Sedona destination wedding
Sedona is one of our most prized destination wedding photography sites in Arizona. It’s a well known area to Arizona locals but not always known to visitors. There are so many breathtaking locations to choose from it’s always hard to narrow down the perfect spot for a wedding shoot. I was so delighted when Deepa and Robert agreed to allow me to photograph them at Tlaquepaque and even more so when they were up to the challenge of hiking Cathedral Rock. We felt both these locations would allow us to showcase their unique style mix of classic fairy tale with bold and dramatic adventure.
We started our epic day at Tlaquepaque, a shopping area inspired by the beautiful town in Mexico with the same name. It’s beautiful archways, ivy covered balconies, pops of color from Mexico inspired tiles and beautiful large wooden rustic doorways make for a very classic backdrop that feels as if you have been transported to another place in time. A time where everything was a little slower, more majestic, and had a fairy tale quality. The lighting down the long archways with pillars gave me the perfect setting to play with natural light in a way that really allowed me to capture the glow on Deepa’s face when she looks at Robert. We were having so much fun that it caught the attention of a carpet store owner Azadi Fine Rugs who graciously offered us the use of one of his carpets which we found to be very sweet.
After Tlaquepaque the real adventure began as we got ready to hike to our next destination. Cathedral Rock is more of a rock climb than a hike. It’s 1.5 mile round trip description seems easy until you realize that it’s almost entirely uphill. Halfway to the top there is a steep crevice where it requires both hands and feet to scale, many people stop and turn back out of fear. Deepa and Robert didn’t let that stop them.
They came prepared with backpacks to hold their Indian wedding attire so they could attack this climb head on not worrying about getting dirty. We hiked all the way to the top where they were able to find a small area to change. The top of the hike is nestled between two larger peaks and this unique formation gives almost a 360 degree view of beautiful Sedona backdrops to choose from. At one point Deepa sat down on a ledge and lost her shoe, Robert was able to retrieve the shoe and place it back on his bride’s foot like a modern day prince with his Cinderella. As we started to end our day on the top of Cathedral Rock, wrapped up in capturing beautiful moments, losing all track of time we realized none of us brought a head lamp. Nonetheless we made it to the bottom using our phones and were rewarded with a breathtaking view of the stars. Improvising using a light stand for a tripod I was able to capture one of my favorite unexpected moments of Deepa and Robert arm in arm walking to the car with the stars shining over head.
I am so grateful for the trust that Deepa and Robert placed in me to take them on this Sedona Wedding adventure. I’m truly excited for all the adventures to come for this lovely couple and more so for having the honor to have captured the official start of what's going to be their most amazing adventure.