Elopement Portraits at Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend Elopement Portraits

Makenzi and Ernie had an interesting elopement story. They technically eloped a few weeks before we met at Horseshoe Bend. While they were engaged, Ernie lived in Canada. Makenzi lived on the east coast of the United States. Because of COVID-19, the borders were closed and their was no way for them to meet in person. (find out more about the process of Canada/American marriage unions HERE.)

So in order to spend time in person again, they went through TONS of paperwork, and Ernie was finally allowed to fly into the USA. The only condition was they needed to get married. They went to a courthouse almost immediately, after he landed, and made their marriage official.

They had a formal gathering and (pretend) ceremony with friends and family on the East Coast, and flew to Arizona to have their honeymoon.

Makenzi and Ernie wanted to take their portraits at Horseshoe Bend. We decided to shoot at sunrise. Sunrise is way less crowded, and the light is softer than the harsh sunset. Horseshoe Bend can get crowded, but there are tons of spots to spread out away from the people.

Makenzi flew with her wedding dress all the way across the United States for these elopement celebrations portraits at Horseshoe Bend. And I didn’t realize before, but their Airbnb was in Phoenix. In order to get to Horseshoe bend by sunrise, they had to wake up at 1am. The drive from Phoenix to Page, Arizona (where Horseshoe Bend is) is about 5 hours.

How to elope at Horseshoe Bend

If you’re thinking about eloping at Horseshoe Bend, send me a message! You can see the official website of Glen Canyon National Recreation Park Here. There are several things you’ll want to keep in mind before you decide:

• you’ll need to get a marriage permit ($300), no LATER than 45 days before the date you want to elope.
• your photographer will also need to get a permit no later than 45 days before the elopement date (I include this in my price and take care of the photographer’s permit paperwork)
• this has become one of the most popular spots to visit in Arizona. If you walk further along the edge for a half mile or so, you can find pretty secluded spots. Full seclusion is never guaranteed.
• SUMMERS ARE HOT here. I would highly suggest not choosing to elope at Horseshoe Bend between June and September.

If you have more questions about eloping at Horseshoe Bend, feel free to contact me by pushing HERE or visiting the contact page on my site. I’m happy to answer your questions and guide you through the permit process!