From watercolor crest infused invitations by Kara Anne Paper to the most picture-perfect, sparkling exit, this Scottsdale celebration is all about romance in the desert. The gorgeous backdrop of the Four Seasons is paired with a soft, pastel color palette + elegant details designed by Imoni Events, and the most stunning florals by Carte Blanche Design. Pore over the magic captured by Daniel Kim and a film by East West all sitting pretty below.
From Daniel Kim Photography… I was born and raised in the desert, and so I have a deep love for all things in this dry landscape. There are times when couples come in and they want lush and green backdrops in a desert landscape, something that is not readily available here. But when Anna and Michael came to the Sonoron Desert, she wanted to actually go out into the raw desert and take her bridals and group shots there, and that made me so happy. Even though there was a bit of wind that day, all the bridesmaids and groomsmen hung out, taking photos themselves out among the cactus and desert brush, and just having an overall good time. Everything came together so well, and I had a blast shooting all the beautiful moments and details from this wedding.
From Kara Anne Paper… Designing all of the custom paper details with Anna and Michael was a dream! We started with the hand painted watercolor crest that was used throughout all of the paper details starting with the Save the Dates and then incorporated in the Formal Wedding Suites and Day-Of details such as koozies, cups, napkins, menus and other signage. Collaborating together was easy, as we both shared the same overall vision and love for soft pastels, whimsical calligraphy and floral/cactus illustrations. To keep Anna’s ideal vision of a chic, classic and romantic paper suite with a hint of modern elements we used gold foil and letterpress on a beautiful cotton, heavy weight paper. To tie in the venue and lovely Arizona landscape, a watercolor envelope liner was included as well as different shades of white, grey and light blue for the envelopes and insert cards.
As guests arrived for dinner, they were greeted with a personalized escort card with the bride and groom’s custom wax seal. On each place setting, was a full calligraphy style menu with touches of watercolor cactus paintings to compliment the formal wedding suite. For the final touch, silk ribbon was tied around each menu with the guests place cards written in gold calligraphy. All of these custom details combined with the gorgeous reception Imoni Events designed truly made Anna and Michael’s evening one that their friends and family will never forget!
From the Bride and Groom…Michael and I met in college at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. After 4 and half years together, we got engaged in Austin, TX at Mount Bonnell. It was during a weekend getaway that Michael surprised me with for my birthday that fall. He planned a photographer and picnic at the top of the mountain. It was the perfect adventure together and I felt so lucky he planned such a thoughtful weekend!
My family has a vacation home in Scottsdale that together we’ve spent a lot of time visiting over the years. When we started to plan our wedding day, we knew we wanted to plan a fun and intimate weekend for our closest family and friends in a destination we felt they would fall in love with! Some of our most fun and special memories are from the trips we’ve taken to Arizona. So, we couldn’t think of a more perfect place to bring together the most important people in our lives!
Post-wedding, it was so cool to hear how much fun our family and friends had making the weekend a vacation of their own and it meant so much to us that they had such a great time exploring a place that we love so much.
To kick off the weekend, we had our rehearsal dinner outdoor at the historic El Chorro. It was filled with margaritas, colorful flowers, bag toss and beautiful desert views! Our wedding day style was romantic and classic, while incorporating soft details and modern design elements. The Arizona landscape is so extremely beautiful and scenic; we wanted to keep our colors soft and neutral and let the desert speak for itself! We focused on lots of greenery, white flowers with hints of blush and neutrals. We also incorporated light grey and used gold to add a romantic feel.
From the way I wore my hair, to the activities we planned for our guests, we wanted to stay true to ourselves. We both are adventurous and laid back in our style so we wanted everything to be a reflection of that but taken up a notch for such a special day. Our focus for the wedding weekend was centered on experience and making sure everyone had a great time!
The day before the wedding, the guys went dune buggying in the desert… a risky pre-wedding move, but the exact type of thing that defines the way in which we love to experience life together! We also had our Welcome Party at Top Golf Scottsdale because we wanted everyone to let loose and feel comfortable together before the wedding day. Although our venue was up north in the mountains, we chose to have our hotel block in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale so our guests would have an endless amount of things to do without having to rent a car or pay for transportation. Through much of our planning, we put in mind our guests before ourselves because we were so thankful they were making the trip to Arizona, just for us!
Photography: Daniel Kim Photography | Videography: East West | Florals: Carte Blanche | Ceremony Venue: St. Patrick's Church | Reception Venue: Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North | Bridesmaids Dresses: Joanna August | Makeup Artist: Courtney Montes | Hair Stylist: Maggie Hancock | Calligraphy & Invitations: Kara Anne Paper | Lighting: Karma Event Lighting | Band: Sapphire Sky | Bridal Gown: Pallas Couture | Cigar Booth: Fumar Cigar | Linens: BBJ La Tavola | Menu & Place Cards: Kara Anne Paper | Photobooth: The Hip Booth | Planner and Designer: Imoni Events | Rentals: PRIM, Glamour and Woods, Classic Event Party Rentals, and Event Rents | Watercolor Monogram Crest: Kara Anne Paper