How to elope in Arizona

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How to Elope in Arizona

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If you’ve started planning your elopement or you’re just considering eloping, you may be coming up with a few questions on how exactly you do it. Whether you’re an Arizona native or just choosing the Grand Canyon State as the backdrop for your day - this blog breaks down exactly how you go about all of it. From how to apply for a marriage license, legally get married & choosing locations.

Not sure what exactly an elopement is or entails? Check out my other blog post that covers everything to know about eloping.

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What you’ll need to do:

• Apply for a marriage license

• How to get legally married

• Choose vendors & officiant

• Choose time of year

• Find a ceremony location & check permits

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Applying for a marriage license

To apply for a marriage license in the State of Arizona, you & your partner must both appear in person at one of the Justice Court offices. You both must be at least 18 years old, provide a valid government-issued photo I.D., & provide your Social Security Numbers, if you have one.

You will both be sworn in & will sign two affidavits to state that your personal information is correct.

You do not need to provide a copy of a divorce decree.

There is no blood test or waiting period required.

You do not need to obtain a marriage license in the county you’re getting married.

There is a filing fee that is currently $83 (subject to change).

The Marriage License is valid for up to 12 months.

You do not have to be living in AZ to get married here!

A marriage license must be issued prior to your wedding ceremony taking place.

Locate justice court offices in Arizona with this map.

More info about specific county laws can be found on the U.S. Marriage Laws website here.

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Sean & Julien chose to have a Shaman Blessing for their elopement ceremony performed by Native American officiant, Uqualla.

How to get legally married

For your elopement in Arizona, you’ll need:

• An officiant

• 2 witnesses (I can count as 1!)

• Your marriage license

  An officiant must perform the ceremony & two witnesses at least 18 years or older must be present. At the completion of the ceremony, you & your partner, the witnesses, & the officiant will sign the license.

Who can be an officiant?

According to the U.S. Marriage Laws website, the officiant must be legally authorized to perform marriages in the state of Arizona. The cool thing about this is that you don’t have to have just anyone be your officiant. It’s (surprisingly) really easy to become ordained - if you don’t already have someone in mind, but you’d like the person performing your ceremony to be someone you know - ask them to get ordained!

Marriages can also be performed by any of these officiants:

1. Duly licensed or ordained clergymen.

2. Judges of courts of record.

3. Municipal court judges.

4. Justices of the peace.

5. Justices of the United States supreme court.

6. Judges of courts of appeals, district courts and courts that are created by an act of Congress if the judges are entitled to hold office during good behavior.

7. Bankruptcy court and tax court judges.

8. United States magistrate judges.

9. Judges of the Arizona court of military appeals.

10. Licensed or ordained clergymen (this includes ministers, elders or other persons who by the customs, rules and regulations of a religious society or sect are authorized or permitted to solemnize marriages or to officiate at marriage ceremonies).

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Choose Vendors

If you ask me… this the best part of all (I might be a little biased though).

Choosing your vendors for your elopement day are so important. Elopements are so intimate & personal, often times your photographer & officiant are some of the only people with you that day.

Which is why I want you to feel comfortable & completely yourselves during your day. When it comes to elopements, I’m a lot more than just a photographer for you. I’ll be your planner & your guide. I’m going to help you find all the best locations, plan a timeline for your day, & I’ll have you covered with just about everything you need (whether it’s Tylenol, a Tide Pen, extra water, or even a jacket - I’ve got you both covered).

Here’s a list of all the vendors you may want/need for your day:

• Photographer

• Officiant

• Florist

• Hair & Makeup Artist

• Videographer

• Dress/Suit Rentals

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Choose Time of Year

The best part about Arizona is depending on where you choose to elope - you can pretty much plan your wedding for anytime of the year.

If you’re wanting to stick to the Southern part of the state (think Phoenix, Lost Dutchman State Park, Tucson, etc.) - then late October to early April is your best time to elope to avoid being too hot.

If you’d like to go up North towards Sedona, Flagstaff, Page, & the Grand Canyon - March through early October are some of the best times (especially to escape the Valley heat). If you’re wanting to have some snow adventures during your elopement though, the winter months are a great time to head up North!

When it comes to elopements, it’s usually best to be a little flexible with your dates. Sometimes certain state & national parks, as well as tribal land, have restrictions on different trail heads & areas during different times of the year.

