Going for an adventure had always been the plan. I love it when a couple is so used to outdoor adventures that the wedding itself just gets roped into the Grand Canyon trip planning. This was the case with Maddie and Marcus! The plan was to get married at Shoshone Point followed by a sendoff on their honeymoon trip down the Colorado River. Here’s how we made it all possible for this Grand Canyon adventure wedding!
Making Plans for a Grand Canyon Adventure
Maddie and Marcus entered their Grand Canyon adventure full of ideas. It was our goal to negotiate through all of their plans and include as much as we could. More than anything, they were looking forward to getting married in a place and in a way that was meaningful to the both of them.
They chose a Grand Canyon wedding because this is where their relationship started. They both work in the canyon over the summer and find it to be a magical place that brings them back year after year.
We started their day with a Shoshone Point ceremony which is one of the most unique wedding locations at the Grand Canyon National Park. For the right couple, the spot can be absolutely incredible.
Unfortunately, Shoshone Point isn’t oriented toward the setting sun. Throughout the year, the canyon bends in such a way that the sun actually sets behind you rather than in front of you. That’s why we followed Maddie and Marcus’ ceremony with sunset wedding portraits at different Grand Canyon viewpoints. Attaching the veil to flow in the wind was Maddie’s last-minute idea and the personality that it added to the photos was incredible.
Just as important to these two in catching the beautiful views was getting pictures with their dogs. I really loved that we were able to navigate having the couple’s beloved dogs join them for additional intimate photos!
DIY Wedding Ideas To Match a Grand Canyon Adventure
The couple went for a more intimate feel for their wedding with a relaxed vibe. As the bride described, “I want it to feel more casual so that people can relax and enjoy themselves and the view. Colorwise I’m using canyon colors: greens, oranges, and a touch of blue.” Maddie and her friends made dog flower collars that coordinated perfectly.
Another DIY wedding element included Maddie’s creation of watercolor stickers that were versions of photos she had taken that were passed out as a wedding favor. I captured these when I was photographing all of the wedding details, and I just had to keep some for myself!
Knowing What Matters Most on Your Wedding Day
Following an intimate Grand Canyon adventure, we met up in Lees Ferry to capture their entry into a Grand Canyon raft tour down the Colorado River. The newlyweds wanted more photos in their wedding clothes before launching onto their honeymoon trip.
While they loved their rim ceremony, it was always their dream to get married on the river on top of the bedrock. They went back and forth on the idea of how to include their families so they split the day into two getting the best of both worlds.
Maddie and Marcus shared that they didn’t want to do a big, traditional expensive wedding with its accompanying “awkward small talk and spending gobs of money.” They decided on something smaller where they got to spend time with their closest loved ones.
Maddie shared that they didn’t regret that decision one bit: “It will be one of the most joyous memories to carry forward. And thank you for capturing all of the memories for us.”
“Photos are something that I truly cherish as time passes as a way to preserve the perfect and imperfect moments in time.”
Adding a Grand Canyon River Trip to Your Wedding Adventure
Maddie and Marcus are both river runners, so they really wanted photos to capture that part of their story. Their engagement also happened on a river trip so it seemed only natural. We made it through their adventure photography session despite the hot weather and monsoon season on its way in Northern Arizona. We were able to visit a few locations starting at the historic Navajo Bridge which crosses the Colorado River.
Maddie explained that “we travel whenever we can and go explore new places all of the time. It is 100% a part of our regular life. The outdoors are everything to us, and we have made our careers based off of living outside.”
This was the first wedding where I offered wedding film photography! I have a bunch of different cameras but have mostly been using the Pentax K1000 that has manual focus. Most days, I am already shooting on two digital cameras so adding one more was a new challenge!
I actually had not finished using up one roll of my 35mm film from their wedding so I explored the Navajo Bridge for more photos. I was super excited to catch the rafting group passing under the bridge and I was able to get some great photos of them from above! These became such a great aid in telling the story of the couple’s Grand Canyon adventure and river trip love.
Wedding Vendors
Destination | Grand Canyon National Park & Lees Ferry
Photographer | Terri Attridge Photography
Wedding Bouquet | Sarah Kay
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