Why Prescott? Discovering the Magic of a Watson Lake Elopement
Elopements have a very special place in my heart! Unlike weddings, which focus on the day as a whole, elopements purely focus on the couple. The pure focus on the couple creates so many intimate moments and allows us to get creative and try new ideas that aren’t always achievable during a wedding day. Elopements, along with smaller or more intimate weddings, also bring us out into nature - which I absolutely adore! So, you can imagine my excitement when I was contacted by Shelby and Logan from Kansas City, Missouri to capture their elopement in Prescott, Arizona! The couple booked our Short and Sweet Package, which is our 4-hour Photography and Videography package. The best part? I’m originally from Missouri! Since I already had a trip planned to visit Kansas City this summer, it worked out perfectly. I got to capture their Arizona elopement, and I’ll be seeing them again in KC for another session soon!
Now, if you are an Arizona local, you may be asking yourself - why Prescott? And you wouldn’t be alone! Apparently they got this question a lot during their time in our beautiful state from many of the locals in the Prescott area. There seemed to be a lot of confusion as to why the couple chose their small town when a beautiful place like Sedona exists about an hour and a half away. The answer - the bride happened to stumble across a photo of Watson Lake on Pinterest and absolutely fell in LOVE!
And who could blame her? Watson Lake is a stunning, one-of-a-kind area in Arizona. It is home to an incredibly unique geological formation known as Granite Dells. The granite rocks here are said to be 1.4 billion years old! The rocks gained their unique round shape through a process called “spheroidal weathering”. While there are other areas within the state where you can find this type of rock formation, Watson Lake in Prescott is definitely the most famous for them. Perhaps it is due to the area also being turned into a lake reservoir in 1915 and now being an incredibly popular multi-use recreational area! From kayaking to hiking, disc golf - and of course even elopements - there is no shortage of what can be done at this location!
After some discussion, we settled on having their elopement take place on a Monday with the hopes that a weekday would leave the lake area quiet and perfect for an intimate elopement setting.
Getting Ready & First Look: Private Moments and Western Vibes in the High Desert of Prescott
That day, we started our coverage at the cozy Airbnb called Kaliva that they booked in Prescott. The Airbnb was an absolutely adorable modern studio cabin with western accents that was located among the beautiful Prescott high desert! Inside, Logan sat on the bed transcribing his vows into his vow book as his soon-to-be bride finished getting ready in the bathroom.
We spent some time documenting the moments for them before switching our attention to capturing the tiny handpicked accessories and details that the couple had acquired during their stay in Prescott.
While doing this, we carefully created a few flat lays of a few more important details of the day - an ultrasound photo and a tie-dye onesie. Because although today was a day of joy as these two would become wed it was also a time of celebration as they were expecting their first child!
Once the couple was finished getting ready and we were finished taking the time to capture the couple's wedding details we began transitioning into the couple’s first look. For the first look, we opted to have the groom stand on the patio of the BNB facing the rocky, high desert landscape and planned to capture the bride walking out from inside the cabin. This came with its own challenge of the mid-day sun being harsh for video. Luckily the BNB came with a solution! We were able to utilize a large patio umbrella to create a soft, even 'studio' light right there on the deck. This was a great solution not only to aid in the technical side of things, but also allowed the couple to be able to look at each other without squinting in the bright sun!
So finally everything was ready. With the groom in position and with strict instructions on where to look, we got in our places to capture the beautiful bride approaching her husband. Once she reached him, she reached her hand to his shoulder and gave him a gentle tap, signaling to him it was time to finally see her. Logan turned around and immediately lit up! He smiled ear to ear as he took Shelby in. Yesterday, she was his fiancée. Today she was becoming his wife. The two embraced each other and shared an abundance of kisses - with Logan repeatedly taking time in between to briefly step back so he could take her in once more. The two stood together soaking in the moment as they came to terms with the fact that this is finally happening.
Courthouse Plaza Portraits: Historic Charm, Fall Colors, and Rom-Com Moments in Downtown Prescott
Once the first look was concluded, we headed to our first location - the Courthouse Plaza in Downtown Prescott where the Yavapai County Courthouse resides. This area is absolutely stunning and perfect for photos! I have done a handful of courthouse weddings in Arizona and the biggest downside is finding a place for photos either after or before. But Prescott doesn’t have this issue, as it has absolutely beautified their Courthouse Plaza with landscaped pathways, mature trees, and even a couple gazebos! The area was developed in 1864, with the current building itself finishing its construction in 1918. An older, original brick courthouse was deemed “insufficient” after a fire that took place in the area in 1900. With the construction of the new courthouse, builders used a 19th century neoclassical style which we see and love today! Being able to utilize this architecture is rare in Arizona so you can bet that we were sure to incorporate it into the elopement, starting with the massive courthouse stairs!