It’s important to talk with your vendors, specifically your photographer, way ahead of time to discuss what you’re wanting for your day. Let me help you plan your dream elopement.

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Find a Ceremony Location & Check Permits

Arizona is so beautiful & truly has so many different landscapes to serve as the backdrop for your elopement. It all depends on what you picture for your day:

Looking to be surrounded by saguaros?

Saguaro National Park, Lost Dutchman State Park, or White Tank Mountain Regional Park.

Want to explore the red rocks?

Sedona has endless trails & areas to explore.

Want to get lost in the mountains?

Mogollon Rim, Mount Lemmon, or Flagstaff.

Looking for canyons & formations to explore?

The Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, or Monument Valley.

Many of these locations require certain passes/permits in order to have a ceremony & photos taken there. I’ll help you get this taken care of way ahead of time!

This truly just touches the surface of what all Arizona has to offer & these are only some of the most popular areas. I help you find those off the beaten path locations that will make you feel right at home. Whether you want to explore somewhere more secluded or a spot you’ve had saved on your Pinterest board for years - let’s start planning.

Looking for more suggestions? Check out my blog post: Nine of the Best Places to Elope in Arizona.

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Even if you haven’t decided for sure yet that you & your partner want to elope - I’m so stoked that you’re even considering it! Eloping is such a personal & intimate way to get married. It’s centered all around your love & just celebrating the two of you. It’s not about throwing a party for other people, but planning an epic adventure to start your marriage.

Whether you have more questions about how to plan your elopement, want to inquire about me photographing your day, or just want to chat - send me an email anytime here.

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Hi! I’m Samantha, a Phoenix, Arizona based adventure elopement photographer. Originally from the Midwest, I moved out to Arizona two years ago & fell in love with the idea of helping couples plan their wedding completely around themselves & what they want for their day. Elopements bring the idea back of celebrating your love & making your day all about you - you’re not worrying about including certain traditions or following what you think you’re expected to do. Let’s start planning your unique adventure.

When I’m not capturing couples in love, I can be found exploring different hiking trails throughout the Valley, hanging out with my boyfriend Brannon, listening to a true crime podcast, or probably looking up photos of golden retrievers.

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Everything to know about Eloping

So before we dive into this, let me introduce myself. I’m Samantha Rose, I’m an elopement & intimate wedding photographer that’s based in Phoenix, Arizona. The reason I’m writing this is to help answer any questions people may have about what elopements are, how elopements work, & basically why they’re becoming more popular. For me, I’m all about helping create a day that’s special for you & your partner. Whether that’s going on an adventurous hike & saying your vows at the top of a mountain or having a small ceremony where you got engaged - you deserve to have your dream day exactly how you want. Let’s create a day that’s unique to the two of you & all about celebrating your love.

What to know about elopements

Arizona Elopement Photographer

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What is eloping?

Just to clear things up right at the beginning - no, you do not have to go to Vegas & get married by someone dressed up as Elvis. The idea of eloping has changed A LOT in just the last few years. When you Google the definition of “eloping” it says: “run away secretly in order to get married, especially without parental consent.” Again, this is NOT what eloping is anymore. I don’t think there is one exact definition of eloping, but to me - eloping is when you & your partner make the decision to have a wedding completely centered around the two of you. You’re not concentrating on putting on a party for other people or feeling like you have to include typical traditions. It’s a day focused around expressing your love (& most the time includes an epic adventure).

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Are elopements just a trend?

Do I think elopements are becoming more popular? Absolutely. Do I think they are trendy? Absolutely. Do I think they’re going to stick around? Absolutely.

Elopements are on the rise, there’s no doubt about it. I do not think they are a trend that’s going to come & go though. Which makes me so happy. I LOVE that more couples are making the decision to have a day just about them. If a big, traditional wedding just doesn’t feel right to you - you’ve probably already started looking at the alternatives. I think it’s taken awhile for more people to start eloping because it’s felt a little taboo for so long. Couples have different reasons for eloping - whether it’s because of your relationship with your family or you just love the outdoors & want to center your day around that. When you’re surrounded by traditional weddings for so long & all the traditions that they entail - it can make you feel like that’s what you have to do. I’m here to tell you though that you can do whatever you want for your wedding.

Do you tell people that you’re eloping?

The easiest way to answer this is that you can tell people that you’re eloping. If you want to. By no means do you have to tell anyone, but the “new norm” is that elopements aren’t something you run away & do & don’t tell people about. It’s still your wedding day - you’re just choosing to make it a celebration centered completely around the two of you.

