Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument sits just outside Flagstaff, Arizona, and it looks exactly like it sounds. Ancient lava fields, cinder cones, and a landscape so otherworldly it barely feels like it belongs on this planet. When Jason and Shannon chose it for their elopement, Shannon decided she wasn’t going to show up in something ordinary. She dressed like she belonged there and she did.
These two met at a gym, which they will both tell you differently. Shannon noticed Jason first. Jason, for his part, insists he saw her from a mile away. Either way, they’ve been working out and falling in love ever since.
By the time we were deeper into the day I knew two more things about them. Jason is attempting to learn Bachata, emphasis on attempting and managed to butcher a word so spectacularly mid-session that both of them dissolved into a laughing fit. It was one of my favorite moments of the day. Shannon runs her own business making dog treats, and if you have a furry family member at home, she deserves your support.
What I loved most about Jason and Shannon was how intentional they were. They didn’t just pick a beautiful location — they built a whole day around the feeling of it. That kind of deliberate, creative energy is exactly what makes an elopement feel like it actually belongs to the two people in it.
If an out-of-this-world elopement in Flagstaff sounds like yours, I’d love to hear about it, contact me..
