Epic Slot Canyon Elopement | Antelope Canyon Wedding

Antelope Canyon Wedding: Updated for 2022

Mother nature is really the best artist; she is an architect, a sculptor, and painter and there is not a place where her artistry is more apparent than in a slot canyon. Page Arizona is famous for its slot canyon, the most famous being Antelope Canyon. The watercolor walls, the smooth slope of the trail, there really isn’t a place that screams both “loveliness” and “adventure” so equally. If you’re location hunting for an adventure session or adventure wedding in a slot canyon, Page Arizona is pretty much the perfect spot. An Antelope Canyon wedding (or elopement at any of Page’s Arizona’s equally lovely slot canyons) is truly peak adventure.

How to Have an Antelope Canyon Wedding

For those of you considering an Antelope Canyon wedding, I don’t blame you! It’s an amazing place. Antelope canyon ceased photography tours (group tours geared towards photographers with DSLR’s and tripods) in 2019, though currently still offer group tours of Upper and Lower canyon. It’s an amazing experience- but not an experience conducive to any type of photography session (and they aren’t allowed, haha).

How much is an Antelope Canyon Wedding?

In fact having an Antelope Canyon wedding, of any size, is not something that’s possible anymore. But! Antelope Canyon is just one of *many* slot canyons in the Page area. In fact the photos in this very post *aren’t* in Antelope Canyon. (le gasp!) All of the slot canyons are on Navajo land so you are required to get a private tour (and photography permit). These private tours are a bit pricey (around $600 a pop) but it’s so so so worth it. You get more time and the canyon *all to yourself*.

This is confusing! How do I get a permit?

If figuring all this out feels overwhelming- don’t worry. I gotchu. That’s what I’m here for. I’ll help you out every step of the way when it comes to picking a canyon, a tour company, and securing any permits. Things have been confusing lately because, for the duration of COVID, Navajo land has been closed to outside visitors- and this is where many of the very iconic sandstone slot canyons are. And while many of these slot canyons are open, they are still requiring masks (even for private tours). Which isn’t super ideal for elopement photos!

But! These are not the only slot canyons in the desert. There are several others (several I can think of about 1-2 hours north of Page) that do not require permits and are not on Native land. All of this to say, if you have your heart set on a slot canyon elopement or adventure session, we can definitely still make that happen 🙂 Just leave the location scouting to me!

Antelope Canyon Wedding Inspiration

It’s embarrassing to admit it’s taken me so long as it did to see this natural wonder, but I only first got to see I got the chance to explore my first slot canyon this past February in Page, AZ. It was cold that day, uncommonly cold, even for February in the desert. Storm clouds heavy with snow flirted with the horizon and snow flurries hung in the air as we departed our shuttle, but the clouds never really making good on the promise of a true snowfall. The sun peeked out by our journey’s end but as we set out on the winding canyon path, snow flurries were stuck in our hair. The adventure started on a flat expanse of desert with mountains in the distance. We wound our way through the pale orange path, led by a guide, to the slot canyon entrance. And holy cow.

It was an amazing day, both from a photo perceptive (I really am proud of these images) and from a learning perspective. I was in Page for The Adventurers Workshop put on by the amazing Maddie Mae and Abbi Hearne. I am just a hopeless student; weirdly picking out my outfit and laying it out the night before, like I’m going to kindergarten all over again, picking out my favorite pens, getting to the events like…way too early, haha. I love learning and I love furthering my education in photography so I can be the best, raddest photographer and businesswoman I can be.

Becca and Jeff traveled to Page from Utah and were amaaaazing to work with. They were recently married in Oregon and their newlywed shine was in full effect 🙂 They were SO sweet and down for anything and did not seem at all intimidated by a herd of photographers swarming all around them. And Becca worked that gorgeous Reclamation dress like a champ (I still, to this day, cannot get over that dress. Ladies looking for the ultimate boho wedding gown, you have *got* to check these out.)

I know I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’ll say it till the cows come home. This state is unreal. I will never forget staring down that narrow slot canyon hallway for the first time. There are treasures here, if you know where to look. Some in the shape of mountains, of desert lakes, of canyons that look like they’ve been molded from clay. It’s a magic place and if you’re eloping, I hope you consider having your elopement in Arizona.

If you want to see more Slot Canyon magic, check out this post. Ready to book your dream Slot Canyon Elopement? Check out my pricing and elopement packages.