Garden Ballroom Romance Is a Wedding Style + This Is How You Do It

Melissa Baran
January 24, 2018
Categories: Real Weddings, Romantic

Determined to create a romantic garden feel for their Scottsdale nuptials, this couple enlisted the help of Victoria Canada Weddings + Events and Carte Blanche Design, and the result is a ceremony overlooking Camelback Mountain that feels almost enchanted followed by a romantic, ballroom wedding completely transformed by tons of gorgeous florals. It’s all waiting for you right here, thanks to Melissa Jill Photography.

[iframe http://player.vimeo.com/video/225622408 600 338]

From the bride… We wanted our guests to feel like they were coming in town for a “desert escape,” and not just for a wedding. Our guests got to really feel relaxed and pampered. One of our guests told us that our wedding felt more like a vacation to him and his wife. We loved hearing that.

I am obsessed with flowers! I always have to have fresh flowers in the kitchen and living room, so I really wanted flowers to be a huge part of our wedding. I wanted the feel of the florals to be very soft and romantic, with lots of greenery, white, ivory, and blush. All of my wedding dreams came true – we were able to truly showcase the desert during our ceremony and cocktail hour while also adding in a total garden feel with tons of flowers everywhere. The garden didn’t stop there though, as we transformed a traditional ballroom into what felt like an indoor garden.

I think what made our wedding unique were the personal touches that both Jon and I wanted incorporated as well as the attention to detail that was executed by Victoria and her team. For example, our wedding combined the feeling of an enchanted garden with elegance, such as in the watercolor paper products featuring calligraphy. We even had a custom watercolor sign incorporating our labrodoodle, Wrigley, that we used for our signature cocktail.

One of our most favorite moments of the reception was when The JJ’s (our INCREDIBLE, FUN, ENGAGING, ALL AROUND AMAZING band) called Jon and I up on stage for the song “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. It was so exhilarating to be up on stage with them and looking out at all of our guests.

Jon and I decided not to write our own vows for the ceremony and instead decided to write notes to each other to read before our first look. Reading his note to me (which was more like vows) was more emotional than I thought and made me just that much more excited for our first look. I also decided to write notes to my mom and dad the morning of the wedding, and writing to them and then giving them the notes was also particularly emotional for me.

From Victoria Canada Weddings + Events… Upon arrival, guests were greeted with a one-of-a-kind desert themed welcome bag. Guests were given custom watercolor maps that outlined the different locations for the wedding weekend and areas that guests may want to visit. The bag included mini chips and salsa from a local company, an artisan cactus shaped cookie from Ruze Cake House, mini Arizona sunscreen, and even a recovery kit in a custom bag with the State of Arizona. That was just the beginning of the personal, unique touches that Alison and Jon envisioned to make their wedding a one-of-a-kind experience for them and their guests.

In order to create the overall enchanted garden feeling, we knew that we had to go above and beyond with the floral accents throughout. From the luxurious chuppah to the oversized centerpieces placed on guests’ tables, guests truly felt like they escaped the desert and entered a garden. The lush and opulent florals in front of the band made the dance floor extra special. Tables were adorned with a blue velvet linen from La Tavola that displayed a subtle pattern. The head table and cake table had a blush underlay with an exquisite sequined overlay.

From Melissa Jill Photography… Jon and Alison’s story is a modern-day fairytale romance! They first “met” when they matched on a dating app. Jon reached out and Alison replied, but due to some technology issues, Jon didn’t receive her message. That could have been the end of the story…just another missed connection. But it wasn’t! A short time later, the two matched on a completely different dating app. Talk about a sign, right?! Jon and Alison started talking and made a date to meet in person. It was supposed to be a low-key date for just drinks, but they clicked instantly. Drinks turned into dinner and hours of conversation. Jon drove Alison home that evening, and as he pulled away from her door, he knew – he’d just met the woman he was going to marry!