The most memorable weddings right now are happening in the middle of nowhere, and we are completely obsessed with this trend. Desert settings have become one of the most sought-after backdrops for elopements, intimate weddings, and honeymoons, and the reasons are obvious the moment you see them. The silence, the scale, the light. We’ve pulled together 13 of the world’s most incredible desert properties, from Saudi Arabia to Namibia to the American Southwest. Consider this your new travel list.
Photo/Venue: Courtesy of Amangiri, GordonXIE/Banyan Tree
AlUla has an instant “wow” effect. An ancient oasis tucked inside a canyon of rust-red sandstone in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, it’s unlike anywhere else on earth. Habitas sits right in the middle of it, in the Ashar Valley, surrounded by towering cliffs and palm groves. The resort is fully sustainable, the villas come with telescopes for stargazing, and the welcome ceremony involves burning incense in the Saudi tradition. Ceremony spaces range from open-air terraces to a gathering tent. Plan your visit between November and March, when the desert is at its most magical and the nights are actually cool enough to enjoy.
Photo: Courtesy of Our Habitas
Forty-five minutes from central Dubai, and it feels like another world entirely. Bab Al Shams — Arabic for “gateway to the sun” — is built to look like a traditional Arabian fort, all low-rise stone architecture, shaded courtyards, and palm-lined pathways set against open golden dunes. Weddings here range from intimate ceremonies at Sunset Point to larger celebrations in the garden. And if you’re turning this into a full trip, the resort sits on the edge of Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, where you can soar over the dunes in a hot-air balloon, ride Arabian horses, trek by camel, or join a nomadic nature tour through the reserve.
Photo: Courtesy of Bab Al Shams, Vow & Vision
Amangiri is probably the most-pinned desert wedding venue in the world, and for good reason. Tucked into 600 acres of southern Utah wilderness near the Arizona border, the resort’s architecture melts into the landscape so seamlessly it’s hard to tell where the sandstone ends and the building begins. The iconic pool wraps around a natural rock formation, every suite faces the open desert, and ceremony options range from an intimate elopement for two to a full resort buyout for up to 110 guests. Getting here takes some effort — the nearest airport is a small one — but that remoteness is entirely the point. See one of our favorite Amangiri weddings right here.
Photo: Courtesy of Amangiri, Sophie Lin Berard
Opened in early 2025, Desert Rock is one of the most visually arresting resorts in the world right now. Built into the granite mountains of Tabuk province, the architecture is literally carved from the rock, nodding to the ancient Nabatean constructions that defined this landscape centuries ago. It’s designed to disappear into its surroundings and mostly, it does. The 54 villas and 10 suites each have a private pool, there’s a spa with a hammam, and The Observatory sits high in the mountains for stargazing. Twenty minutes from Red Sea International Airport, which makes getting here easier than it looks.
Photo: Courtesy of Desert Rock
Todos Santos sits on the Pacific side of Baja, about an hour from Cabo, and Paradero is the reason half the people on your feed have been going there. The resort is set where desert meets coastline meets mountain: cactus gardens, open sky, and a Michelin-recognized restaurant all on the same property. The organic modernism architecture feels like it grew straight out of the landscape. Ceremony spots range from the botanical amphitheater to open fields with nothing but desert horizon behind you. Adults only, which tells you everything about the vibe. Come for the wedding, stay for the surf at Cerritos Beach and the ocean safaris on the Paradero catamaran.
Photo: Courtesy of Paradero
The Namib is the world’s oldest desert, and Sossusvlei sits right in the heart of it — ancient dunes rising over 230 meters, silence so complete it has its own texture. &Beyond’s lodge here is just ten stone-and-glass villas on a private reserve of over 12,000 hectares, each with a skylight above the bed so you can fall asleep watching the stars. Oryx and springbok drink from the waterhole outside. Hot air ballooning over the dunes at sunrise is the kind of thing you plan your entire honeymoon around. Remote, otherworldly, and completely unforgettable.
