Where do I even begin with this one?

Having started in my photography journey shooting mainly landscapes, there is a special place in my heart for traveling and capturing the natural beauty this planet has to offer. Likewise, wedding photography holds a special place in that it has allowed me to build an entire life around it. Combining the two is always my goal, and luckily I live in New Jersey, where there’s an ample amount of gorgeous scenery and people getting married. As beautiful as my home state is, however, it really doesn’t compare to some other parts of the country, namely the western region.

The first time I traveled west was in 2012 when I went to Yosemite National Park. It was another four years until I went out that way again. Melissa and I traveled to Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park in 2016, and that was the first time I’d ever seen a desert landscape. I instantly fell in love. Since then, I’ve been to Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Yosemite again, and some other lesser known places out that way. Each time I was out there, I wished I had a couple to photograph.

Over the years, I’ve had my share of interest from couples wanting me to photograph their wedding in one of these incredible locations. None of them ever panned out, and I got pretty used to it not working out. Then one day I received a message from Ben. It was something along the lines of, “Hey, Alli and I are thinking about eloping somewhere out west. We’re thinking either Arches National Park or Sedona right now. I know you’re busy and that’s a long way to travel, but is that something you’d be interested in working with us for?”

I could have cried happy tears right then and there. I didn’t, though, because I knew the reality of the situation. A lot of couples have this grand idea of eloping, but once the logistics are spelled out in front of them, something changes and the elopement is off the table. I was pretty used to it.

I’d known Ben for some time. We’d played baseball together from as early as at least 2005 and ended up having a class or two together in high school. Alli had been a bridesmaid at four other weddings I had photographed. Having prior experiences with them felt like a good thing. And it was. They booked their elopement and immediately came to me to see if I was still up for it. We set up a call to discuss some details, and I couldn’t think of anything except photographing them in Sedona until it was official.

After a few months of just waiting for April to come, we were finally in Arizona. Alli and Ben had nobody else with them, so Melissa and I met up with them the day before their wedding ceremony for an engagement shoot. We decided to take the 6-mile trip on a dirt road to Merry-Go-Round Rock in our high-clearance, rented Jeep Wrangler.

It took almost two hours.

The rocks jutting out of the ground on this road were wildly abundant. Some of them were exposed over a foot from ground level. Without any experience driving on this kind of road, and trying to be careful with our rental car, we maxed out at about 12 mph the entire time. It was undoubtedly the most strenuous, challenging drive of my life, and if you’re interested in visiting Merry-Go-Round Rock, I highly recommend just paying for a guided tour.

Why am I telling you this? Because I would do it all over again if Alli and Ben wanted me to. The experience we shared is something I’ll never forget and constantly long to recapture. Here’s a tiny taste of what we made:

The next day was Alli and Ben’s wedding day. We started at their AirBnB (which was an insanely stunning spiritual desert oasis tucked into the hills of Sedona) for prep.

The ceremony took place at a park with the marvelous Cathedral Rock as a backdrop. As tremendous as it was so be able to shoot in the desert most of the trip, the forest-y feel of this location was a nice surprise.

Following the ceremony, we celebrated with lunch at the 4.3-star-rated (1,628 current Google reviews!) Golden Goose American Grill. They even brought out a complementary mini wedding cake.

Have I mentioned how grateful I am to have had this opportunity? I don’t think I have. I’m eternally grateful. To be able to share some of my biggest passions with my incredible wife and two very delightful and humble friends was a dream-come-true-flavored cake that I could have, and eat, too. The fact that this was just the beginning of the day was the icing on said cake.

After lunch we headed to the trails along the base of Cathedral Rock for an evening portrait session. The colors, man. The freakin’ colors.

After our evening rendezvous, we headed to a local bar to relax with some celebratory drinks. It was undoubtedly the second-best wedding reception I’ve ever been to.

The best was my own ;)

We didn’t stay out long, however, because we had to be up pretty early to make it to Airport Mesa for our sunrise shoot.

And just like that, it was over. The past 40-or-so hours had revolved around two things: Alli and Ben getting married and photographs. It felt weird, to still have a few hours left before Melissa and I had to get to the airport, to be exploring Sedona with nothing else to shoot.

The following weeks consisted of myself obsessing over the details of every photo from that trip for hours at a time. Constantly editing, re-editing, re-re-editing. I needed these photos to be as unforgettable as this experience was. I can only hope that I provided that for Alli and Ben.

Thank you, Melissa, for joining me in this adventure. I absolutely could not have done it as well or enjoyed it as much without you. I love that I was able to share this with you.

Alli and Ben: Thank you. Not in the “Sedona inside joke thank you” kind of way. For real, thank you for helping me realize a dream that I thought would stay a dream forever. I’m so grateful that not only was I able to practice my craft in one of the most amazing places in the world, I got to share that with one of the most amazing couples I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. Thank you for your trust and your commitment. Thank you for the laughs and the memories. And thank you for being great friends.

Alright, that’s enough sap outta me. I hope you enjoyed this account. Thanks for reading!