As elopement planners, we’ve had the privilege of helping countless couples turn their dreams into reality, and Shawna and Patrick’s elopement journey was a truly unforgettable one. Their love story is an inspiration to those seeking a blend of adventure, intimacy, and the profound beauty that only nature can provide.

Join us as we sit down with Shawna and Patrick to relive their Red Rock Canyon elopement experience. Through their words and experiences, you’ll discover what makes eloping in this remarkable desert landscape so enchanting and why Red Rock Canyon is an increasingly popular destination for couples looking to tie the knot in a truly unique and magical way. Their story is a testament to the boundless possibilities that elopements can offer!

General Elopement Experience

Can you share your love story and what led you to choose elopement in Las Vegas?

Patrick and I love to say that we are “two creatives who happened to meet on the same journey,” which encapsulates us and our love story so well!  Three and a half years ago, we met in August 2020, in the midst of the pandemic.  While standing in line at IKEA with an old friend of mine, I spotted a tall, dark and handsome man on a certain dating app and swiped.  After swapping endless Spotify songs and YouTube videos back and forth for days, we both realized that we had the same passion:  To renovate a camper and travel the entire US as nomads.  One month after we met, we purchased an old 1989 pop-up camper, completely renovated it over the next year, and took it for its first camping trip.  While there, we spotted our next project: a 1997 school bus that was being sold by a local school district.  We quickly sold the pop-up camper and began taking out the old school bus seats, complete with old school IDs and pencils.  One year later, we took that same school bus out for her first trip!  And while our living situation and travel plans changed along the way and we ended up moving into a home and renovating that instead, being able to partner together, to be able to heal our childhood selves together while achieving our creative dreams, has truly been the most amazing journey of our lives.

What made you decide to work with our elopement planning services?
We always knew that we wanted to do something different for our wedding. Something so uniquely and authentically us, just the way that we live our everyday lives. Long before we became engaged (in our school bus I might add!), we followed Elopement Las Vegas along with their vendors like Onyx & Arrow Photography and Lomax Wedding Films. Being able to see the raw, unfiltered emotions of their weddings, the visuals of the one-of-a-kind locations, and the tutorials online made our decision that much easier. Las Vegas also happened to be where we had our first vacation together as well, where we were able to run along the strip, spend time with family and friends, and create our first memories. So, when we spotted Elopement Las Vegas online and the gorgeous Red Rock Canyon, it was a no-brainer!

Describe the overall experience of planning your elopement with us. Was it what you expected?
From the very first email that I sent to Emily back in 2022 inquiring about Elopement Las Vegas’ services, I could feel the warmth and genuine kindness in every response. Before we were ready to book, Emily & her team sent along all the information you could ever ask for; brochures, add-on options, locations, potential reception spots and a plethora of other information that made everything make sense so effortlessly. We truly feel as though Emily and her team are our best friends, that we could contact for anything we needed, or even just to express our excitement during our final countdown! Once our contracts were signed and our date was reserved (11/11/23), our wedding planning process just flowed beautifully. Because Emily & her team handled so many of the logistics, we were able to use our mental bandwidth to make our entire wedding as magical and thoughtful for our guests as much as we felt it ourselves. We were able to make custom hangover kit bags, our custom guest book and plan activities for the few days our guests would be there, and all because we had the freedom to do so without having to worry about the logistics of the wedding itself!

Were there any unexpected challenges you encountered during the planning process?
Truly, there was not a single part of the planning process that was even remotely stressful or challenging. Even while looking into the restaurants that Emily suggested for possible reception dinners, we were met with excitement, encouragement and kindness throughout the entire process. For the wedding itself, we knew we were in the best hands that could have been offered to us, and were able to trust that our day would be as stunning as all of the others we had seen online!

Venue and Location

Tell us about your choice of venue or location for the elopement. What drew you to that particular spot?
From the second we saw the stunning Red Rock Canyon Boardwalk, we knew right away that that was where we needed to be married. So much so that we visited just a few months before our wedding to see our location for itself and experience the views of the stunning canyons, veined with trails of red and auburn and cradled all between the greenery and fall colors of the trees. Of course, when booking, there is a small possibility that the location might be changed depending on the availability, but Emily made her magic happen as she always does, and we were able to have the location we had been dreaming about.

How did the location enhance your elopement experience?
When we say that our day truly could not have been better, we mean it! From the second we arrived, we saw that the lush greenery that we had seen just a few months prior was now stunning shades of gold and amber. The breeze was warm and inviting, and the sunlight was positioned perfectly to create a dappling effect across our stunning boardwalk. The best term that we could ever use to describe the energy of our wedding, is that it was just so calming, so grounding and so authentic, and we truly feel that being in the place that we love the most, that we will continue to visit (and live nearby!) for the rest of our lives, had everything to do with it.

