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Eloping in Moab, photographed and filmed

Utah has no waiting period for a marriage license1, and Arches writes its ceremony permits for a single hour2. That makes Moab an elopement you can fit into one trip: the short, early end of our Moab wedding page.

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Vows at a small ceremony
The two of them close together
The couple seen from behind in a tall frame
Coverage
Photo · Video · Photo + Video
Collections
Half day · Full day · Two days
Travel
In the quote
Booking
Direct with your photographer

In short

A Moab elopement can start and finish in one trip: Utah has no waiting period for the marriage license, and Arches writes its ceremony permits for a single hour. We photograph and film a first-light half day, from the clerk's counter to the permit hour, and your price list arrives within one business day.

Eloping in Moab

An elopement here is a permit hour with a headcount. Arches caps groups at 15 on Park Avenue, 25 at Double Arch and The Windows, 50 at Panorama Point and 80 at the Devils Garden Campground Amphitheater2; Canyonlands caps its sites at 15 or 253. Even the smallest cap leaves room for the couple, two witnesses and an officiant.

Utah requires two witnesses, each 18 or older4. A friend can officiate: someone who is not ordained can be designated by the Clerk/Auditor to officiate a single ceremony at no cost5.

Arches asks you to leave the decorations at home. There are no balloons, ceremony arches or other decorations, no PA system, no releases and no thrown birdseed or rice, and bouquets cannot contain dried plants; activities stay on slickrock, dry washes or maintained areas2. The permit holder and guests may take photos anywhere in the park2; we confirm how a hired crew is covered before we promise any stop beyond the ceremony site.

Getting married in Moab: the paperwork

The Grand County Clerk/Auditor issues the license at 125 E. Center St., Moab. Both of you appear between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. with current picture ID showing your date of birth, and you name the ceremony date and your officiant on the application5. No appointment is needed unless you want to marry at the Courthouse, and the process typically takes 30 minutes or less5. The fee is $50, non-refundable, with one certified copy included5.

The license is valid for 32 days anywhere in Utah4. After the ceremony the officiant returns it to the issuing county clerk within 30 days, with a certificate naming two or more witnesses6.

Permits are separate. Arches asks for a $185 application fee2 plus a cost-recovery monitoring fee, on top of the park entrance fee, and takes requests up to a year ahead2. Canyonlands uses the same $185 fee model3. Dead Horse Point State Park charges a $60 permit7 and a site fee of $100 an hour for up to 50 people or $150 an hour for 51 to 100, plus $20 per vehicle7. Hired photographers need their own permit there8.

Wedding detail

Marriage license

Issued by
Grand County Clerk/Auditor, 125 E. Center St., Moab, UT 84532
Fee
$50 (non-refundable; includes one certified copy)5
Waiting period
none1
Valid for
32 days4
Witnesses
2 (each 18 or older)4

The place

Elevation
4,026 ft (1,227 m)9
Population (2020)
5,3669
Weather by month
MonthAvg highAvg lowPrecip.
Jan1043.5 °F21.4 °F0.65 in
Apr1072.4 °F42.6 °F0.77 in
Jul1099.2 °F66.3 °F0.92 in
Oct1073.5 °F41.7 °F1.03 in

The day

A half day in Moab

Wedding detail

Heat decides the shape of a summer elopement here, so we plan a July morning that finishes before it builds. The sun rises at 06:06 and sets at 20:4211; the average July high is 99.2 °F and the average low 66.3 °F10, so the cool hour is the first one.

  1. We meet you at the site, in the blue light before sunrise.
  2. The permit hour begins. The ceremony takes the first part of it, with a lavalier microphone on your officiant for the film.
  3. Portraits with your witnesses and guests, who head back to town as the hour closes.
  4. The two of you across the rock in side light. The permit holder and guests may take photos anywhere in the park2.
  5. We finish, while the day is still comfortable. The film ends on the wide frame, with the two of you small in the landscape.

An evening session ahead of the 20:42 sunset11 is possible, but it adds a second set of conditions, so we plan it only at a site where hired photographers are already covered.

Sunrise and sunset
MonthSunriseSunset
Jan07:3417:21
Apr06:4219:54
Jul06:0620:42
Oct07:2718:40

Sunrise and sunset computed for the 15th of each month, local time.11

Wide frame with the couple small in the landscape

Where we elope you

For a first-light elopement we start from the smaller sites on the permit lists, then choose by the size of your party and the walk you want. Each of these sits inside a park, so the permit decides which one we can use, and we confirm that before the date is fixed.

  • Park Avenue the smallest identified Arches ceremony site, capped at 15 people.2
  • The Windows a ceremony site for up to 25 in the Windows section of Arches.2
  • Green River Overlook an Island in the Sky ceremony site in Canyonlands, also capped at 25.3
  • Mesa Arch a pothole arch on the eastern edge of Island in the Sky, a half-mile walk from the park road.12
The couple at dusk

Collections

Every collection comes as photo, video, or both, with the same team on the day. Half day covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits; Full day runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception; Two days adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session. Travel to Moab is built into the quote, not added later.

