Capitol Reef National Park Engagement Session // Fruita, UT
Lower Cathedral Valley, Capitol Reef NP
Where to start on this adventure!!!!
I was so stoked when I emailed Jessie & Dan letting them know I would be in Utah right before their wedding and if they were down, we could do a national park engagement shoot! They were so flexible and down for the trip, even with hardly any notice and only weeks before their wedding day!!! So lucky to have connected with people who are always down for a spontaneous adventure, just like me!
When we originally picked this location we had NO IDEA what we were getting into on these crazy roads through a less-known area of this huge national park! (We called it “soft0-roading” because it wasn’t QUITE off-roading, but it was for sure border line HAHA!) Long story short, the car of friends that I was with decided to do this 6 hour soft-roading experience to get to this location where we almost got stuck in like 3ft deep soft sand TOWING A JETSKI (we had just come from Lake Powell and we going to return the jetski rental right after this…. but trust us, we realize this wasn’t the smartest move HAHA). We forded a river…. went over massive rocks… held on tight around crazy sharp corners with steep drop-offs… a true adventure!!!!
The crazy thing about being all the way out here is that of COURSE there’s no service. I was so worried either my car would get stuck, or Jessie & Dan’s would, and then we would have no way of telling each other out in the middle of nowhere!!! It didn’t help that there was clearly some stormy looking clouds on the horizon moving our way. I knew that flash floods were pretty dangerous out here, so of course my brain started going to some worst case scenarios.
THANKFULLY we all made it okay and met up early!!!! It must have been quite the funny sight as Jessie & Dan pulled up to our campsite… we were all SO FREAKING HOT and the only shade we could create was using a tarp to tie from the top of our truck to the jetski. We were all wearing wet shirts and some swimsuits underneath because it was the only thing keeping us cool from that intense desert heat. We probably looked insane… HAHA!
We got to spend the evening amongst these epic giant towers in the middle of nowhere, and it was perfect. Just my kind of adventure!!! And now, in 2 short weeks, I get to go to Nebraska for their wedding and I couldn’t be more excited!!!!!
More from Utah:
This Zion National Park elopement was a blend of adventure, love, and family connection. After driving cross-country from North Carolina, they exchanged vows by the Virgin River and hiked to Canyon Overlook for breathtaking sunset portraits.