Is there such a thing as a wedding crush? Because if my feelings for this colorful celebration are any indication, then there absolutely is because I’m swooning. Captured by Elyse Hall at the strikingly beautiful Tanque Verde Guest Ranch, it’s an affair that I’m not soon to forget. See it all in our Vault right this way and get ready to “Favorite” this beauty to come back to over and over again.
From the couple… When we were discussing where we would want to have our wedding, both of us agreed that the desert in either spring or fall would be perfect for us, because Shannon was born and raised in Tucson, AZ. We did not have to look long before we found the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch (TVR) – which is a dude ranch and western horseback riding property. It was striking to us how perfectly at home we felt out in this desolate area of the Saguaro National Desert and we fell deeper in love with each other as we fell in love with the Tanque Verde Ranch and all its inhabitants, we knew it was the place for us. As for the actually wedding, the entire weekend was about saying yes: to our commitment to one another, to our devotion to all of our friends and family, to celebration and fun, to challenges and conflict, to abundance and growth, and most of all, to love.
For us, our wedding was about meaningful ceremony, ritual, community and most of all, celebration. Every single component of our weekend was purposeful and reflective of our vibrant life we share together in western Massachusetts.
We hired Sam from Imoni Events as our wedding planner extraordinaire and it was, hands down, the best decision we made – other than the one to marry each other. We did a lot of shopping around for planners and assumed, as queer people, that we would need a planner from New York or LA who could both get our vision and taste and also treat us right as queer people getting married in Arizona. We immediately felt comfortable with Sam and the amazing partners she recommended for us!
The entire 16-month experience of working with her and her team of vendors was an absolute delight. With her help, we connected with the amazing Elyse Hall Photography, phenomenal floral designers Atelier de LaFleur and our wonderful stationer, Celebrations In Paper. Together, along with the exceptional event coordinators and staff at TVR, they completely captured our vision and brought our wildest dreams to life! We felt their passion and their talent erupted on the wedding day and after, with our stunning wedding photographs! In the end, our instinct to get married in the desert was the most perfect cosmic decision. We had the best weekend of our lives!
Photography: Elyse Hall Photography | Event Planning: Imoni Events | Floral Design: Atelier De LaFleur | Cupcakes: Nadine's Bakery | Stationery: Celebrations in Paper | Hair + Makeup: Heather Van Houten | DJ: DJ Hermilo Guzman | Ceremony Music: Naim Amor | Venue: Tanque Verde Guest Ranch | Crest Design: Bird Black | Napkins: Wildflower Linen