How to get married in Sedona.

Sedona trades palm trees and turquoise water for sandstone buttes, juniper-scented air and some of the most dramatic scenery in the American Southwest. It is roughly two hours north of Phoenix and a short drive south of Flagstaff, and it has become one of the most popular destination wedding locations in the United States that does not require a passport. That last part is what makes it easier on a guest list than an overseas venue.

Some of the appeal is practical. Marrying domestically means no currency exchange, no international marriage-license paperwork, and a familiar time zone for the friends and family booking flights. The rest is the landscape. Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte and Boynton Canyon are all within a short drive of town, and the region is known for its energy vortexes.

Sedona also works at several sizes. Couples elope with 12 people on a Forest Service overlook, hold a 60-guest micro wedding in a boutique resort garden, and fill a full-service luxury property with a 200-person celebration. What changes across that range is the venue, the budget and the paperwork, which is what the rest of this guide covers, along with the legal steps and which months to marry in.

Sedona's venues run from raw red-rock viewpoints to five-star resorts. These are the ones couples keep coming back to.

Enchantment Resort sits inside Boynton Canyon with red-rock walls rising on three sides. It has full resort amenities, on-site catering and several ceremony sites, and it is the premium option here: wedding costs commonly land around $22,000 and up once food, beverage and site fees are counted. It suits couples with a generous budget who want one company handling everything.

L'Auberge de Sedona is on Oak Creek in the middle of town, where the ceremony setting is creekside and shaded by sycamores. It is more flexible on budget than the canyon resorts, with ceremony-and-reception costs running roughly $2,500 to $10,000 depending on guest count and season. Couples pick it when they want water and greenery alongside the red rock.

Agave of Sedona is a desert garden venue used mostly for intimate weddings, typically in the $5,000 to $8,000 range. It has unobstructed red-rock views without the resort price tag, which is why it shows up on so many mid-budget shortlists.

Sky Ranch Lodge sits on top of Airport Mesa, with a panoramic view over the whole of Sedona and one of the better sunset backdrops in town. Poco Diablo Resort is a more conventional resort with lawns and mountain views, and Sedona Golf Resort looks out over fairways and red rock that photograph well at most times of day.

Tlaquepaque Arts and Shopping Village is the option for couples who want architecture rather than open desert. It is modeled on a traditional Mexican village, with courtyards, fountains and sycamore-shaded plazas, and it is right in Sedona.

For the raw landscape, Crescent Moon Picnic Site at Red Rock Crossing gives you the postcard view: Cathedral Rock reflected in Oak Creek. It is one of the most photographed spots in Arizona and a common choice for elopements and small ceremonies, with package pricing often starting around $1,875 to $2,275 through local elopement companies.

Venue pricing spans an enormous range, from around $1,500 for a permitted outdoor ceremony to $20,000 or more for a full luxury-resort celebration. Working out where your plans sit on that spectrum is the first step to a budget you can hold.

Budget-friendly venues, meaning desert gardens, boutique resorts and Sedona inns, generally start somewhere between $2,300 and $7,650 for the space. Mid-range venues such as golf resorts, hotel event spaces and hotel ballrooms typically run $9,510 to $16,500. Premium venues, meaning luxury resorts and private gardens, range from roughly $17,350 to $24,150 and up.

Elopements sit far below all of that. A Sedona elopement package at most red-rock viewpoints starts around $1,875, and Crescent Moon Ranch packages run closer to $2,275. These usually bundle the officiant, the permit or reservation, and sometimes photography, which makes them the cheapest way to marry with the red rocks behind you.

Then there is everything the venue does not cover. Catering in Sedona typically runs $75 to $175 per guest depending on the style of service. Wedding photography, which is in demand here for the light, commonly ranges from $3,000 to $7,000. Florals, officiant fees, hair and makeup, and any decor or rentals each add to the total. As a rough anchor: a 50-guest wedding at a mid-range venue often lands in the $25,000 to $45,000 range all in, while an intimate elopement can come in well under $10,000. These are typical ranges rather than quotes, so treat them as the starting point for a conversation with a venue.

The legal side is simple compared with marrying abroad. Arizona has some of the most straightforward marriage-license rules in the country.

