Sedona weddings are popular for “locals” from Phoenix as well as people from across the country and around the world. Because of the beauty of the red rock formations and of Oak Creek Canyon, plus all the things to do here, it’s common for couples to combine the wedding and honeymoon into one location.

The advantage to a destination wedding in Sedona is that you can have your wedding in a beautiful natural setting without giving up the traditional, or you can go totally “new age” or “alternative” without raising an eyebrow in this diverse town. You can plan for a small ceremony with a just a few friends or a large festivity with extended family and friends – whichever you choose, it’s bound to be wonderful. Your guests will love traveling to Sedona – it’s one of the most popular destinations in the U.S. – there are a lot of things to do here, and it can be easy on the budget. And being close to Phoenix, it’s easy to get here too.

Since it is a resort area, there is a wide range of venues to choose from, to fit a wide range of budgets. You can have an Arizona beach wedding along Oak Creek with Cathedral Rock towering above. Or you might choose to have a garden wedding at Tlaquepaque or one of the other fine resorts. Church weddings are popular too, with many churchs choose from that have incorporated the red rocks into their architecture or red rock scenery into their views and decor.

Your guests will love staying in Sedona because of all the things to do – golfing, hiking, sunset watching, sunbathing, fishing, splashing around in Oak Creek, and shopping, not to mention all the fine dining! The area boasts some of the best art galleries in the SouthWest, and on many weekends there are Sedona art festivals such as those put on by Red Rose Inspiration, which features local artists and benefits local animal shelters.

Sedona weddings are popular, so finding a good location is easier than ever. There are no “bad” accommodations in Sedona. You and your guests can stay in one of the finest resorts, or a less expensive hotel. One popular choice is to rent a townhouse from one of the local timeshare resorts, or find a vacation rental house from one of the local property management services. Several resorts now offer wedding packages. They are familiar with all the requirements needed to make it a perfect day and usually have planners on their staffs.

Sedona is home to people with many different religious and/or spiritual beliefs. Some consider the red rock country to be sacred and to have healing powers, and is said to be the home of “vortexes” that are centers of that power. So in addition to more traditional services, it is possible to find quite a variety of services that are not so mainstream. You can have your ceremony officiated by a “new age healer” or a native american or one of many other choices. You might even be able to find a “space alien” to marry you. And there are plenty of options for the other services you’ll want.

Sedona is a scenic place. You’ll want to make sure to choose a Sedona Wedding Photographer that’s familiar with the area and can help you choose the best location and time of day to have your Sedona wedding. Photographers book up fast, especially for weekend weddings in the Spring and Summer, so be sure to make reservations well ahead of time!

For those of us in landlocked Arizona who don’t want to force our guests to travel across two states to get to the coast, or fly away to an island, a beach wedding might seem to be a challenge. However, if you’re willing to settle for a freshwater sandy beach, with great scenery to boot, there are several “beach wedding” opportunities in Arizona that are much more impressive, romantic, and convenient than a coastal or tropical beach wedding. Here are a few ideas:

Sedona Wedding - Red Rock Crossing

Red Rock Crossing

This is an extremely scenic and very popular place to be married in the beautiful red rocks around Sedona. Many Sedona weddings take place at Red Rock Crossing on a red rock bench next to a scenic section of Oak Creek, with Cathedral Rock towering above. It’s common to have a local spiritual leader officiate the ceremony. After the ceremony, there are many photo opportunities in the area, with lots of red rocks, a big green lawn, and of course, Oak Creek. And you can rent a nearby gazebo if you want to have a low-cost outdoor reception.

Lake Havasu

You can have an island wedding in Arizona! Have your wedding on the beach, palm trees and all, on the island in Lake Havasu at Lake Havasu city, with London Bridge in the background! With lots of nearby lodging, and plenty of water activities, this is a fun place for you and your guests to chill out after the wedding!

