What do you picture when you think of your wedding? Do you picture a 300 person extravaganza in a church, with a plated dinner and dancing into the night?
Or do you picture something different? Something intimate yet epic, something you can look back on for the rest of your life and think we had an adventure.
If that’s you, then we need to talk about the Utah Salt Flats. The Salt Flats are a totally gorgeous, totally outrageous, totally breathtaking area in Utah just outside of Salt Lake City.
First of all, what the heck are the Salt Flats (sometimes called the Bonneville Salt Flats)? It might look like sand, but it is actually salt, as far as the eye can see. There was a lake here once upon a time, but the lake evaporated and left behind this amazing photographer’s paradise.
I love photographing weddings and elopements at the Salt Flats because it is truly like no place else on Earth. The vastness, the flatness, the purity of the light – if you get married at the Salt Flats, your photos are going to look RAD. (A little photographer’s tip here – the salt acts like a giant reflector, meaning that that evening light on you is going to be soft, diffused, and suuuuuper flattering and beautiful on you!).
Photographing elopements at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah is a total dream.
Why Eloping at the Salt Flats is So Awesome
First of all, it’s easy. Just get your Utah marriage license, and either decide on an officiant to join you on the Salt Flats, or you can get married at the courthouse beforehand and then have your wedding ceremony on the Salt Flats! I can help give you more guidance on this too (eloping on the Salt Flats also requires a permit from the Bureau of Land Management that I can help you with).
Secondly, it’s baller. I mean, just look at it! This is a case where a picture really is worth a thousand words.
Third, eloping on the Salt Flats lets you have an epic, adventurous, gorgeous experience without having to hike a million miles. Trust me, while I am adventurous, I am NOT the sort of girl who likes to hike up a mountain at sunrise. And I can handle the Salt Flats no problem – when the Flats are dry you can drive on them and thus have plenty of privacy for your ceremony (without having to hike super far).
The Salt Flats are usually dry from July – October, making that the best time to visit, but you should always double check the weather and make sure you have a backup plan in case the Flats are flooded!
