Traditionally speaking, often times it is the couple’s families who help pay for their wedding. However, unfortunately that’s just not possible for everyone, especially these days when the cost of weddings can quickly and easily get out of control. Some couples find themselves in the position of paying for all of their own wedding expenses, which can be quite the financial burden to take on, and about 40% of Millennials end up in this boat. So, how can you stick to your allotted...Read more
Are you planning a short-notice, small wedding or elopement?
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIOS OPEN DURING COVID-19 - Many couples don’t want to wait. They are planning to get married in the very near future, eloping, or rushing a small ceremony with their photographer, some close friends, and family but dispensing with or postponing the reception party.
View WPJA photo stories from smaller weddings - WedElope | Choose love, not fear!
Arizona Wedding Photographers
Wedding Photographers of Arizona, United States
Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, Scottsdale, Tempe, Flagstaff, Payson
Arizona Elopement Photographers
YOU CAN'T STOP LOVE - In recent days, some of our North America photographers have expressed their desire to accommodate couples who don’t want to wait to be married and are rushing the ceremony.
Many brides and grooms around the globe are planning to elope and deciding to reschedule their original ideas for a big event because of current covid restrictions, social distancing, and mask requirements. They are getting wed on a whim, but dispensing with or postponing all else.
The WPJA has an abundance of top-ranked, documentary-style elopement photographers who are available right now who understand that some weddings can’t wait. Find yours today!
Most Recent WPJA WedElope Story Awards
Elopement Photographers for Small United States Weddings
Shooting an elopement or small Arizona wedding event is a wedding photojournalist’s dream: a fairly open schedule with lots of breathing space for creativity – it’s just the photographer, the couple, the officiant, and perhaps a few select companions.
Members are ready to document any justice of the peace, DIY - do it yourself, themed, or elopement wedding, even if it is a Monday-Thursday ceremony. Search for the “Can Shoot Weddings on Short Notice!” message on the listings below.
We are anxious to create a picture story chronicling your intimate, unique, religious, small wedding from beginning to end. In this sense, it is no different from any other event that we have covered. The emphasis is on documenting key moments, capturing spontaneous displays of emotion, telling your real love story, as well as creating artistic portraits and details.
Map of Wedding Photojournalists Serving Arizona Couples
12 Documentary Wedding Photographers...
I am an East Coast transplant who loves the desert, Boston Terriers and has a serious addiction to bright colorful sneakers. I am married to a fellow photojournalist who shares my passion for photography and adventure. I think about my own wedding as I photograph weddings for other people. I know how magical that day was for my husband and me and how special it was to be surrounded by all of our friends and family. My goal is to capture that feeling for you so you can relive your wedding day years from now as well. I consider myself a storyteller who creates unique, thoughtful, artistic and candid photographs that will last a lifetime. [Phoenix Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2300 (USD)
I am dedicated to delivering my clients timeless portraits and emotion-filled documentation of their truest selves. I work with two incredible women and together we climb and run and wait and work together to capture your wedding or elopement day with creative honesty. I am married to my childhood sweetheart and have three incredible children. I love to garden and good coffee is my essential fuel. [Arizona Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
3500 (USD)
I am a no-make-up... t-shirt wearing... animal-loving... travel obsessed, Love is Love Believer, foot in mouth extroverted introverted wedding & wildlife photographer based outside of Washington DC... (that was a mouth-full). I have been shooting weddings around the world for over 10 years. My work mixes all the best parts of wedding photography... intimate little moments, truly epic portraits, and fun family photos that are more than just stand here and smile. I try to work with my couples to create unique pieces of artwork, making their images stand out from anything they have ever seen before. My photographs are Bold, Colorful, and Real. I love emotion and work to incorporate that in all my work. I do this by investing in getting to know my couples. I am not a wham bam thank you photographer. We will be spending way more than just your wedding day together and after your wedding is over I totally expect to be grabbing drinks with you. While I primarily shoot weddings in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia, I absolutely love traveling and I love meeting up with couples while I am on an adventure (and it's only partly for hiking buddies) I give my couples affordable opportunities to travel with me anywhere in the world for elopements, mini weddings, and engagement sessions. I especially love traveling to the National Parks here in the US and frequently offer deals for full-day adventures! When I am not shooting weddings I am traveling the world-leading wildlife educational conservation photography tours. I take my clients to mostly East Africa where they have the opportunity to trek with Mountain Gorillas. I am an advocate for Wildlife Conservation around the world and have traveled to all Seven Continents photographing wildlife. Some of my wedding couples have even joined me for their honeymoons! [Washington DC Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
