I love the American Southwest. There’s something about the combination of unique scenery, gorgeous lighting, and artist culture that makes it a haven for photography. I’ve been photographing elopements since 2015, and that includes over 300 west of my home state of Colorado. What I love about New Mexico is that it marries the climates and landscapes of Utah and Arizona and turns into this super special state that’s one of a kind.
Albuquerque is a great starting spot for elopements here, as its proximity to the Sandia Crest ensures that you can easily access views over 10,000 feet. There’s even an aerial tramway that will take you right to the top and a restaurant with a view! Not to mention the hot air balloons in the area.
You can find everything in New Mexico from famed ski areas to perfect desert tableaus, so it can be difficult to narrow down the list. Here’s a collection of my personal favorites that I’d recommend to any eloper.
(Sure about what activities or season you want? Check out my interactive map to filter through nearly 600 locations! Click here to go directly to it.)
White Sands National Park, New Mexico
White Sands is a gorgeous place to get married, honestly. Find a spot to yourself (an easy ask) among the vast otherworldly seas and dunes under the southwestern sun and then go sledding down them after for a fun activity to add into your day! This area can get toasty, so it’s best to avoid in the summer, but can make an amazing pick for an off-season elopement. I promise, you’ll hardly believe you’re still in the United States.
Best for: Sand Dunes and Mountains
Best months to get married here: January to May and October to December
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking, Stargazing
Ghost Ranch, New Mexico
Attention all art fans!! This would be a stunning desert location for an elopement or intimate wedding. Georgia O’Keefe lived here for a number of years and a lot of her work was of or inspired by this area. There are vibrant and unique rock formations here, lovely hiking trails, and even a beautiful labyrinth rock maze. Ghost Ranch is located about 1.5 hours from Taos.
Best for: Desert and Mountains
Best months to get married here: Year Round
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking
Tent Rocks National Monument, New Mexico
Tent Rocks National Monument is a super duper unique geological area only an hour north of Albuquerque! This area is full of naturally formed cones and peaks from a volcanic eruption 6-7 million years ago. There is a trail through this area as well as a couple of lookouts that you can see everything from. This area is beautiful, so this is a great pick for a multi-stop elopement in New Mexico!
Best for: Desert and Mountains
Best months to get married here: April to October
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is a city you can define by a lot of things—from its Route 66 history, to its hot air balloon festival, to its rich indigenous history. In the background of all of it, though, is the Sandia Crest, rising up 10,000 feet behind the city. One of the things that makes this specific ridge so ideal for eloping is the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway, which will escort you to higher altitudes, sans hiking. After your ceremony, you can celebrate with dinner and an incredible view at the restaurant at the summit, where you can choose between casual or fine dining. Whether you’re out on the trails on foot or seeing it all from above in the basket of a balloon, Albuquerque is a super special place!
Best for: City and Mountains
Best months to get married here: April to October
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking, Hot Air Balloon
Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, New Mexico
Just about an hour north of Mexico outside the town of Las Cruces, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks is a geological stand-out in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert. This is nearly half a million acres of every kind of desert scenery you could ask for, making it super easy to plan the ultimate desert elopement here. With extensive trails at varying elevations, there’s no shortage of adventures at any length that will take you through gorgeous stretches of land.
Best for: Desert and Mountains
Best months to get married here: April to October
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
It can be hard to believe that some of the geologic features of today’s desert were once water, but Carlsbad Caverns doesn’t let you forget it. Once an inland sea, these caverns now take you out of the desert scenery above and into switchback paths with high walls of rock, insane stalactite formations, and blue lagoon pools. Lots of campgrounds, hiking trails, and a natural amphitheater are also in this area, leading to lots of great additional exploration options.
Best for: Desert and Caves
Best months to get married here: April to October
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking, Camping, Stargazing
Rio Grande Gorge, New Mexico
When driving near Taos, out of nowhere this large gorge appears! You can hike along the edge of it and get away from the parking area. This is a beautiful spot at sunrise and sunset, and you can even walk out to the middle of the bridge!
