I had the best time photographing this Red Rocks Elopement in Las Vegas, Nevada last December. It is always an honor to photograph my friends and family, but when I got a late night SnapChat DM to save the date — I knew this was gonna be amazing. Nakia and Preston planned their Las Vegas elopement in just a couple of weeks. They wanted an intimate elopement that was truly them. So once I landed at McCarran International Airport, we drove around and scouted some locations. Once we left the city and approached the Red Rock National Conservation Area, I knew this was the spot. It was somewhere that had meaning to them and somewhere they frequently hike. We planned to just pull over, on the side of the road, in an area that had the vast mountain-scapes in the background but was easily accessible for portraits. And if you love puppies, keep scrolling. They brought their mini Dachshund pups and it was the sweetest celebration ever.

After a few portraits and family portraits, we jetted off to A Little White Wedding Chapel to meet a few friends. After a short and sweet ceremony at Vegas’ iconic wedding chapel, they headed home for a fun reception filled with barbecue and the most delicious strawberry angel food cake made by the groom’s grandmother. What I love most about Nakia and Preston’s Red Rocks elopement is how intimate and special it was. Sometimes that is all you need, each other and the people that matter most.

Congratulations Nakia & Preston!

Contax 645 • Fujifilm GFX 50s

Photographer: Renee Hollingshead

Film Lab: The Find Lab