4000 (USD)
I am a Southern California storytelling photographer, so my number one goal is to capture your wedding day authentically. For me, it is all about genuine imagery that reflects the emotions and connections. I’ve always been one to document, but my love of photography really blossomed with the birth of our first child. I inherited my first DSLR camera, which I enjoyed, but it wasn’t until a friend taught me how to use the manual mode that I realized pointing and shooting play a very small role in creating a compelling image. So my quest began: to make images — creatively and expertly — that move the viewer emotionally. Soon after, I had more life-changing moments to document: our 2nd daughter’s cleft palate surgery and bringing our son home from the hospital for the first time. But I have realized what I enjoy most is capturing the little things: how she cocks her head when she pushes her palms into the play dough, or how he clambers up onto a bike that is way too big for him. For me, the joy of capturing a moment beautifully and memorably is the most exciting part of photography. My style is photojournalistic for a reason—I believe the images you will cherish over the years are not the posed ones but the genuine, honest ones. Documenting weddings gives me the opportunity to capture the unscripted moments that make life beautiful. [Los Angeles Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
1950 (USD)
I am a photojournalist and Pulitzer finalist who approaches weddings with a quiet presence and an eye for authenticity. I work with a calm demeanor and a desire to remain unnoticed, finding small moments of intimacy in the midst of public celebrations. While environment and ritual play an important part in my wedding coverage, I also focus on the personal connections and latent emotions brought to the surface by such pivotal moments in life. I feel my task is to anticipate and document moments as they naturally occur, without direction or interference. My ultimate goal is a highly personal book that is both beautiful and meaningful, authentic to the moment and revealing of those depicted. I'm a recent transplant to Denver, CO from Washington DC and I continue to cover weddings nationwide. [Denver Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
4000 (USD)
Born and raised in Texas but addicted to travel and shooting small-ish, untraditional weddings all over. Husband. Father. Coffee snob. And I dig all things Seinfield related. I started working as a freelance photographer in 2002 for 2 local news papers and 1 local magazine in my hometown. That time working for those publications helped me learn how to watch and wait for moments to unfold. I approach each wedding as its own unique and original event. No preconceived plans. No cookie-cutter ideas for your wedding day. Just honest moments being photographed undisturbed. My 3 children give me lots of practice photographing life as it unfolds before me in unpredictable fashion. I believe it is in those moments that true beauty is found. That's why I don't believe that I need to try and control your wedding day, but rather let the day unfold without interruption. It's the honest moments you are going to reflect on with true emotion, not the staged and posed. Be real, because life is too short not to be. [Dallas-Fort Worth Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2100 (USD)
I'm a Mexican-American documentary and editorial photographer based in Los Angeles (in the lovely enclave of Mount Washington). I document experiences and tell stories for artists, fashion designers, musicians, and of course, mindful couples that want to be in the moment and captured as they are. Getting my degree in Art History from UCLA really set me on a path towards photography that I'll always appreciate. Even today, I watch old films, read old books, and collect old cameras to get inspired. Most of my time these days is spent hanging with my wife Sarah and our wild baby boy, walking our dog Junie, and Facetime-ing with friends and family. Being mindful and being present is important to me and my work. I love taking trips to the foresty Big Sur and dusty Joshua Tree where it feels like the world slows down. With a cinematic touch, I tend to look for the quiet and calm in a moment. It's the serene stillness of a couple gazing into each other's eyes, or the expression of pure love encapsulated by a bride's smile on her wedding day. Creating a true document of these experiences is what I'm after. [Los Angeles Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