We spent time getting our cardio in going up and down with various poses and angles before sitting for a moment and focusing on more intimate poses. Then, we made our way over to another area within the square.
Something I love about Arizona is that we have an extended fall season spread across the state! This couple happened to plan their Prescott elopement at the perfect time for fall colors and we took full advantage! As if we were in a classic rom-com, we played some of their favorite songs and stepped back to capture the couple as they danced amongst the falling golden leaves. It truly was one of those scenes you would see in a movie! The two danced as if there was no one around, their focus purely on each other as their bodies did all the talking. This was not a planned moment, but a spontaneous one that was truly filled with magic.
Although the Courthouse Plaza is truly a beautiful place, it wasn’t the main attraction for the day! As the sun began to shift through the sky, and we wrapped up our time at the plaza, we made our way to the reason they traveled 1,200 miles to the unique desert state of Arizona - Watson Lake.
High Desert Adventure: Ford Bronco Portraits and Storytelling Moments at Watson Lake
Upon arriving at Watson Lake, we first drove up to a parking lot on the top of a hill to capture the couple with their rented Ford Bronco. This was another special request from Shelby and Logan. Shelby is a big fan of the Ford Bronco and was very excited that they were able to rent one during their stay. So of course we had to document them with it!
I seldom get the opportunity to work with vehicles during sessions so I had a lot of fun coming up with creative poses to do with them while also capturing the beautiful high desert landscape. This little part of the day 100000% felt like we were doing a promo for the Ford Bronco and I have no complaints! The Bronco looked amazing against the desert landscape and added an additional adventurous element to their already adventurous elopement! Everything came out so cute and we all had a lot of fun!
Before leaving this area, we utilized a small bench nearby that overlooked the lake below. Although the area has full sun coverage, there was a nice thin layer of clouds that filled the sky, adding the perfect amount of diffused light on the couple and allowing me to not only capture them backlit from behind, but also some adorable cozy storytelling shots! I love capturing these types of slow, intentional moments which I am able to do so often during elopements. They are things I always love to try to implement into my normal wedding portrait time but seldom can, due to the pace I am often forced to go. It’s one of the reasons I love the getting ready portion or having more than an hour for post-ceremony formals - but that is a tangent for another day!
Granite Dells & Golden Hour: A Mix of Intimate Portraits and Scenic Views at the North Boat Ramp
Once we concluded our time here, we headed over to the North Boat Ramp parking lot area to take photos alongside the incredible granite dells. We made our way to the dramatic rock formations, stopping along the way to do photos in between. While in this area, Shelby attached Logan's colorful boutonniere to his green suit which beautifully matched her vibrant bouquet from Allan’s Flowers and More. Sidenote, while writing this blog I discovered that Allan’s Flowers has been operating in the Prescott area since 1914, making them over 100 years old! But anyway, one thing I absolutely loved about this couple was their use of color! From Logan's green suit, to the turquoise accents and jewelry they both wore, and of course their bright and colorful flowers they had! Everything tied together so nicely and allowed them to not only flow with the scenery but also pop against it.
Once we were among the dynamic dells of Watson Lake, I opted for a mix of classical and more cinematic like photos since there was plenty of opportunity for more wide angle shots. For me, documenting the scenery was incredibly important because it was the reason why Shelby fell in love with this location in the first place. This area is so unique and special, and I really wanted to show off the couple while displaying the incredible natural area they were in - without allowing it to overpower them. Although the landscape was a major priority for us, we also made sure to, of course, focus on some more intimate, close up shots as well. Lastly, we couldn’t forget about sprinkling in some maternity poses!
Throughout the day we were sure to include a couple maternity poses in the different areas since the couple expressed this was a big focus they had for the day. Shelby was only about 15 weeks when we did their elopement so she wasn’t showing much, but she did sport an absolutely adorable bump! The two were just over the moon to be bringing a child into the world together and you could absolutely tell that this child was going to be showered with love. Also, in case you were wondering, the couple is still doing amazing and welcomed their little baby Flora into the world last month. I will be meeting them next month to capture their little family in Kansas City, MO and I absolutely can not wait!
