Private Elopement in the Red Rocks

Kelly and Kevin chose to have a private elopement in the red rocks of Sedona and MAN – let me just say: it was so intimate, intentional and epic. Here’s all the deets about their day:

Favorite Adventure to Date:

“The best adventure was the adventure that brought us together in the first place: pharmacy school. Pharmacy school was intimidating and overwhelming at times, but together, four years of graduate work didn’t seem as painful. Kevin and I would make study sessions fun by trying different coffee shops around the city. Study breaks would be spent going on long walks around Chicago, visiting museums, or playing board games. When our graduation day finally came we were able to celebrate our hard work and accomplishments together, and it felt amazing!”

Why Elope?

“Kevin and I got engaged in the middle of the pandemic in 2020. During that time, we were seeing the creative ways couples around us were adjusting their wedding plans according to COVID restrictions. I remember seeing an instagram post of a couple exchanging vows on a mountain top, and it blew my mind! Our family and friends have always been important to us but we knew a private ceremony like that would be our dream (Especially since we don’t love being the center of attention). We loved the idea of spending our wedding day surrounded by nature so that we could focus on our special day together.”

The Red Rocks of Sedona

“One of the first trips we took as a couple was to Arizona. But with much of our family living in Phoenix, we had little time to explore. We were only able to fit in a short day trip to Sedona. Although we didn’t get to spend much time there, Sedona has always felt like such a special place to us. It seemed like a no-brainer to get married there. Fun Fact: Kevin’s original plan to propose was supposed to take place on a trip to Sedona that we had planned for April 2020…but we all know what happened and needless to say, that trip was canceled, and Kevin had to think up another way to propose. Also having recently moved to Arizona in April 2022. Getting married in Sedona was a fun way to celebrate our big move across country! Picking the specific locations for the day was so much fun! I was looking for beautiful cliffside views and your location suggestions list did not disappoint! We picked the first trail since it was a short easy hike where we could get a beautiful view of Cathedral Rock and still have time to explore a second location. Merry Go Round rock looked absolutely amazing, and I loved that we would have to go off-roading to get there. Being able to go on a bumpy off-roading adventure on our wedding day almost seemed almost too good to be true.”

Favorite Part of Your Day?

“Ah! How do we pick a favorite?? The whole day felt like a dream. Kevin’s favorite part was hiking on Slick Rock trail. Because how many people can say that they hiked on their wedding day!? If I had to choose my absolute favorite moment, it would be when we read our vows and the letters from our family at Merry Go Round rock during sunset. Honestly, during the planning process, I was worried that our family would be sad that they wouldn’t physically be there on our wedding day. But after reading the letters, it was clear that our families loved us unconditionally and they were always going to support us. Watching the sun set over Sedona gave us a moment to reflect and realize how amazing it felt to be married and lucky we are to have such amazing people in our lives.”