Psst, want to know the quickest way to land your celebration on the pages of SMP? Two words: bold bouquets. Take this celebration and the fabulously vivid florals as proof. With the talented Leslie D Photography on hand snapping up every second that A Day to Cherish Weddings & Celebrations planned, we’ve got it all waiting for you in The Vault!
From The Bride…When my fiancé and I first started planning our wedding we knew we wanted to have a smaller, more intimate wedding. I wanted an elegant, black tie affair but it was also really important to us to incorporate some of the beauty from the Arizona desert that we live in.
We chose to get married at the iconic Brophy Chapel. This old and beautiful church is full of history and subtle details. The intricate altarpiece along with the wooden beam ceiling and stained glass windows all helped create an elegant and authentic Arizona setting. We were fortunate enough to be able to have our reception at a private residence on top of Camelback Mountain that was overlooking the whole Phoenix valley. This residence had floor to ceiling glass walls with wrap around balconies that showcased the sweeping views of downtown Phoenix. The dining area opened up to the outdoors where bistro lights were strung up over the dance floor.
To stay true to our Arizona theme, we wanted to add some bright pops of desert colors to our neutral palette. The bridesmaids wore long, flowing dresses in shades of light dove gray and the tables were draped in white linens. We brought in the colors with the flowers with big blooms of coral charm peonies and sunny pops of bright poppies. We made sure to keep all the floral arrangements low to the table so not to block or compete with the breathtaking views. To add a little bit of warmth we had tall candelabras on the tables along with a mixture of gold and silver mercury glass candles. To continue with the southwestern feel, the menu included a creamy poblano pepper sauce with the entrees as well as other local flavors. The delicate gold calligraphy on the place cards was complimented by watercolors reminiscent of an Arizona sunset.
To me, some of the most beautiful details were the ones that were the most personal. My Nana was too old to travel all the way from New England to attend the wedding so I asked her to lend me something for my bouquet as my ‘something borrowed’. I was so surprised when she gave me my great, great, great, great grandmother’s wedding rings from the 1700s! We attached the rings to my bouquet and it was so special to walk down the aisle holding such a precious piece of our family history. Another aspect of our wedding that was very meaningful to us was making sure we honored my husband’s mother who had passed away. Since we weren’t able to have the traditional mother and son dance, my husband Dillon and I decided to surprise his sister and ask her to dance instead! When the time came, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room while Dillon and his sister danced to one of their mom’s favorite songs.
Eventually the sun sank into a classic, Arizona sunset and we saw the lights below of downtown start to twinkle as the city came to life. The guests danced under the stars in their tuxedos and gowns and at the end of the night everyone enjoyed a late night snack of s’mores by the fire. We felt so grateful that we were able to celebrate our marriage while being surrounded by all the people who matter the most to us. The night was filled with laughter and love and with family and friends and that is all we could have every asked for.
Photography: Leslie D Photography | Event Planning: A Day to Cherish Weddings & Celebrations | Floral Design: Sarah's Garden | Wedding Dress: Vera Wang | Ceremony Venue: Brophy College Preparatory | Reception Venue: Camelback Mountain | Makeup: Courtney Montes
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