But, for now, let’s return to their elopement!
Once we felt satisfied with the poses and photos we got with the massive granite dells that bordered the lake, we made our way to a trail right off of the parking lot. The sun at this time was beginning to get low, which caused the tall, feather-like grass we first encountered to glow. In this area, we purely focused on maternity poses as the glowy light created a beautiful atmosphere for more intimate images. The warm, yellow light created a cozy and inviting atmosphere while giving the expecting parents a beautiful backlit glow.
As we traveled further down the trail, we found an area where the path opened up and provided a perfect area to do more action oriented poses such as spins, dips, and of course lots of kisses! The couple stood in front of a wall of granite that looked almost as if someone had stacked several massive granite stones on top of each other while surrounded by the high desert flora that lined the path. While taking photos we were amazed to see not one but two sets of Canadian Geese fly over the couple! Almost as if Mother Nature herself released them intentionally mirroring the old tradition of doves being released at a ceremony.
Sunkissed Promises: Golden Hour Vows and a Heartfelt Picnic Celebration at Watson Lake
With the sun reaching golden hour, we decided to wrap up here and begin the main event - the ceremony! For the ceremony, the couple opted to head back up to the higher parking lot so we could have a better vantage of the lake and all of its beauty. Once we arrived, we quickly scouted a rock that would provide the couple with an overall flat “stage” but would also give us space around them to move around without a high risk of twisting an ankle. Once we settled on the location, we began setting up by mic’ing up Shelby and Logan and setting up our stationary camera to capture the audio as well as some additional footage for their video. When we finished setting up and settling in, the couple began reading their heartfelt words to each other as the sun drenched the landscape around them in gold.
The words they shared spoke not only of the past and present love for one another, but also for the future they were excited to head towards hand-in-hand. A future filled with adventure, compassion, growth, and of course love. As they spoke from their hearts, their voices cracked as joyful tears welled up in their eyes followed by loving giggles and soulful embraces. As they shared their words one thing was clear: this was their person - now and forever. A promise they sealed at the end with the exchanging of rings and a final kiss against the sun-kissed world around them.
Once the ceremony concluded, we did a couple celebratory as well as additional maternity photos with the couple before releasing them to have their first meal as husband and wife. Something I love doing with couples is have them do a cheer, kiss, dip, or mix as they walk down the aisle. Since we did not have an aisle at Watson Lake, we opted for a couple of cheering “We did it!!” photos instead. We also wanted to make sure we made use of the ultrasound photo before it got too late so we did some ultra sweet photos with that as well. I made sure I didn’t keep them for too long though before releasing them to have their feast!
Every elopement is different. This couple opted to not have a meal and a cake cutting in the traditional sense, but instead did it in their own way. They pulled out picnic chairs, grabbed an assortment of snacks, and created their own little charcuterie-like set up. After grabbing a few photos of them enjoying their meal, I grabbed their rings from them and took this time to capture one of my favorite things - the ring photos!
A Sweet Finale Overlooking Watson Lake: Pangea Bakery Cupcakes and Super Moon Portraits
We then moved on to their own version of a cake cutting, featuring delicious gourmet cupcakes from another local small business: Pangea Bakery! The two had their own flavor and did the traditional feeding ritual which we captured before documenting them just being together for a little longer. Shelby and Logan also gave us cupcakes, which was super nice of them, and they were absolutely delicious! So now I can personally recommend that you check out Pangea Bakery if you find yourself in the Prescott area and craving something sweet!
As the sun continued to set, the granite dells were painted a vibrant orange and a beautiful, nearly-full moon began to rise in the sky above. The moon was gearing up to be a super moon and with its bigger size we were able to actually capture it with the couple! So with the last few moments of our time we did just that!
As the sunset gave its final burst of color, we wrapped up the elopement and said our goodbyes, leaving Logan and Shelby as they sat and watched the day turn to dusk soaking up the final moments of the day - the first day of their forever.
It truly was a perfect day! With beautiful temps, gorgeous fall colors, and the perfect amount of clouds in the sky. We absolutely loved being with this couple and capturing their Prescott Elopement. I can’t wait to see them again in the summer so I can capture their family as a whole! But that’s not all, before you go, be sure to check out their beautiful wedding video that we made for them!
Interested in having your own elopement documented? Reach out today!