Lost Dutchman State Park is one of Arizona’s GEMS to getting married at! We absolutely love photographing weddings at this location since you cannot beat the accessibility and the views. If you’re wanting a picturesque Arizona wedding location that costs a FRACTION of what a venue costs, keep on reading! This blog will tell you everything you need to know about what your Lost Dutchman wedding can look like, our wedding photography packages for this location, as well as a full wedding story at the park.

What it’s like to get married at Lost Dutchman State Park

Lost Dutchman state park is what you may picture when you think of Arizona- dramatic mountains and tons of cacti! This state park has a handful of ramadas nearby trails and campgrounds that are available for weddings up to 150 guests. This is not like a traditional wedding venue and it may not be appropriate for every wedding vision! If you choose to get married here be prepared for a casual, outdoor location.

You can expect needing to hike at least a small bit for your ceremony location and photos afterwards. The ramadas are extremely accessible right beside the parking lots.

First things first, go check out Lost Dutchman’s website for all of their information regarding weddings. This blog will include most of the same info, as well as my own personal advice from photographing there multiple times. Check out all of their pdf’s with information regarding pricing, rental agreements, special use permits, and more.

When is the best time to get married at Lost Dutchman State Park

This is going to completely depend on what kind of weather you deem as ideal! One season I will HIGHLY recommend avoiding is Summer. Summertime in Arizona is nothing to mess around with and can be deadly. I recommend avoiding getting married at this park mid May-September due to extreme heat, flash flooding, and desert critters such as rattlesnakes being out.

Winter, Fall, and Spring are very popular times to visit and get married here!

Winter (December-February): Highs in the 60s-70s, lows in 40s

Spring (March-mid May): Highs in 70s-80s, lows in 50s. We typically get windy springs so be prepared!

Fall (October & November): Highs in 70s-80s, lows in 50s

We highly recommend getting married here on a weekday if possible. Weekends can get busy at this park and your reservation will not prevent hikers from being in the same area. Avoid near holidays and popular school breaks.

How much does it cost to get married at Lost Dutchman State Park

Every Lost Dutchman wedding costs different depending on what each couple decides to invest in! The site fee does not include any vendors so you will need to supply those. This may include seating, florals, food, photography, videography, officiant services, and more!

The wedding site rental fees at Lost Dutchman start at $280 and go up to $2300. This is for the site ONLY.

For exact pricing, check out Lost Dutchman’s pricing PDF on this page.

On average, a wedding at Lost Dutchman State Park costs about $10,000 including site rental, photography, florals, food, lodging accommodations, and wedding attire.

Lost Dutchman Photography Packages

These photography packages & pricing are exclusive for Lost Dutchman State Park. If you’d like to explore trails outside of the park, fees may apply.

Packages include:

+Starting with 3 hours of photography coverage (no less, sorry!)

+The proper business insurance required by the state park

+Expert knowledge on the state park locations, lighting, restrictions, and more

+The option to add on an engagement session & second photographer

Pricing begins at $3000

Contact Us Now to Start Planning Your Lost Dutchman State Park Wedding!

Lost Dutchman State Park Wedding in the Desert Inspiration

Lost Dutchman State Park, Arizona

“My real dream is to have a couple of our besties come with us to the desert, get a beautiful dress and bouquet and get married next to a cactus (why I am obsessed I really don’t know but I love them).”

When I read that sentence in Ashley’s first email to me regarding her wedding in the desert I knew that she was MY. KIND. OF. BRIDE. Her and RJ decided to ditch the idea of a “traditional” wedding and do what really spoke to them-flying out to the beautiful state of Arizona and getting hitched in the middle of the desert! I am a HUGE advocate for couples to have the kind of wedding that they want, not what everybody wants for them. Their wedding day was relaxed, full of so many happy tears and belly laughs, and so much fun. I am so excited to be sharing this beautiful day with you all! This Lost Dutchman State Park wedding is every bohemian’s dream! Keep on reading to find some inspiration for your desert elopement@

---

Planning their Day

The thing with eloping is that it can be whatever you want it to be. Ashley and RJ wanted it to be simple, but very beautiful. When looking for the perfect location for their desert wedding, I knew that Lost Dutchman State Park would be perfect for their vision. Lost Dutchman is the perfect place for a wedding because it’s absolutely beautiful, easy to reserve, cost friendly, and the reservation includes a ramada that is perfect for having dinner under. Ashley wanted to be surrounded by cacti so that is exactly what she got!

Intimate First Look & Vows

Ashley and RJ had the most beautiful, intimate first look before their ceremony. Both were filled with so many emotions! RJ’s reaction still melts me heart when I look at these photos! They proceeded with reading letters that they wrote to each other- bring on the waterworks. Their love for each other is so deep and it was so apparent during these moments. RJ could hardly speak the words he wrote because he was filled with so much emotion. It was so special.

Their Ceremony

Their wedding ceremony not only was absolutely beautiful, but so so sweet!! One of the couples friends became ordained just so she could marry them! All three of them were teary up at one point, along with their other friends watching (and me of course). There was pure JOY when they were officially pronounced married! They popped some champagne and embraced the beautiful desert around them.

Their Adventure

Ashley and RJ were down to hike wherever they needed to for their portrait session. Luckily, the spot we were at was PERFECT and we didn’t have to go very far! We spent our time dodging cacti, listening for rattlesnakes, and having the time of our lives! I’m pretttyyy sure that they are both models because they made my job SO DANG EASY! I absolutely loved Ashley’s flowy dress from BHLDN paired with her adorable mauve boots by Sam Edelman. She wore simple gold jewelry that showed off her love for the moon and all things bohemian. Her bouquet was filled with various shades of mauve flowers and REAL CACTUS! Can you get any better than that!!! Rj wore a dark blue suit with a gorgeous amber colored tie, which was such great pop of color!

I had such an amazing time running around the desert with these two. We got to witness a GORGEOUS Arizona sunset that shed the most beautiful red light onto the mountains. Photographing couples with sunsets has become one of my favorite things to do and turn out to be my favorite shots of the day! I seriously did not want this day to end, but the sunset was an amazing way to finish it off.

I hope you all enjoy this beautiful wedding as much as I LOVED photographing it!!

Vendors:

Photo: Caitlyn Jennings Photo

Venue: Lost Dutchman State Park

Arch & Florals: I Do Rentals AZ

Dress: BHLDN

Hair: @hair.by.aubrey on instagram

Makeup: @kelseajonesmakeup on instagram

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Invitations: @w.designshop on instagram

Want to see another desert elopement? Click here!

Ready to start planning your own elopement? Contact me now!