Eloping in Sedona: the permit you probably do not need, and the rules you do
A small Sedona elopement usually needs no Forest Service permit. What does need planning: where you are allowed to stand, a reservation at Red Rock Crossing, and five small rules.
A Sedona elopement is a small wedding held on the red rock around Sedona, Arizona, and because almost all of that rock is Coconino National Forest, the rules that apply are the Forest Service's — which, for a couple and a handful of guests, ask for less than most people expect.
Whether you need a permit
The Coconino National Forest permits page (checked September 2026) draws the line in three places. The table below is that page, not a summary of what other sites say about it.
| Your ceremony | Forest Service permit? |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 75 people, no paid help, no sound equipment | Not needed |
| Fewer than 75 people, the only paid providers are the officiant and the photographer, no sound equipment | Not needed |
| A planner, musician or equipment vendor on the payroll, or any sound system | Needed |
| 75 people or more, or an event that charges people to attend | Needed, at a designated site |
Two details on that page catch people. A minister who does anything besides performing the ceremony counts as additional paid help, so an officiant who is also coordinating the day moves you into the permit column. And a permit, where you need one, does not replace a site's own day-use fee.
Where you are allowed to hold it
Without a permit there are no reserved sites: you choose a spot and you may not displace other visitors, which in practice means an early start and a place off the main path.
Red Rock Crossing, at the Crescent Moon picnic site. The classic view of Cathedral Rock over Oak Creek. The Crescent Moon page (checked September 2026) takes weddings by reservation only: a small wedding of up to 15 people costs $114 on a weekday or $130 at a weekend or holiday, for a two-hour slot with three parking spaces. The Red Rock Pass is not accepted here, and the site opens at 7 a.m. from April to September and at 9 a.m. from December to March — after sunrise in both periods, so a ceremony at the creek is a morning or late-afternoon one.
Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte. Level ground a short walk from the parking, with no trail to climb — the practical choice for older guests. Parking needs a Red Rock Pass.
Red Rock State Park. A state park rather than national forest, with its own booking. The park's rental information gives two venues — the Wedding Tree, for up to 100 people, and the Visitor Center rooftop, for up to 75 — at $200 per four-hour block, plus entry of $10 per adult from the park's weddings page. Off-trail walking to line up a formation behind you is not permitted, and neither are pets.
Not Slide Rock. Arizona State Parks' Slide Rock page states that the park no longer hosts weddings.
Not wilderness. The Forest Service does not allow wedding photography or other staged wedding activities in designated wilderness, whatever the size of the party.
The five rules that apply everywhere on the forest
- No rice, birdseed, rose petals or any seed that is not native to the area.
- No dove, pigeon or butterfly releases.
- Toilets are required for any group larger than 25.
- No sound equipment without a permit — a portable speaker for the processional counts.
- Nothing reserved without a permit: you share the view with whoever else is there.
When to hold it
Spring and autumn are the seasons, and the reason to avoid high summer is safety rather than heat alone. The National Weather Service in Flagstaff sets the monsoon season at June 15 to September 30, with moisture usually reaching northern Arizona in the first week of July and storms arriving in the afternoons and evenings. A July or August elopement is a morning elopement. The seasons are covered month by month in the best time for photos in Sedona.
A short checklist
- Count everyone who will be there, including the photographer. Under 75, with no hired help beyond the officiant and the photographer and no speaker, you need no Forest Service permit.
- Choose the spot, and a second one in case the first is busy.
- If it is Red Rock Crossing, reserve the Crescent Moon slot; if it is Red Rock State Park, call the park.
- Buy a Red Rock Pass for any trailhead parking — the details are in the Sedona photography permits guide.
- Leave the confetti at home.
An elopement photographer who works in Sedona will know which of the first two spots is quieter at your hour.
Frequently asked questions
- Do we need a permit to elope in Sedona?
- Usually not. The Coconino National Forest asks for no permit for a wedding of fewer than 75 people when the only paid providers are the officiant and the photographer and there is no sound equipment. A planner, a musician, a speaker, or 75 guests or more means a Forest Service special use permit.
- Can we get married at Red Rock Crossing in Sedona?
- Yes, by reservation. The Crescent Moon picnic site at Red Rock Crossing takes weddings only by reservation, in time slots for small or large groups, and does not accept the Red Rock Pass. It opens at 7 a.m. from April to September and 9 a.m. from December to March, both after sunrise, so a Crescent Moon ceremony is held in the morning or late afternoon.
- Can we throw petals or release doves at a Sedona elopement?
- No. On Coconino National Forest land around Sedona, rice, birdseed, rose petals and other non-native seed are not allowed, and neither are dove, pigeon or butterfly releases. Red Rock State Park has the same rule for rice, birdseed, confetti and petals.