250/hour (USD)
Based in the gorgeous state of Colorado (Native here!), I spend my days roaming mountain-tops with Clients, and exploring all that this state has to offer with my little fam (Twin boys, hubby and the coolest German shepherd EVER.)! Being a wedding and elopement photographer in one of the most beautiful states in the country allows me to really pull together my love for documenting the adventure, real-time moments, as well as creating some Epic Environmental portraits! I love problem-solving lighting and all the "think on your toes" aspects of weddings, and thrive on the fact that no two weddings are ever the same! I love the spontaneity of emotions, weather, and all unscripted moments! I have been many times referred to as a "photo-ninja" (probably my most favorite compliment ever...), so you can bet I will be jumping in Rivers, climbing on rocks....or whatever it takes to get the shots! If there are kids at a wedding too...you can also bet I'll take 7689 photos of them...because kids do funny stuff. (Fun fact: Top notch service and experience for my clients is a must! I was a Catering and Events Manager for a high-end hotel chain for years before becoming a photographer...so weddings and service are ingrained in my blood! I like to offer that little "extra" service and experience to all my clients...helping keep planning and the day running absolutely smoothly and just as intended!) [Denver Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2000 (USD)
Dennis Mock's self-proclaimed spontaneity and documentary spirit. His background in sports photography allows him to capture split-second moments of joy or truly spectacular action passes of familial play, and his experience in architectural photography gives him a natural sense of composition. FUN FACTS: -I took my first serious camera clicks in the front row of Fleetwood Mac and the Bees Gees concerts. -Greatest adventure was documenting Burning Man 2012. -I brake for VG donuts and strawberry fields. -Love the colors of Hot Air Balloons drifting freely in the sky. -Bucket list: Go to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. -Asked by the San Diego Padres to be their team photographer from 1983-85, including the 1984 World Series vs the Detroit Tigers. -Capturing historical neon works as beautifully crafted pieces of art. -If I was a landscape architect, I'd put David Austin English Roses in every garden -I was given the nickname "Wandering Man"... long story ask me later! I BELIEVE FAMILY IS EVERYTHING The people who make it all worthwhile are my wife Lynn, my three kids I can’t wait to document all the people (and maybe even the dogs) who fill your life with joy! You can also spot me regularly tossing the ball with my two dogs (who I’m sure are convinced they are people): “Roxie” the 13-year-old basset hound and our new puppy, King Charles Cavalier...whose full name is “Princess Fiona of Sparren Ave.” [San Diego Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2500 (USD)
My name is Stephanie Sonju. My friends call me Sonj, so you can too! I’ve lived in over 60 (Yes! SIXTY!) homes during my 38(ish) years on this planet. I started grade school in Egypt, vacationed with my family in Bali, Cyprus, Germany, and Switzerland, and started high school in Taiwan. Growing up, my parents took thousands of photos, but the only physical memories I have to tell those stories are a handful of prints and a small stack of family photo albums. That’s probably why I’m such a stickler for printed work, and why I strive to get a handcrafted heirloom album in the hands of all of my clients. It’s also why I still feel the need to move every couple of years, and explains my obsession with booking flights to faraway lands. If I'm not photographing weddings or documenting how weird kids really are, I’m trying desperately to get my four besties to day-drink - I mean brunch with me, working to eradicate the band Journey from all wedding receptions, stalking my kick-ass niece on Instagram (they grow up so fast), or wondering why my cat doesn’t love me. [Palm Beach County Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2800 (USD)
We’re a soon-to-be husband and wife wedding photography team based in Durango, CO! We met in sweet home Alabama, fell in love, and moved our sweet tea and buttered biscuits to Southwest Colorado and now aim to be the very best Durango wedding photographers! We love exploring new places and capturing love stories among natural scenes. Together, we’ve been lucky enough to have traveled in beautiful places by bicycle - from the colorful towns of Cuba, the towering mountains of Peru, and the quaint countryside in Italy. One of our favorite landscapes to explore happens to be in our very own backyard, The San Juan Mountains and the desert of Southern Utah. We believe there is no better way of creating meaningful experiences with the people you love than by sharing your stories, exploring your passions, and surrounding yourself with the ones you love under the big starry western sky. [Durango Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2000 (USD)
Wedding Venues from Arizona
Please select a venue below to view all associated winning photos.