Prices depend on the date, the team and how far we travel, so we send a price list for Moab rather than publishing one number for every town. Ask for it below; it arrives within one business day.

Coverage
I

Half day

4 h · Photo + Video

Covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits.

  • Edited gallery
  • Print rights
  • Sneak peek within days
  • Feature film
  • Teaser
  • Full ceremony audio
  • One crew
II

Full day

8 h · Photo + Video

Runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception.

  • Edited gallery
  • Print rights
  • Sneak peek within days
  • Feature film
  • Teaser
  • Full ceremony audio
  • One crew
III

Two days

12 h · Photo + Video

Adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session.

  • Edited gallery
  • Print rights
  • Sneak peek within days
  • Feature film
  • Teaser
  • Full ceremony audio
  • One crew
Get the Moab price list

How booking works

  1. Send the form with your date and location.
  2. We reply within one business day with the Moab price list and the partner's recent work.
  3. Call with the photographer; if it fits, a deposit holds the date.
  4. A short questionnaire about people, places and timing, two weeks before.
  5. The day.
  6. A sneak peek first, then the full gallery and the film on the dates set in your contract.

Questions about eloping in Moab

01How to elope in Moab?

Apply for the license in person at the Grand County Clerk/Auditor, naming your date and officiant5, request the park permit for your site2, and bring two witnesses, each 18 or older4. We plan the light, the timeline and the pictures around the permit hour.

02How much is an elopement ceremony in Moab?

The fixed costs are the $50 license5 and a permit: a $185 application fee plus monitoring at Arches2 or Canyonlands3, or $60 plus an hourly site fee at Dead Horse Point7. Photography and videography are separate and depend on your date, so we send the Moab price list.

03Do we need witnesses to elope in Moab?

Yes. Utah requires two witnesses, each 18 or older4, and the officiant returns the license with a certificate naming them6. They can be friends, family or people you invite for the day. Tell us who is coming so we can check the headcount against your permit.

04Can you help us choose a time and a spot for the ceremony?

Yes. We match your date to the sunrise and sunset times, then to a site whose headcount fits your party, such as Park Avenue for up to 15 people2. In summer we lean toward first light. You choose the mood; we check the rules and the light.

05How long does an elopement session take?

A half day, counted from meeting at the site to the last frame. The ceremony itself is short, and the rest is the two of you moving through the landscape. Arches writes permits for one hour2, so we build the timeline around that slot.

06Can family join us for part of the day?

Yes, up to the cap at your site: 15 at Park Avenue, 25 at The Windows, 50 at Panorama Point2. Guests usually join for the ceremony and a short round of portraits, then leave you to the quieter part of the day.

Say when.

Tell us the date you are weighing and whether it is just the two of you. We reply within one business day with the Moab price list and a partner's recent galleries.

We reply within one business day with the price list for your place. Privacy policy · Terms

Sources

  1. Utah Courts — Marriage (Self-Help) (accessed 2026-11-06) utcourts.gov/en/self-help/case-categories/family/marriage.html
  2. NPS — Arches National Park: Weddings & Commitment Ceremonies (accessed 2026-11-06) nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/weddings.htm
  3. NPS — Canyonlands National Park: Weddings (accessed 2026-11-06) nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/weddings.htm
  4. Utah Code 81-2-302 — Marriage licenses: use within state, expiration (accessed 2026-11-06) le.utah.gov/xcode/Title81/Chapter2/81-2-S302.html
  5. Grand County, UT — Clerk/Auditor: Marriage Licenses (accessed 2026-11-06) grandcountyutah.net/586/Marriage-Licenses
  6. Utah Code 81-2-305 — Who may solemnize marriages; certificate (accessed 2026-11-06) le.utah.gov/xcode/Title81/Chapter2/81-2-S305.html
  7. Utah State Parks — Dead Horse Point State Park Wedding Packet (PDF) (accessed 2026-11-06) stateparks.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/COMPLIANT_DHP-Wedding-Packet.pdf
  8. Utah State Parks — Dead Horse Point State Park: Special Use Permits (accessed 2026-11-06) stateparks.utah.gov/parks/dead-horse-point/special-use-permits
  9. Wikidata — Q130134 (Moab): population P1082, elevation P2044 (accessed 2026-11-06) wikidata.org/wiki/Q130134
  10. Wikipedia — Moab, Utah climate table (NOAA 1991–2020 normals) (accessed 2026-11-06) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moab,_Utah#Climate
  11. Computed with suncalc (NOAA algorithm) github.com/mourner/suncalc
  12. Wikipedia — Mesa Arch (accessed 2026-11-06) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesa_Arch