Today we’re transporting you to Tanque Verde Ranch, a beautiful rustic wedding venue in Tucson, Arizona! It’s pretty safe to say we have completely fallen in love with this chic desert day. From the blooming floral arbor covered in magenta and white flowers from Atelier de La Fleur to the bride’s total stunner of a dress by Pronovias. Lucky for us, Ashley Rae Photography was there to capture every memorable moment unfold. See it all below!
We the met a week after Michael move back to Los Angeles from completing his rotations in New York. By chance, we happened to both be at his brother-in-laws West Hollywood restaurant and then it was history. Became official 1 month later.
Oddly enough it was the most simple proposal and for us that was unique because we are one travel heavy couple so in the back of my mind I always expected a vacation proposal from Michael. He chose to do it on New Years Eve in our NYC apartment right before we were going out. It was such a surprise and extremely intimate. Then we went out to celebrate.
Desert Chic!
We are both Los Angeles natives so one would think its only natural to have our wedding conveniently back home. But having just moved to Tucson we really wanted to embrace it and start making memories in our new “home”. So we made everyone come to us (yay)! As for wedding venue this was the easiest choice, our thought was that if we’re going to do a desert wedding destination then it has ooze desert beauty. We wanted to make it an experience for our guests and Tanque Verde Guest Ranch did that. The ranch was original a Dude Ranch so it offers horse back riding, penning, hikes, a lake for fishing, you name it. In addition to that this was the location of Michael’s favorite Western TV Show growing up “Hey Dude”, so it was sign!
You know when every former bride says “You will just know”, well its true. One day while walking at our favorite outdoor mall we came across Tucson’s chicest bridal store. At that time I hadn’t even looked nor tried on any wedding dresses yet so I thought to myself “Ill just browse, obviously I wont get anything because I’m with my husband and I want it to be a surprise’ and then there it was- my wedding dress. I just knew this was it, it was simple yet special. So I went back ALONE and tried it on and bought it. Done deal
Moody yet delicate!
Make a commitment to each other to always keep it about the both of you! Prior to wedding planning set boundaries for family. Do not try to please anyone other than each other.
Dancing with my mom, it was actually the first time ever that we danced together! I will never forget that.
Vows, I tried so hard not to ugly cry and because of that my vows took forever. It was embarrassing yet beautifully real all together. I also made a conscious effort to really take everything in during the ceremony, I looked around a lot and took in the beautiful landscape of the desert and the crowd.
First Look. The build up was insane- it was so special and intimate. Time stood still.
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Photography: Ashley Rae Photography | Cinematography: Love Story Films | Florist: Atelier De LaFleur | Gown: Pronovias | Shoes: Stuart Weitzman | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Reformation | Makeup: Courtney Montes | Hair: Ellevator 123 | Venue: Tanque Verde Guest Ranch