need to get in touch with Valley of Fire State Park office. They ask that you start the process 6 weeks prior to the event. Another option is to hire a planning company, like Simply Elope, who will walk you through the process. And your photographer ALSO needs a permit.

Note for photographers: permits must to be applied for BEFORE 30 days previous to the date. 45 days is optimal. You’ll need to send a certificate of insurance. Also, the Valley of Fire requires you to set an appointment to meet up with the state park officials and tour the area where the ceremony will occur.

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Couples Photos

Half of the photos were taken at the elopement ceremony location in Valley of Fire State Park. We only had a limited amount of time taking photos in the state park. After we took the group photos and a few couples photos, we drove to another spot outside of Las Vegas to take a few more at sunset.

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Elopement Reception on the Strip

After the couples’ photos at Valley of Fire State Park, Justin and Megan held a reception at Ri Ra’s Irish Pub. This is located in the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the Strip in Las Vegas. Family and friends of Justin and Megan got together and enjoyed food, drinks, and taking polaroids together.

As an artist, I am obsessed with receptions because it allows me to use flash. Because I’m a natural light elopement photographer, there aren’t many occasions where I can use my flash knowledge. Nighttime indoor receptions allow me to pull out my flash and play with light.

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Permits and Contact

If you’re curious about eloping in Valley of Fire State Park, you will need permits and working with someone who knows how to navigate the state park rangers. If you have any questions about the permits at Valley of Fire State Park CLICK HERE to get in touch with me!