Were there any unique or unexpected moments at your chosen venue?
From the moment we arrived at our location, we were met with such enthusiasm and excitement for our special day. Martha, our spectacular coordinator, quickly introduced herself and handed me my bouquet with words of love and kindness. Griffin, our officiant that we still talk about to this day, made sure to take a brief pause with me to go over name pronunciations and correct spellings. When my groom Patrick was beside himself with emotion at the altar, Griffin and Martha both spoke to him with such gentleness and thoughtfulness that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. One moment that occurred between ourselves and Griffin, that my groom will hilariously continue referring to for years to come, is that while exchanging rings, Griffin referred to Patrick’s custom band with intricate Rebel symbols as “Beskar Metal.” The context here is that Patrick is an avid Star Wars fan, so much so that in our renovated home, we have a designated “Star Wars bathroom.” Well, in the Mandalorian show, the main character’s armor is made from that same Beskar metal. With no direction from us, Griffin was able to sprinkle just a bit more magic into our day, and Patrick will forever refer to his ring as a one-of-a-kind armor!

Budget and Cost Savings

Many couples choose elopement for budget reasons. How did eloping in Las Vegas impact your wedding budget?

While monetary restrictions are a very real challenge these days, there’s no amount that could ever repay Elopement Las Vegas or our vendors for our experience.  We currently live in the SF Bay Area, where weddings cost a minimum of 50k and skyrocket towards the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Knowing that we wanted to do something different, we knew that having a wedding back home wasn’t going to give us the same experience that we needed.  For the amount we paid to Elopement Las Vegas, and then to our reception dinner, while also being able to experience Las Vegas and all its magic, we were able to save tens of thousands of dollars, but every single penny was worth spent, and then some.

Were there any cost-saving strategies or tips that you found particularly helpful?
There were a few different strategies we used while planning. The first and utmost is that we used the “Chase Sapphire Credit Card Hack,” where we were approved for said card and were able to responsibly pay down our deposit to Elopement Las Vegas. The trick with these cards is to always keep a zero balance to be able to utilize the rewards, which with the sign-on bonus, we were able to have our rooms for ourselves (and our children!) fully paid for! We also highly suggest purchasing a Cricut machine, even used if possible. Being able to create the custom decals for our wedding, for our guests and their welcome gifts saved us an immense amount, and we were able to make every guest feel uniquely special and honored on our special day.

Family and Friends

Did you choose to invite any family or friends to your elopement? If so, what was their reaction to your decision?
We chose to invite 20 of our closest friends and family to be with us on our day. With that said, our family knew that we would do something outside of the box, and were beyond excited to be a part of our day with us. And after all, it’s Vegas! The best tip that we could ever give is that while some family and friends may not understand why you would want to elope, that the day is yours, the memories are forever, and that those that truly cherish you and love you will encourage you along the way!

If you didn’t invite family and friends, how did you communicate your elopement plans to them?
There were a few family members that were apprehensive about coming to Vegas, whether it was because of age, new arrivals or other holidays. And that is just fine! So we made sure to incorporate them with bouquet and boutonniere charms to honor their presence, and were able to print off photos with their Thank You cards to make sure they felt included!

Post-Elopement Celebrations

Did you have any post-elopement celebrations or plans to celebrate with loved ones afterward?
After our ceremony, we took our limousines back to the strip and to our hotel. From there, we gave our guests a couple of hours to either change, grab a drink or mingle about the strip before having our official reception dinner at Virgil’s Real BBQ. Our reception was family style, which ended up being so perfect and the food was truly amazing! For the family and friends that were not able to be there for us in person at our wedding, we were able to have an intimate showing of our stunning wedding video from Lomax Wedding Films during Christmas as a surprise!

How did you feel about your choice to have an intimate elopement instead of a traditional wedding after the fact?
There will never be a single regret about our decision or our day or our experience! From start to finish, we knew having a smaller, intimate elopement was perfect for us. And we’re so happy that we stayed true to ourselves and were able to have such a magical day not just for us, but for everyone that made the trip out there to be with us!

Advice for Future Couples

What advice would you give to other couples considering eloping in Las Vegas or planning an intimate ceremony?
Our #1 advice that we would give is to stay true to yourselves and your story. Remember where and how you first met, what connected you from the start, what you’re passionate about, and have the wedding that you deserve that models all of those things! The day truly goes by so fast, but the memories, photos and videos are forever, and you want to radiate happiness and love throughout the entire process. Las Vegas is and will always be such a special place for us, from the mountains to the strip, but if you love the beach, or Tahoe, or any of the other locations that Elopement Las Vegas and Epic Elopements offer, there’s truly an experience for everyone!

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently or any additional tips you’d like to share with couples considering a similar path?
There’s not a single thing we would have done differently from start to finish! Any other additional fun tips would be to remember and have a moment to yourselves, even if it’s just a couple of seconds together to celebrate such a huge moment! Smile, cry, laugh, or just bask in the love that you two share. Until forever is over, this day is yours. We love you ELV!!