Wedding Day Sparks Adventure at Under Canvas Moab
Moab is all about its special spaces with those amazing desert views. Under Canvas is one of those spots! This Moab wedding venue is a luxury glamping experience surrounded by Utah’s stunning red rock landscape. It is perfect for couples who want a unique blend of comfort and nature at a single local. Experience this couple’s wedding day at Under Canvas Moab!
The Destination: Under Canvas Moab
What led this couple to their Utah destination was a shared love for travel and adventure. Emily and RJ see this as incredibly important to their relationship having engaged in these activities since before they were even officially together.
Choosing Moab was a natural next step having stayed many nights tent camping in various areas. These two describe Moab, Utah as “such a cool place that’s unlike anything else” which is why they keep coming back! At least once a year they drive to Moab to explore the Valley of the Gods, or Canyonlands National Park, or they hike in to see the sunrise at Arches National Park.
Under Canvas Moab is located about 15 minutes from downtown and three minutes from The Red Earth Venue. Red Earth doesn’t currently offer a getting-ready space so couples often opt for doing so at Under Canvas. It’s a great place for either getting-ready photos or hosting a full wedding.
The Utah wedding venue offers a balanced yet adventurous experience including canvas tents with king-size beds, fire pits, and unobstructed views of the stars. It’s remote, peaceful, and feels truly one-of-a-kind! It provides the perfect opportunity to get guests into the outdoors without throwing them into full-on camping. This made it possible for grandparents and other older relatives to fully enjoy the weekend.
The newlyweds shared that with family arriving from all around the country, “corralling everyone at Under Canvas gave us an opportunity to spend quality time with them all weekend. It’s a place where we’ve created so many memories, and we hoped that our family could create a few more with us!”
The Vibe of a Moab Desert Chic Wedding
Since the beginning, the great outdoors have always played a huge role in Emily and RJ’s relationship. Together they have spent many weekends living out of their truck, camping with bikes, and backpacking with their dog. They noted that “Our mutual love for those trips and experiences led us to get married seven years later!”
All of this also informed the desert boho vibe that they went for on their wedding day. The goal was to have desert flowers and colors that complemented the outdoor scenery around them. The desert boho decor was relaxed and easy, with muted colors like sage green, terracotta, beige, and rust.
Golden hour is magical at Under Canvas Moab where sunrise and sunset light up the desert colors in warm, cinematic tones. There are decent photography spots on-site with views of the desert, rustic tents and wide-open skies. But, for truly epic backdrops like cliffs and canyons, couples often go off site.
Emily and RJ did wedding portraits at Dead Horse Point State Park two days later which allowed them to relax and enjoy the wedding day without rushing. There actually was a huge rain and hail storm on the day of their adventure shoot. It started to pass so we did the session anyway and it ended up being insanely pretty!
Seasonal Tips for an Under Canvas Moab Wedding
It’s important to keep in mind that there are no indoor spaces for weddings at Under Canvas Moab. You just have to get lucky with the weather! Most couples rent a clear outdoor wedding tent or have a weather backup plan coordinated with their planner.
The site can handle light rain, but for anything heavier, having a tent or nearby indoor option is advisable. These two turned to Moab Event Services for assistance in this since they truly are the go-to planners in the area!
Spring and fall are ideal for mild temperatures and great lighting. I suggest skipping the summer as it’s way too hot and the tents do not have air conditioning. Wind and dust can kick up quickly, so it’s best to keep things protected and the wedding timeline flexible.
There were some heavy winds during Emily and RJ’s outdoor reception at this spring wedding. Instead of being upset, the couple, vendors, and all the guests were laughing as we frantically tried to stop everything from flying away!
Making Memories at a Boho Desert Wedding
The newlyweds were very set on a few things that they wanted for their Moab desert wedding. First, that the entire weekend was a fun and enjoyable experience for all of their family. As they described, they wanted “dragging all 30 members of our family out to Under Canvas to be so much more of an experience than just an afternoon ceremony.”
Secondly, their desire was for everyone to experience the town that they truly love visiting so much! Sharing in their own words: “The Moab Utah desert is like a different world. It’s a view that I hope people get to experience at least once in their life.” Family members reported renting UTV side-by-sides and mountain bikes as well as hitting up Arches National Park. Others took to cruising through downtown Moab the morning before the ceremony.
Lastly, the hope was for a lot of laughs and not much stress. Efforts in this direction included RJ wearing a kilt in honor of his Scottish heritage and the wedding officiant donning a cowboy hat. One five-year-old family member made it her job to create completely charred s’mores for everyone!
The couple summarized the day best: “everyone just sat around the firepit, drink in one hand, marshmallow stick in the other, enjoying such a fun and relaxed evening. We couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
These two wanted everyone present to have a memorable experience and this mission was accomplished! Emily and RJ are so clearly in love and capable of having fun with each other that this day was as easy as it was beautiful.
Wedding Vendors
Venue | Under Canvas Moab
Portraits | Dead Horse Point State Park
Photographer | Matt Davidson Photography
Planner | Moab Event Services
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