Best for: Desert and Canyon
Best months to get married here: Year Round
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a great slice of New Mexico desert, packed with historic buildings and surrounded in a semicircle by the peaks of the Sangre de Cristos. The great outdoors here are pretty dang great, and absolutely packed with activities that would make for a great elopement day. Think whitewater rafting, floating through the sky in a hot air balloon, heading down trails on horseback or bike, or relaxing in hot springs. The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is among the most famous landmarks in the area, towering 650 geet over the water below. Taos is also known for its Earthship community, which offers super unique stays baked in local culture.
Best for: Desert , City, Canyon and Hot Springs
Best months to get married here: March to November
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking, Rafting, Hot Air Balloon
Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness, New Mexico
About 2.5 hours north of Albuquerque, Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness sports some of the most unique formations in the American West. There’s very little plant life out here, which means it’s just you, your partner, and the rocks. This place looks like it belongs on a different planet, with towering hoodoos topped with UFO-shaped rocks. Everything here was carved out by water a long time ago, leading to badlands with super unique curves and crevasses. This is a super memorable spot to visit during your elopement day and is guaranteed to make your photos one-of-a-kind.
Best for: Desert
Best months to get married here: March to November
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking
Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico
Along the far western edge of the state, the Bisti/De-Na-Zin badlands are so massive that you will always be able to find a corner for yourselves. Adventuring through this area on your wedding day would be a super memorable adventure! Because this is a super wild area with no trails, you can be sure you’ll never have another day quite like one you’d spend here—even if you come back multiple times.
Best for: Desert
Best months to get married here: April to October
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking
Santa Fe, New Mexico
The perfect blend between the foothills of the Sangre de Cristos and a vibrant arts and culture scene, Santa Fe is an escape into quintessential New Mexico. Downtown Santa Fe is known for its arts culture, with tons of permanent arts installations, galleries, sculpture gardens, and new media. Between the sights outside and the beauty inside, your elopement here will be filled with nonstop things to take in. While there’s no shortage of gorgeous hikes here, if that’s not your speed, you can also enjoy some desert luxury at spots like Ten Thousand Waves or Bishop’s Lodge.
Best for: City, Desert and Mountains
Best months to get married here: April to October
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking
City of Rocks State Park, New Mexico
City of Rocks isn’t near a city at all—in fact, it’s out in the middle of the desert in southern New Mexico. This would be a great place to elope if you’re looking for uninterrupted desert views and spots you can get away in that will make it feel like you’re totally alone. The rock formations out here are super unique, standing tall in pillars up to 40 feet. There’s tons of non-electric camping out here, which gives you an excellent view of the stars and Milky Way above you at night.
Best for: Desert
Best months to get married here: April to October
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking, Camping
Brazos Cliffs, New Mexico
The Brazos Cliffs are in far northern New Mexico, just a couple of hours over the state line by car (even less as the crow flies… you’re just driving around the mountain!). You can find the tallest waterfall in the state here at Brazos Falls, with water cascading down over 2,000 feet directly out from the craggy rocks. These are in the southern ends of the Rockies in a super remote area, so it’ll likely just be you two, the towering cliffs, and the forests of pine trees around you.
Best for: Mountains, Desert
Best months to get married here: May to October
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking, Stargazing
Hotel Luna Mystica, New Mexico
If you love the idea of a desert elopement, don’t love the idea of camping, but DO love the idea of a super unique glamping stay, I have just the spot. The Hotel Luna Mystica is just outside of Taos and has 22 vintage trailers from the 50’s and 60’s that have all been internally rehauled for supreme comfort and style. It’s a desert getaway where you can enjoy all of the natural beauty of the area…with WiFi and AC.
Best for: Desert
Best months to get married here: Year round
My favorite activities to do here: Hiking, Glamping, Stargazing
If you’re not sure what you want or just want to learn more about a location you have your eye on, check out my searchable map! Filter through nearly 600 locations by scenery, activity, and season so that you can location scout like a pro.
I know what a big decision it can be to pick somewhere to get married—I’ve been there during my own elopement! That’s why I pride myself on being able to provide custom lists for all my couples that are made up of only locations that I know would help make their vision come true. You won’t have to take any step of this journey alone… I’m on deck to help with everything from permits to crafting you a perfect itinerary to photography that will make you feel good during this super important day.
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