Labor Day Wedding at Grand Canyon

Labor Day Wedding at Grand Canyon

When I met with Karen and Jerry before their wedding around the holiday labor day weekend, we met firstly inside El Tovar. We were experiencing the monsoonal rain as we often do in the summer but it was unusual. Meeting around 4:30pm, usually the rain happens in the middle of the day and clears out just in time for sunset, but it was raining very hard and showed no signs of stopping. Yavapai Geology Museum is the access for Grandeur Point, a Grand Canyon National Park permitted wedding location, and we drove out to see if the wedding was possible despite the rain. We were so dismayed and returned to the El Tovar.

The storm continued as Karen and Jerry said their vows on the back porch of the El Tovar hotel and were married at Grand Canyon officially 🙂 We took some photos around the porch area of the hotel but the canyon was invisible with the rain storm. Luckily, I live at Grand Canyon and offered to meet them out at Grandeur Point the following day for the celebratory wedding photos they envisioned all along.

Wedding Photos for Marcin and Agata

Wedding Photos at Grand Canyon

Marcin reached out to me only a couple of weeks before planning to be at Grand Canyon. Marcin and Agata were already married and came all the way from Poland for a Grand Canyon honeymoon and some epic wedding photos. The canyon did not disappoint, and these photos came out so lovely.

I really enjoy all types of photography but it is even more fun to take epic photos in long gowns and veils. The light can be a little hard to work with in a white sheer dress but I think we got the most perfect Grand Canyon wedding photos for them and I’m so happy to have had the opportunity for these photos.

Congratulations Marcin and Agata! Thank you for making being a Grand Canyon photographer so wonderful. I loved taking these wedding photos at Grand Canyon.

 

Engagement Portraits – Julia and Mario

Mario and Julia contacted me a while back about taking some engagement photos at Grand Canyon. Mario had already proposed in an epic flash mob in Brazil, where they are both from. The engagement photos would be no different, epic. I was a little bit concerned with the smoke and storm combination we had been experiencing at the South Rim. Right now, sunsets and sunrises can be incredibly “epic” or non existent. I decided to offer this newly engaged couple both a sunrise and a sunset shoot at Grand Canyon. Even though the sunset on that particular day was a bit dark, we still managed to get some amazing portraits on the edge with super saturated colors – thanks dark clouds! Sunrise, though a bit hazy, offered up some colors reminiscent of water color paintings in hues of soft pastels. We got incredibly lucky to even see the canyon as well as we did as wildfire smoke filling the canyon is a daily affaire. We were so lucky to spend this time together in one of the most amazing wonders of the world.

Amazing proposal – Tom and Adi 8.9.18

sunset engagement at Grand Canyon
sunset engagement at Grand Canyon
engagement ring photo
destination engagement proposal
looking off into the sunset at Lipan Point Grand Canyon
Sunset cuddling at Grand Canyon
Engagement Proposal photography at Grand Canyon
pink sunset at Grand Canyon
in love at Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon Sunset
taking selfies at Grand Canyon
looking at the Colorado River

Sunset Grand Canyon Engagement

Tom contacted me just a few days before this proposal. He wanted to propose at Grand Canyon. I was thrilled to his photographer. We have been experiencing smoke from the Obi fire on the North Rim as well as California. When I arrived at the viewpoint, I immediately noticed the big black clouds obscuring the canyon view completely and my heart broke. I waited impatiently and before my eyes the smoke lifted and you could see Grand Canyon again. Tom and Adi arrived and I watched the smoke disappeared and Tom walked to the spot on the rim that I’d chosen. I watched as he dropped to one knee and proposed, it was magic,. Later we took photos on the edge of Grand Canyon, against a matchless backdrop.

Grand Canyon El Tovar Wedding – Family photos in the aspens

Grand Canyon El Tovar Wedding – South Rim Family Photos

I never thought that I would live at Grand Canyon as long as I have, 9 years! People come and go from this small, strange community but Sarah has been here as long as I have. Sarah even spent several years working below the rim at Phantom Ranch, deep in the heart of Grand Canyon and she stayed long enough for her heart to be captured not only by the canyon but by Patrick and Isabelle too.

Patrick and Sarah got married very recently and he’s soon to ship out overseas, he is a marine ( I believe). Just like the canyon, Sarah will be there waiting for him to return, but for now we have some nice images to commemorate their marriage and little wedding at El Tovar in the Grand Canyon Village.

Shannon and Kyle – Grand Canyon Sunset Elopement

 

Shannon and Kyle – Grand Canyon Sunset Elopement

Most weddings and elopements that I photograph at Grand Canyon are very special for me and for the couple getting married. Most times, I don’t see or meet the couple until the day of the wedding at Grand Canyon. We communicate via email about the elopement leading up until the day that we meet. Nevertheless, through email, we become pen-pals and I am incredibly invested in the event. A lot of times I am even teary eyed watching the ceremony take place right there on the rim of the canyon.

Shannon and Kyle were amazing people, both together as a couple and as individuals. They were full of love and energy and genuine happiness. I was asked to keep this Grand Canyon elopement very secret and although this happened in April, I am just getting around to posting these images that I love. Congratulations again to Shannon and Kyle!

*Jen Paul is my favorite officiant

Maternity Photography at Grand Canyon

Maternity Photography at Grand Canyon National Park

I had a really amazing time taking these maternity shots. We talked over many emails trying to decide on a location for these photos. We originally looked into Antelope slot canyon and locations that had a lot of red rock but in the end Erica decided on taking these maternity family shots at Grand Canyon.

They had a young son already and we got him in a couple of the shots but being about 2 years old, he had different plans for the evening. We took photos at two locations and for both sunrise and sunset, I think it was really nice to be able to offer two very different looks at Grand Canyon. I love shooting at sunrise and I think I will create a photography package that includes both a sunrise and sunset portrait session at two different location at Grand Canyon’s South Rim.

We got very lucky with both of the locations we chose and the sunset and sunrise that we were able to enjoy together. They had a variety of clothing options and that allowed even more distinct images in this set.

 

Family photos at the South Rim

Family photos at the South Rim – Photography by Terri 520-355-1008

I loved taking these family photos at Grand Canyon. This family is a Grand Canyon local family looking to have some portraits taken. Of course, I said yes. I love working with small families like this. Children can be challenging and different combinations of ages and temperaments make working with families a challenge but a fun one. I love kids and worked in a very child-focused portrait studio for 7 years. There I was able to learn all of the different developmental stages and what (usually) makes kids laugh in each of the different age groups. It was fun to work with Brandy’s silly family and to make memories at Grand Canyon.