Photo: Courtesy of andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge
On the edge of Saguaro National Park, The Joshua Tree House is the kind of place that makes you want to elope immediately. This small adobe-style inn sits on nearly 40 acres of Sonoran Desert, with a rock canyon pool, a hot spring tub, rooftop lounge, and Milky Way skies that need no filter. It sleeps up to 14 guests, which means the whole property can be yours for a micro-wedding buyout — or just book a room for a two-person elopement.
Photo: Kelsey Krobert, Courtesy of The JTH
While Bab Al Shams is Dubai’s desert wedding crowd-pleaser, Al Maha is for couples who want something more private. The only resort inside the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, it has just 42 suites — each modeled on a Bedouin tent, furnished with Arabian antiques, and opening onto a private pool with dune views. Arabian oryx roam freely through the reserve outside your window. Ceremony options range from an intimate blessing in the dunes to a dinner under torchlight and stars. Falconry, camel treks, and desert safaris round out the experience for guests who stay longer.
Photo: Effleurer Photo, Courtesy of Bruno Claeys
Forty-five minutes from the chaos of Marrakech, the Agafay Desert feels like a completely different planet. Smooth stone hills, Atlas Mountain views, and a silence that wraps around you the moment you arrive. BE Agafay is one of the most sought-after camps here — luxury tents, an oasis pool, and a setting that was practically made for sunset ceremonies and fire shows under the stars. Close enough to the city to add a few days in the medina, remote enough to feel like you’ve disappeared entirely. Spring and fall are the sweet spot for visiting.
Photo: Laurette Jolivot, Courtesy of BE Agafay
On 90 acres of land bordering Joshua Tree National Park, the Invisible House is exactly what it sounds like — a fully mirrored structure that disappears into the desert around it. Designed by film producer Chris Hanley and Frank Gehry collaborator Tomas Osinski, it has a 100-foot indoor pool and floor-to-ceiling glass walls that make the Mojave feel like it’s inside with you. We’ve actually featured Karen and Paul’s intimate celebration: 35 guests, pampas grass, golden desert light, and a reception beside that iconic pool. Two hours from Los Angeles, and a completely different world.
Photo: Wthn Weddings, Courtesy of Invisible House
The Skeleton Coast is one of the most dramatic and least visited stretches of coastline on earth — shipwrecks, seal colonies, desert elephants, and Atlantic fog rolling over ancient dunes. Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp sits right in the heart of it, with just eight tented suites overlooking a waterhole where lions, elephants, and giraffes come to drink. It’s 100% solar-powered, entirely remote, and accessible only by small charter flight. Day trips take you out to the wild, windswept coast itself. For couples who want somewhere that feels genuinely untouched, there’s nowhere quite like it.
Photo: Courtesy of Wilderness
Yes, this is the second AlUla property on the list — and it earns its place. Where Habitas leans into sustainability and community, Banyan Tree is pure luxury. Forty-seven tented villas spread across nearly two miles of the Ashar Valley, most with private pools, designed by Paris-based firm AW². There’s a Thai restaurant helmed by a chef who relocated from Southeast Asia specifically for this opening, prehistoric rock art right on the property, and hot air balloon excursions over the canyon at dawn. Same otherworldly landscape, completely different experience.
Photo: Courtesy of Banyan Tree, Design Travel
If BE Agafay is the polished option, Scarabeo is its more nomadic, soul-first counterpart. White canvas tents filled with Moroccan rugs, lanterns, and travel artifacts, set against the stone hills of the Agafay with the Atlas Mountains on the horizon. The food is cooked in traditional clay ovens, ceremonies happen under the open sky or beneath a canvas awning, and evenings end with fire shows and Gnawa music around the camp. Thirty-five kilometers from Marrakech, and a world away from it.
Photo: Emma Peijnenburg, Ina Visich