Searches Related to Arizona Wedding Photography Vendors
WPJA Communiqué: Features
While some people live for the hustle and bustle of a big wedding with extravagant décor and an impossibly long guest list, others find these kinds of weddings to be too much hoopla, preferring instead something simpler and quieter, allowing for more intimacy between them and their fiancés on this special day. So how do you infuse your wedding with all the romance but none of the fuss? ALONE AT LAST Many couples these days are opting to elope rather than planning a large wedding. For the no-...Read more
Oftentimes when people are considering a venue for their weddings, they search for a location away from home, whether that be ten minutes or ten hours, all just to find what they already have: a place that holds meaning for them, that feels comfortable, or that they find special and memorable. But what could hold more memory, meaning, and importance than your own home? For those looking for that perfect venue, it may not be any further than beyond your threshold.Read more
So your wedding is just around the corner and you’ve decided to elope , either because you want to do this on a budget , avoid a large wedding party, or simply to enjoy the day together with minimal distractions and as little stress as possible . They say 'all you need is love', but where exactly can you afford to trim the fat, so to speak? You want simplicity, but you also want to be properly married and, surely, to remember this occasion. Who, then, could be more important than...Read more
It’s no secret that these are strange times we’re going through right now, and there are many couples out there with weddings set in the near future who are left feeling uncertain and concerned about their futures. While that’s understandable, it’s also important to remember the reason you’re getting married in the first place; not for the grand celebration, but because you love each other and want to be together. REMEMBER WHAT'S IMPORTANT You’re in this position now, about to get married, for...Read more
Not everyone has a lagoon or glacier next door, but there's no rule saying you can't have a small wedding in the great outdoors. Take advantage of natural sunshine and that open, airy feeling and give your guests some room to breathe! LESS IS MORE Instead of hemming your guests in on all sides, give them some elbow room, and legroom, too. There's no need to induce claustrophobia when you've got a wide, open space. Let your guests take in the view, especially if you've got a spectacular one. You...Read more
RAVES, REVIEWS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Kathy & John
Photo by Carl Bower
What a happy surprise! We didn't expect to see these for several days yet. They look awesome! John and I will review them together and get back to you. Thanks so much for photographing our wedding. It was so wonderful not only have you do it from a professional standpoint but it was great to have you there. You get us. We'll talk to you soon and thanks for the fast turn around!
Tim + Kristin
Photo by Jared Lindsay
“Holy cow Jared! I want to cry I love them so much! Our trust was very well founded. Thank you. You captured our moments and more. I’m so happy”. – Kristin.
John & Claire
Photo by James Juarez
We've been distracted this weekend moving all of John's stuff into our new LES apartment but rest assured - we have been evenly splitting our time between moving and lovingly gazing at your photos. We love them! They're so beautiful and captured the vibe and energy so well. So exciting!
Alex & Kari
Photo by James Juarez
It has been 3 years since our wedding day and your photos and video have only enhanced our memories of it all, in the best way possible. You found a way to capture the joy and love that day held and saved it for us to relive any time we want. Kari and I couldn't be more grateful of the care and thoughtfulness you brought to one of the happiest days of our lives. Thank you!
Chesney & Greg
Photo by Carl Bower
Every shot you took was a cut above. Not only are you a master technically, you're an artist. You understand how objects and shapes come together to create a powerful image and tell a story. You've also obviously carefully studied how people interact. The photos are so well-timed... it's almost as if you knew what I was going to do before I did it. That takes quite a trigger finger. You not only took photos of everyone who's important to me... you captured who those people are. My panic. Greg's graciousness. My mother's goofiness. My wedding is the first time I've ever seen my father cry… I know it was just another Saturday at work for you, but that album is the best wedding present I received. I'm so grateful I found you. On top of the compliments regarding your work, I just wanted to say that both Greg and I really enjoyed your company. You have a good spirit about you.
WPJA contest judges have been recognized by their industry peers, winning top awards as staff picture editors, staff photojournalists, and newsroom mentors while working for these and other leading publications and journalism organizations.
