Long distance couldn’t keep Joy and Matt from starting their relationship and dating until they finally lived in Colorado together. Once they got engaged, Matt and Joy knew they wanted a destination wedding on a beach somewhere! Already a special place for Joy and Matt, and a place they loved visiting, Fort Myers Beach in Florida quickly rose to the top of their list. Lovers Key State Park provided just the place for them, and they decided that would be the location for their beachfront wedding.

Utah is a vastly beautiful state with so many different backdrops and charming places to consider for your elopement. It’s one of my favorite places to travel and vacation to—not to mention capture in a photo. Utah is a great place to elope or to renew vows. Here are my top five places to elope in Utah.

To start, Arches National Park is one of Utah’s most popular national parks and a stunning area to elope. Delicate Arch is the most famous feature, and looks spectacular during sunset. Located in southern Utah, Arches National Park isn’t far from the cute town of Moab, which has the hookups for hair, makeup, and floral arrangements for your elopement.

Bryce Canyon National Park provides a phenomenal backdrop for any elopement. From the captivating calcareous rock, to the famous Bryce Amphitheater, this National Park is a staple of Utah, and will definitely make your elopement seem right out of a fairytale. Most of the National Parks allow elopements and ceremonies to take place within their boundaries, but many of them have rules/suggestions when it comes to getting married in their specific park.

To elope in Bryce Canyon National Park, a special use permit must be secured first.

There are some places in this world that are filled with jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring beauty. Here in the United States, we’re lucky enough to have thousands of beautiful landscapes to explore, some of them in our own backyards. But some of them steal our hearts and lure us back time and time again, always soothing our souls and quieting our minds. Zion National Park is one of these places.

The red canyon walls tower above the Virgin River and the charming town of Springdale, Utah. Zion is an outdoor Lover's Paradise, offering everything from hiking to Camping to rock climbing and more.

How many of you stayed in your home town after high school and college? Did you put down roots where you grew up, or did you start fresh somewhere new? For Ali, the answer was hitting the road and settling down in a new place: Denver, Colorado.