There is no waiting period and no blood test. You can apply for the license and use it the same day, so a couple flying in can arrive, collect the license and marry inside the same trip without building in extra days.

One detail is specific to Sedona: the city straddles two counties. The northern part sits in Coconino County and the southern part in Yavapai County. You can apply in either, and an Arizona marriage license is valid anywhere in the state, so you are not tied to marrying in the county where you applied.

In Coconino County the license fee is $83. Both of you must appear in person at the Clerk of the Superior Court with a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport, and your Social Security numbers. Applicants must be 18 or older; 16- and 17-year-olds may marry only with notarized parental consent and additional documentation. The license is valid for up to twelve months from the date it is issued.

After the ceremony your officiant completes the license and returns it to the county for recording. You can then request certified copies of the marriage certificate from the county clerk, which you will need for legal name changes and other paperwork at home.

If you want to say your vows at Cathedral Rock, Red Rock Crossing or another overlook, the thing to understand first is that most of Sedona's scenic land is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Ceremonies on public land need permits and reservations.

At Red Rock Crossing and the Crescent Moon Picnic Site, weddings are managed by the Forest Service. Even a small ceremony requires a reservation and a fee, because the site allows only one wedding every two hours to protect the setting and the other visitors. Larger gatherings require a special-use permit, and the exact threshold and paperwork depend on the site.

Rules vary by land manager, and this is where couples planning alone come unstuck. A ceremony on Forest Service land, in a state park such as Red Rock State Park, in a Sedona city park, on resort property, or on private land each carries different permit requirements, fees and guest caps. Some popular vortex and trailhead sites book out months in advance in peak season, so book the date and the permit early.

You will also need a Red Rock Pass to park at most trailheads and recreation sites around Sedona. It is inexpensive, but forgetting it can mean a citation on the morning of the wedding. This is the main reason couples hire a Sedona-based planner or an elopement company: they know which permit each site needs and file the applications for you.

Sedona is a high-desert town at roughly 4,500 feet, so its weather is far more temperate than Phoenix but still swings hard by season. The month you pick is the difference between a comfortable ceremony and one spent managing heat or storms.

The best months are March, April and early May in spring, and September, October and November in fall. Spring brings wildflowers, green along the creeks, and temperatures generally in the 60s and 70s. Fall brings warm days, cool evenings and golden light, and it is the most popular window of the year, so venues and permits for spots like Cathedral Rock book out months ahead.

June is when the heat arrives, with highs into the triple digits by afternoon. An early-summer wedding wants a sunrise or late-evening ceremony.

July and August are Arizona's monsoon season, with a high chance of afternoon thunderstorms, lightning and sudden downpours. The storms make for dramatic skies, but they are unpredictable, so a monsoon-season wedding needs a real backup plan and flexible timing around the usual afternoon buildup.

Winter, December through February, is quieter, and snow occasionally dusts the red rocks. Days are cool but often sunny, venue availability is better and rates are lower, though the evenings get cold and daylight is short.

Whatever season you choose, look at sunset times when you build the schedule. Golden hour against the red rock is why many couples come here, and it is worth planning the ceremony and portraits around it.

Book early, particularly for fall. The best venues and the most photogenic permitted sites go twelve to eighteen months in advance in peak season, and the busiest photographers go just as fast.

Hire local vendors who know the terrain. A Sedona-based planner, photographer and officiant will know the permit rules, the light at each site, and how to move a group safely on uneven red-rock trails. That knowledge is worth more than the savings from booking someone unfamiliar with the area.

Prepare your guests for the elevation and the sun. At 4,500 feet the high-desert sun is intense and dehydration comes on faster than people expect. Put out water, shade and sunscreen, and tell guests that comfortable shoes matter if the ceremony involves walking on natural ground.

Think about who can get there. Some of the best overlooks require a hike, which rules them out for elderly or mobility-limited guests. If that describes people on your list, choose a resort or garden venue with red-rock views that everyone can reach.

Give guests a weekend rather than an afternoon. There are jeep tours, vortex hikes, spa days at the resorts, and the arts and shopping at Tlaquepaque, so people who have flown in have something to do on either side of the ceremony.