Plan an Epic Merry Go Round Rock Elopement in Sedona
Merry Go Round Rock is a highly sought-after elopement location in Sedona. The Red Rocks are stunning from high above, the sunset is unforgettable, and the pictures from your wedding will be spectacular. If the natural beauty wasn’t enough to convince you, a Merry Go Round Rock elopement is an intimate location for your vows, and you can totally bring your dogs.
Merry Go Round Rock Elopement Wedding
But, before you swim in visions of soaking in the views at your Merry Go Round Rock elopement, there are a few things you need to know.
4×4 Vehicle
Look, a Merry Go Round Rock elopement is not a location with a dirt road. It’s a Sedona elopement destination with extreme off-roading. There will be a climb involved, and you’re gonna need a vehicle like a Jeep or a 4×4 to make that climb.
Along with your Jeep, you’ll need a driver who knows how to navigate the off-road terrain. Let’s be real here, your wedding is not the day to learn this skill! If you’ve never driven on offroad terrain like Merry Go Round Rock before; be safe, and hire someone. You don’t want to get stuck, or worse yet lost, when you’re on the way to your wedding ceremony.
Ceremony Location
Are you inviting guests to your Merry Go Round Rock elopement? You’ll also need to figure out the logistics for them when it comes to your ceremony. This is why, during the wedding planning process, it’s so important to steer clear of only booking an elopement photographer. You need a Sedona elopement package that includes: planning, logistics, an officiant, and a photographer. Here’s why.
Trying to figure out where your ceremony will take place for your Merry Go Round Rock elopement, takes some skill. What’s so amazing about this location is that it’s secluded. That Jeep we mentioned? You need it, just to actually get in. The upside to that is there’s no worry or concern about tourists or foot traffic “accidentally” crashing your wedding.
If it’s just the two of you, your elopement day will be private, intimate, and truly spectacular. However, if you’re inviting guests, it takes a little skilled planning and a lot of finesse to make it all happen. Which leaves you with two options.
The first is to talk to your planner about a recommended amount of Jeeps (preferably with a driver) to take all of your guests up and back to your ceremony. Of course, you will be responsible for picking up the additional fee for the rental of the vehicles. But, if you have a budget with some flexibility and you want your 20 guests (or less) to be there by your side at your Merry Go Round Rock elopement, it’s definitely workable. That’s option number one.
Option number two is to work with your planner on finding a ceremony spot that does not involve packing each of your guests into a Jeep. A skilled Sedona wedding planner will know the locations at Merry Go Round Rock that are accessible to your guests (some hiking may be involved). Perfect option if you don’t want to take Granny in a Jeep up Merry Go Round Rock and still have your moment.
Merry Go Round Rock Elopement By Season
With accessibility and ceremony locations out of the way the next thing you’ll need to chat with your planner about is the season. The scenery of a Merry Go Round Rock elopement is idyllic any time of the year. But each season comes with its own unique stipulations.
Summer
Are you planning a Sedona elopement during the summer months at Merry Go Round Rock? It’s totally doable. But, there are a few things to be mindful of. The first is the heat, which can vary from high 80s to high 90s. Nobody wants to spend their wedding sweaty & sticky in their best attire after they’ve had professional hair and makeup done.
But, if a summer wedding at Merry Go Round Rock is on your radar, you can work with us to find the right month, and most importantly time of day (usually morning) to host your Sedona elopement. Side note, if you have your heart set on a summer Merry Go Round Rock elopement, no matter what, you’re going to need to carry some bug repellent!
Winter
There’s no way to sugarcoat this, it gets super cold at Merry Go Round Rock in the winter. In fact, during the winter Merry Go Round Rock can sometimes close due to weather or snow. The months you want to be mindful of when booking a wedding at Merry Go Round Rock elopement are December through March.
We’ll say it again, this is a huge reason why you need an experienced planner and a skilled photographer for your Sedona elopement! If you work with us for your Merry Go Round Rock elopement you are in good hands with wedding pros who are from the area and familiar with the terrain. That way, if by chance the road is closed on the day of your wedding, we already have a backup plan in place.
Your Round Rock Wedding Photography
The sunset views of a Sedona elopement don’t get any better than Merry Go Round Rock. If you’re taking the time to go off-roading in a Jeep on your wedding day, then staying for the beautiful views is a huge part of the experience.
When the sun begins to set, there’s no denying the scenery over the horizon is some of the most gorgeous views you’ll ever see in your lifetime. Hold that vision in your mind for a second, and think about how that translates to your wedding photos!
Arizona Elopement Collective Pro Tip
Want to work on some golden hour photos while we’re there? Hire a private driver to navigate you through the terrain in your Jeep. But make sure they don’t have a policy in place that dictates when they “have” to drive you up or down. It should be at a time that works best for your wedding day.
Our Approach
We have a specific policy when it comes to wedding photography at Merry Go Round Rock. We don’t work with our couples on anything less than 6 hours of photography coverage. If you’ve been searching up Sedona elopement packages, and come across vendors offering 30 minutes to an hour of photography, the idea of 6 hours might totally blow your mind.
Merry Go Round Rock is not a Sedona elopement location you can pop in and out of in 30 minutes to an hour. In fact, when we work with our couples, we schedule one hour just to get up there and stop along the way. Those Jeep photos and shots of the canyon are unimaginable, and should not be missed. No way we’re going to rush you through this once-in-a-lifetime experience in under an hour. Especially after you rented a Jeep to get there!
We want you to soak in every single moment and experience of your Merry Go Round Rock wedding. Your wedding should be savored and enjoyed. Not chaotic and rushed. Creating a relaxed experience through wedding photography is the only way to get your photos to reflect the joy and emotion you are feeling in that moment.
That being said, our approach to photography is documentary. We’re not about forcibly posing our couples and telling them to smile for the camera. Instead, we let their emotions flow, to drive the moment. This approach creates pictures of your wedding that you’ll reminisce over for a lifetime.
Capturing the Red Rocks
When you searched up a Sedona elopement at Merry Go Round Rock, you probably noticed one very distinct image. That cool “through the rock shot”. Not every Sedona elopement photographer knows how to make this photo happen. It actually takes a lot of skill, and a bit of climbing. It’s also highly risky and some photographers will flat out refuse. However, our entire team is professionally trained on how to curate this magic for our couples.
Knowing that our couple’s Sedona elopement is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that comes with a side of adventure, we took the time to develop the skill in order to create this shot in a way that is safe for everyone. Mastering that shot also means knowing how to capture it for every season. Because, spoiler alert, every season brings its own unique challenges for creating this shot. But, if you want that “cool rock shot” with the best sunlight possible, we highly recommend a spring Merry Go Round Rock elopement.
Aside from that shot, if you’re eloping at Merry Go Round Rock there’s one other key element to your wedding photos. The Jeep you rented. Stand next to it, get inside, or pop champagne by it; we’re cool with any of the above, as long as it’s included in your Merry Go Round Rock wedding pictures.
Now that you have all the info needed to plan an elopement at Merry Go Round Rock, what about everything else you need to know about choosing the right Sedona elopement package?
