Intimate Wedding in the Big Bend area of West Texas

Courtney and Dylan knew one thing for sure when they started planning their wedding — they didn’t want to go the traditional route. Like many of the couples I photograph in Big Bend, they wanted something different, something more adventurous, and something 100%, completely them.

Part of my planning process with all of my wedding and elopement clients is custom location scouting. Big Bend is such a huge area, covering acres and acres of public land between Big Bend Ranch State Park and Big Bend National Park— as well as the surrounding areas. To kick off that location scouting process, I send a questionnaire over to the couple, filled with questions about their vision for the day, mobility restrictions, colors/textures/plants they love, etc. This helps me get a better idea of what they are imagining for their day so I can direct them towards lesser-known locations and spots that they will be excited to get married at.

To my excitement, Courtney and Dylan were wide open on what their vision was for their day. Instead of listing off geologic features like canyons or rivers or mountains, Courtney shared a quote with me that was the inspiration for their ceremony location. She took a quote from the show Yellowstone and said, “I think Beth Dutton said it best “I want a place with no memories… a place where nothing happened until we happened.”

I took that quote to heart and became determined to scout a spot that would capture that feeling of openness and intimacy. A unique place where the next chapter of their love story could start.

When I came to Courtney and Dylan with my idea of their ceremony location, they said they trusted me and gave the thumbs up to move forward with it.

The ceremony location was a gorgeous desert spot overlooking the Rio Grande, and it definitely felt like they were the first folks to ever say “I do,” at the spot they got married at.

Here are a few sneak peeks of their two-day intimate wedding in Big Bend - - from horseback riding in Lajitas at the Equestrian Center, to sunrise hikes on their wedding day, to the stunning vista where they said, “I do.”