Beautiful Southwest Style Desert Elopement

When you think of the word ‘elopement' what springs to mind?

Chic city hall type affairs?

A vespa getaway? (Ok that might just be me.)

The definition of elopement is:

To run away with a lover, especially with the intention of getting married.

Where better to run away to than the dusty, desert landscape of Phoenix, USA, with the wind in your hair and love in your heart?

From the simplicity of the intimate lakeside ceremony to the bohemian, Southwest style decor and details (made by the couple themselves), Josh and Kelsey's beautiful, love filled elopement leaves me speechless.

From Alea of Alea Lovely Fine Art Photographer + Film Maker:

Josh and Kelsey's wedding was so fun and unlike any wedding I had ever been to because it was so “fly by the seat of your pants.” There were no concrete plans (in a great way!), and it was just so intimate.

Kelsey's something old, was a piece of lace she'd had in the back of her closet for years, which was then sewn onto her wedding dress by her family, the morning of the elopement.

The couple bucked tradition as Josh helped Kelsey into her wedding dress ~ what a special and intimate moment that must have been.

Their vows just blew me away with how special and personal they were to each of them. There were so many inside jokes and things that were meaningful to them — I loved how they didn’t stick with tradition.

They like to make furniture, so Josh made the altar they stood at and the table they ate at. They also handmade plates for their guests for the dinner they would have by the fire. It was southwest-themed, so the couple, who live in Texas, traveled to Phoenix for the affair, near where Josh’s dad, the officiant, lived.