If you think it will be easier for you & your partner to tell the people in your life afterwards that you decided to elope, then that’s probably the right decision for you two! The hard truth is that, not everyone may understand why you don’t want a traditional wedding. You may feel pressure from certain people in your life to not elope or to still try to do things in a way that isn’t true to you. By eloping, you may feel like you’re making a selfish decision, but that’s okay! You’re allowed to be selfish - it’s your wedding!

If you do want to tell people beforehand - have a plan for how to tell them if you think they may want you to go a more traditional route. Talk to your friends & family & explain why having an elopement means so much.

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Can you include your family/close friends in your elopement?

Absolutely! You’ll probably find a lot of photographers referring to this as an “intimate wedding” because typically now elopements are referring to when it’s just the couple, the officiant, & photographer (& possibly videographer). No matter what you call it though, yes, you can include others.

Whether it’s a destination location or somewhere close to home - by having others there, it may change or affect how you go about your elopement day. You may want to say your vows on top of a mountain, but that may be unrealistic to have family members hike up there with you. Your loved ones can be waiting down at the bottom for you to celebrate once you’ve made it ‘official’ or maybe you want to say your vows at a simpler location with others around you & then head up by yourselves after for photos. Or maybe you want to go the route of having the whole day be just the two of you & then celebrating with all your friends & family at a small reception or dinner later on.

You have a lot of options. And a lot of things may factor in to what you decide to do. This is where I can help you figure out a realistic timeline for the day, choosing locations, & what may be the best option for your day.

Is an elopement spur of the moment? Or can/do you plan it out?

This goes back to how elopements have changed a lot. Sometimes, elopements may still be spur of the moment. Plans change & people decide last minute that they don’t want to have a traditional wedding so in less than a month they plan an elopement.

I’d say this isn’t the typical thing to do anymore though. Just like a normal wedding - elopements take planning! You have to choose your attire, florals, photographer, videographer, hair & makeup artist & THE LOCATION! The best part about all of this is though - these are all decisions just focused around the two of you. You’re not figuring out plans for pleasing other people, which already makes the planing process a lot less stressful.

If you ask me though, if you know that you want to elope - don’t wait to plan it. You want to find vendors that feel right for your elopement day & most the time, you still will have to book things pretty far in advance (for photographers, it’s most typically a year). And when you factor in traveling - it’s still a lot to plan. I’m here to help you figure out all the details though.

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Can I still include traditional things in my elopement?

Yes, absolutely! In case you haven’t picked up on this yet, you can do & include whatever you want.

Want to wait & see each other until you say your vows? You can!

Want to do a first look beforehand? You can!

Want to get ready together? You can!

Want to include something old, something new, something borrowed, & something blue? You can!

Want to write letters to each other & read them beforehand? You can!

You can include anything & everything or nothing at all. I’m here to help you plan it all & create your dream day, exactly how you imagine it.

*Bonus: Do you still go on a honeymoon if you elope?

I’d say this depends on where you decide to elope. If you’re choosing to stay in your home state for your elopement & just travel a few hours away, you’re probably still going to want to go somewhere for your honeymoon! If you’re traveling out of state or even out of the country though - the trip typically will be your honeymoon. You can plan your elopement at the beginning of the trip that way you can celebrate the rest of the time & use it as your honeymoon.

So… Should you elope?

If you ask me - yes. Without a doubt, I think you should elope. To me, eloping is one of the most romantic & intimate ways to begin your marriage. You’re focusing on just the two of you & your love & all the things that mean the most to your relationship.

This isn’t about what I think though - this is about what you want. Did you read this post & picture you & your partner saying your vows in a beautiful destination? Did the idea of not throwing a party for other people, but planning a day centered around exactly what you want excite you? Are you already looking up ‘best places to elope’? If you said yes to any of these - I think that should answer that eloping is probably right for you.

I want to help all the lovers & dreamers out there that want to take the not-so-typical route for their wedding day & plan an adventure solely around their love. For some, this may be a tough decision, but I’m here to help & plan all the details. If you have any questions about eloping or just want to chat - send me an email.

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Samantha Rose Photography is a Phoenix, Arizona based elopement & intimate wedding photographer. She’s passionate about helping couples plan their dream adventure wedding focused around their love. When she’s not photographing couples she can be found hiking, planning her next trip, or binge watching Criminal Minds.