Lake Powell

Lone Rock beach at Lake Powell is a massive beach with massive Lone Rock towering out of the middle of Lone Rock bay. Behind that are impressive red rock cliffs surrounding the bay. Or have your wedding at the lodge at Wahweap, near water’s edge and overlooking the lake, with Lone Rock and the Gunsight Butte in the background. Another possibility, for smaller parties, is to rent a houseboat (there are BIG houseboats at Lake Powell) and to have your wedding on the lake!

The Grand Canyon

Okay, it’s not really a beach, unless you use your imagination… Think of it as a petrified, prehistoric beach of Coconino Sandstone complete with coral outcrops of Kaibab Limestone. There is water and a real sandy beach, but it’s about a mile below along the Colorado River! But it’s hard to get better scenery than the Grand Canyon for your wedding, and if you plan far enough ahead, it’s easy to reserve rooms for yourself and your guests that are within walking distance of the canyon.

So if you’re thinking of a beach wedding, think Arizona!

Weddings at Red Rock Crossing are popular, so be sure to get your reservations in early. Sedona is busiest in Spring and Fall, while the rest of the Arizona “beach wedding” venues listed above are busiest in the summer. My primary location is the Verde Valley and Sedona, but I can travel to any Arizona location if my schedule allows it. Photographers are busy this time of year, so be sure to book your Beach Wedding Photographer early!

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Wedding Photos Become More Cherished as the Years Go By

On their 50th wedding anniversary, my mother-in-law proudly displayed some of her wedding photos, including a beautiful enlarged black and white image of her in her gown on her wedding day. (It was such a nice photo, the photographer had it on display in the window of his downtown Flagstaff studio for decades). What a wonderful thing, to be able to show and bring back memories from 50 years before!

Being a wedding photographer, of course I’m partial, but I believe that wedding photos are the most important part of your wedding. Photos are the one physical thing that you can go back to, over and over again, to bring back the memories of that wonderful event. It may not seem that important now, but the longer you’re married, the more cherished those photos (and memories) will become.

Ask anybody who’s been married 50 years whether they think the wedding photographer was worth it…

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Photojournalistic Wedding Photography Style

These days, there seems to be a big hubbub over the “style” of a wedding photographer, with two main genres, the “traditional” style (or “classic” style), and the “photojournalistic” style.

With all the buzz about the photojournalistic style, you’d think it was the latest in fashion, exclusively from Paris or some other fashion mecca.

I’ve got news for you – 30 years ago, I was shooting both styles, except we didn’t have fancy names for the “style,” we just referred to the type of photo it was: a “posed” image or a “candid” shot. For clients with bigger budgets, there were the “studio” sessions, which were of course fancier posed images.

In most formal weddings, it makes sense to have both types of images. With all the planning, money, and effort that it took to get the dress and tuxes and to get all your friends to show up at the right time with the flowers in place and everybody looking just perfect, doesn’t it make sense to get a few (or many) posed (“traditional”) images of the special occasion?

And doesn’t it also make sense to take a lot of candid (“photojournalistic”) images too?

Just like most things in life, there’s a time and place for everything. When I shoot a wedding, I know which posed images are expected and try to get them put together and done as efficiently and expediently as possible. Most formal posed images come before and after the ceremony, and a few more formal posed images are usually done at the reception, before people start loosening their ties or imbibing in too much bubbly. In between, especially during the ceremony, I’m always looking for candid (“photojournalistic”) opportunities.

It seems to me that any good photographer would do the same. It doesn’t make sense to forgo one type of image or another because it’s not my “style.”

If you prefer that I spend more time on one or the other, just let me know what you’re looking for and I’ll make sure you get what you want.

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Wedding Photo Turned Into a Poster

Some photos are just meant to be made into something more. This photo works really well as “poster” art. It was double wedding with both sisters getting married. They decided to make it fun, with a 1920′s theme including Pin-Striped tuxes, fedora’s, stogies, (fake) Tommy Guns, and even a Getaway Car! It was a fun wedding with lots of great photo opportunities, especially since many of the guests dressed up in 1920′s wear also. There were even “Flappers!”

There are all kinds of things that can be done with the right photo.

This is one of the many custom photo editing services I can provide for your wedding photos.

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