We love a desert venue. As destination wedding planners, we’ve travelled all over the globe to design and style elopements and celebrations, but we have a special place in our heart for modern desert weddings. We love the vastness of the desert. We love the way the moon rises to create a canvas between the earth and sky - it’s the perfect backdrop for a unique, luxury wedding. We love the versatility of the desert, too, as the textures and landscapes inspire different designs based on the venue, location, couple, etc. So whether you’re planning a luxurious, sophisticated party for 200 guests or a small, minimalist celebration for two, here are our top five places for an intimate and bougie desert wedding.

Amangiri

Amangiri is a 5 star, luxury resort that lies within 600-acres of private desert wilderness in Southern Utah. The modern and simplistic architecture of this hotel venue features clean lines, natural materials and uninterrupted views of the surrounding desert and mesas. But Amangiri is more than a luxury hotel, it’s a staggering landscape of canyons, mesas, mountains, and desert with so many unique locations, and every wedding we create in this space is a unique, one-of-a-kind experience.

If you’re seeking adventure, this venue offers unparalleled access to slot canyons hikes, desert helicopter rides, and unlimited exploration. But if you prefer a bougie retreat, you’ll love the multi-course meals and state of the art spa facilities. We love that there’s truly something for everyone at Amangiri - with luxurious, private rooms, full service spa amenities and privileged access to National Parks and Lake Powell guests of Amangiri experience the convenience of a high-end hotel with easy access to speciality guided adventures. An added bonus? The staff at Amangiri will do anything and everything to ensure your stay at the resort is absolutely unforgettable and bespoke.

Click here to read more about Amangiri weddings, designed by Mae&Co creative

Willow House

The Willow House is a modern desert retreat, located on 250 acres of private land and boasting stunning, unobstructed views of the beautiful Chisos Mountain Range. The clean lines and muted tones of the building blend into the vast surrounding desert - at Willow House, the design options are truly endless.

This desert wedding venue feels unique. Set in Terlingua just outside Big Bend National Park, the venue boasts access to some of the state’s largest ocotillo plants and some of the most colorful floral and fauna in Texas. Yet the brutalist style casitas evoke a neutral, modern feeling, perfect for a contemporary desert wedding. With 11 unique casitas on the property and a modern gourmet kitchen, the Willow House is the perfect place for a weekend-long wedding celebration with your closest friends and family. And with a new patio structure in progress, this desert wedding venue promises to be one of the most under-the-radar boutique hotels in 2021.

Click here to read more about our most recent wedding at the Willow House, designed by Mae&Co Creative

Under Canvas

With locations all across the United States, Under Canvas offers adventurous couples the perfect place for a bohemian-inspired wedding. While each Under Canvas glamping wedding venue lets you experience the great outdoors with modern comforts, every location is unique. We love the desert Under Canvas locations in Moab, Grand Canyon, Zion, and Lake Powell where you enjoy can luxurious, safari-style canvas accommodations with unparalleled access to nearby national parks.

If you’re inspired by the American Southwest, we have endless design ideas for Under Canvas Zion: a haven located upon 196-acres of remote desert terrain, surrounded by views of soaring sandstone cliffs and majestic red rock. And if you love adventure, we think you’ll love Under Canvas Lake Powell-Grand Staircase: this location is perched on a Canyon Rim Plateau with easy access to Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, and Glen Canyon, the Lake Powell Marina and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park. Regardless of which Under Canvas location you choose, we promise these venues are the perfect mixture of high-end comfort and big-time adventure.

Casa Santal

Located just outside of Joshua Tree National Park, Casa Santal is a modern, desert paradise. Designed as an artist’s retreat on a bluff overlooking a valley of Joshua Trees, this minimalist home boasts panoramic views from every angle. If you value Wabi Sabi design aesthetics, we can’t think of a better place for you to tie the knot in a place that marries love of design and nature.

Casa Santal caters to high-end, desert elopements with options for a private chef, yoga and massage offerings to help you enjoy the space and relax and feel pampered. We love the sexy, luxe feel of this Joshua Tree desert venue, and we think this is the perfect place enjoy some of the best views in the Mojave Desert. With canyon views, a large deck, and a shaded pergola, this venue has so many options for a unique ceremony space that will allow you and your guests to celebrate and enjoy the scenery.

The Joshua Tree House Tucson

The Joshua Tree House in Tucson, also known as the Posada House, is a 5 suite inn bordering the west side of Saguaro National Park in Tucson, AZ. Situated on 38 acres of land with a forest of Saguaro cactus, native plants, and an abundance of wildlife this is a space to reflect, reset, and create.

Each suite has its own unique feel. And when you book all of the suites for this Arizona desert hotel venue, you have access to a chef's kitchen, pool, rooftop lounge, yoga room, dining patio, fire pit, and living room with a projector, in case you want to end your wedding celebration with a movie night. This venue is perfect for off-beat desert brides who are ready to throw the party of the century. And trust us, we’re the team you want to have by your side to bring this bash to life.