Summer Arches National Park Wedding with Amber & Brian
by Utah Wedding Photographers James Erick Photography Utah
It has been my dream for a long time to shoot a Arches National Park Wedding.
I love the National Parks and have been to all of them in Utah, and many in other states. I started as a Nature Photographer, then migrated to shooting weddings. So many things come into play when shooting at my favorite national park, Arches. The time of day, the time of year, the weather, the wind and the the location in the park. If you want to shoot a wedding in the park, you need special permission from the park services, and sometimes that does not get granted. The recent fires were even a consideration as on the way over to Arches the sky was grey with smoke. But all the stars lined up to create a perfect day with a perfect couple!
My wife Lacey and I got up early to drive to do the Arches National Park Wedding with Amber & Brian. Lacey is amazing at arranging dresses and getting the little details right. We were both excited as this would be our first road trip together after getting married in July. But as we got closer to the park we noticed a grey haze in the sky, caused by the recent fires all over Utah, and we were concerned that the shoot would be ruined. But as we entered the park to start the shoot, the sky was clear and looked amazing!
Amber & Brian and their families could not have been more welcoming! We did a few getting ready shots and then went into the park to shoot the wedding. It was a long but beautiful drive to the location where the ceremony was taking place, about 45 minutes into the park. Brian got there first and had not seen Amber yet in her amazing dress, but when he did, the tears started flowing. I think I even had a few tears in my eyes.
The slot canyon where the ceremony took place was indescribably beautiful. Tall shear rock cliffs gave way to a fine red sand and an arch towered over the ceremony site. It was truly like something out of a movie. There were about 50 guests waiting there as Amber made her way down the narrow canyon to meet Brian to say their vows.
After the ceremony, Amber and Brian chose an arch further away in the park to do their bride & groom pictures, but unfortunately it was not a good place to shoot as it was sidelight to the sun, creating harsh shadows, so we moved on after a few shots. We did eventually end up getting a lot of amazing sunset shots and i may or may not have enhanced the moon in a few....
If you would like more information on having me shoot your Arches national park Wedding, please visit my website at James Erick Photography Utah. For more information on the shoot location, please visit the Arches National Park Website.
I did not add any special effects to these pictures as to do so would have ruined the natural beautify of the park. If I could, I would have blogged all the pictures from the shoot as this was one of the most amazing shoots I have ever done. But here are a very few of my favorite pictures from the Arches National Park wedding with Amber and Brian. Thank you Amber & Brian for making my dream come true. And thank you Lacey for all your great and help and suggestions during the shoot.