Arizona Weddings

Every so often, a wedding graces my screen and my breath is caught in my throat. The pure beauty of an event can do this to me without warning – when it’s as utterly gorgeous as this soiree, sent our way by Signature Events, LLC. Filled with romantic and personal details, the entire day, captured by Erica Velasco, was magic unfolding in every image. And every magical image was put into a gallery where you might just lose track of your morning!

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On our thirteen month anniversary Dan and I got engaged at the Magic of Lanterns Exhibit at Montreal’s Botanical Gardens. We were walking along when a mime suddenly popped in front of us, holding champagne, flowers and a box of Kleenex. The tissues certainly came in handy, as through tears of joy I watched the love of my life get down on one knee and propose! After enjoying the weekend in beautiful Montreal, we started planning our dream wedding with a focus on creating an extraordinary day filled with love, laughter and a unique sense of who we are as a couple. Since for the majority of our guests the Scottsdale, Arizona venue would be an out-of-town destination, it was also really important that we showed our family and friends an amazing time.

Dan and I incorporated a number of personal elements into our wedding day. For my “something blue”, I had my bridesmaids write a message to me in blue ink on the bottom of my shoes. Dan LOVES the color orange and so it was represented in his socks and tie as well as the all the socks of all of the groomsmen. To honor my late grandfather, I attached to my bouquet a fused glass charm he had designed years before. As a symbol of our first date at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, guests were greeted at the ceremony with two groomsmen dressed as concessionaires, passing out candy and peanuts. At the reception, our escort cards doubled as frames that our guests could use for their photo booth pictures and every one of our tables represented a favorite place of ours, with an image of each location in the background. We also incorporated a late-night taco bar since we enjoy ending our nights out with Mexican food. And, to ensure our guests were well-fed, we had both a popcorn bar (Dan’s food of choice) and a cookies-and-milk bar (I love all things sweet!). Lastly, the delicious chocolate cake was iced with a number of words chosen by us to reflect special aspects of our relationship as we know and love it.

The Four Seasons had the intimacy and privacy we hoped for. We were blown away by the resort’s beauty, both inside and out. Immediately upon seeing the ceremony spot, I could envision myself walking down the aisle to join Dan in this gorgeous desert environment. On our wedding day, the setting was even more magical than I had dreamed as we stood hand-in-hand under the chuppah, getting married in front of our closest family and friends. The reading of our vows was the very best part of our wedding day and I love that we completed them while sitting next to each other the night before.

As a girl who thought much more about finding Mr. Right than the wedding where I would marry him, I surprised myself with how much I loved the process of creating our special and memorable day. And, in the end, it was a truly perfect event … not because of the planning, detailed spreadsheets or hours of research but because I married the love of my life and best friend.

Photography: Erica Velasco / Event Planner: Charlee L. Geisler of Signature Events, LLC / Venue: Four Seasons Resort, Scottsdale / Chairs & Linens: Classic Party Rental / Photobooth: Shutterbox Entertainment / Florist: Flower Studio / Ceremony Music: Lyra / DJ: MT Sounds / Cake: Four Seasons / Invitations: Invitations and More / Wedding gown, bridesmaid dresses and hanger: Lillian Lottie Couture / Popcorn: Poppa Maize Gourmet Popcorn / Popcorn stickers: Sticker Divas / Popcorn Vase Labels: Sweet Talk Designs / Groomsmen Name tags: Curly Girl Designs via Etsy / Table cards: Erickson Design, Sticker Divas / Videographer: Serendipity

If anyone was feeling a case of the blues this morning they are sure to just melt away when you catch a glimpse of this cheerful, sunshine-y Scottsdale wedding by Scott Clark Photography. Who wouldn’t smile at the fun mod and 60s-inspired decor.  Somehow this adorable bride and groom managed to take a tiki-meets-mid-century modern theme, cut out the kitsch and leave in the cool.  The result is bright and chic and I love every inch of it!  Click here to see it all!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…The inspiration for our wedding was mid-century modern meets refined tiki at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, Arizona. We had a Jewish ketubah signing and chuppah ceremony performed outside at the hotel’s palm garden. Afterwards we hosted a sit-down dinner for our 23 guests at Trader Vic’s directly following the ceremony.

I’ve always loved the clean lines and simple, graphic shapes of mid-century modern design. When Aaron proposed with a hand-carved tiki statue that said “Sarah, Will You Marry Me?” we figured it would make a fun challenge to create a (and not too kitsch) tiki-meets-mid-century-modern wedding. Once we found the perfect location for our 25-person destination wedding, everything else flowed from there. The Hotel Valley Ho is a renovated historic hotel with its original mid-century modern buildings completely intact – perfect for the look we wanted.  Better still was the adjacent Trader Vic’s restaurant. This classic tiki establishment had a lively crowd and a refined take on Hawaiian-Polynesian cuisine, not to mention the fabulous fruity cocktail concoctions!

Planning the celebration allowed us to dive into aspects of mid-century modern design like fashion, food, decor – even type fonts. Allowing the vibe of the hotel and restaurant to lead us, we created our invitations with a graphic designer and printer I found on Etsy, using a design I thought of based on Alexander Girard’s smiling suns at La Fonda del Sol. One of my girlfriends owns a cookie company and made custom treats for the welcome bags featuring similar Girard designs. Because our intimate wedding consisted of immediate family and one friend each, we were able to make unique small-batch favors for every guest (and ourselves) like handcrafted tiki mugs by a potter we found on Etsy and tiki-shaped organic hand soaps. We got into the spirit of the venue with dried palm leaf fans for the ceremony and a local ukulele player who serenaded us down the aisle.

We asked our florist to use Trader Vic’s famous tiki mugs in her design and to incorporate palm leaves as runners for the tables at the reception and to take inspiration from the cacti and desert foliage of Arizona for our chuppah. I worked with the florist to create a tight bouquet that would work with the simple shape of my dress, which was an off-the-rack Lily Pulitzer sheath that I customized with ivory ribbon at the empire waistline and my grandmother’s gold and pearl brooch. My family runs a shoe manufacturing company, so my brother (who is now the company’s president) worked with a reputable factory in China to make the design I sent him via email. As an added touch, he made the insoles blue (for my “something blue”) and the factory had my name and our wedding date printed on them! Our brilliant photographer Scott got that 60’s sun-washed look we wanted and instead of cramming all of our portrait shots into wedding day, we did a day-after photo session all around the hotel and at the incredible Desert Botanical Gardens nearby. Doing our portrait photos the next day allowed us to really relax at the reception and have fun with our guests. We alternated between taking silly pictures at the photo booth and sipping frozen pink lemonades.

Wedding Photography: Scott Clark Photography / Venue: Hotel Valley Ho + Trader Vic’s / Floral Design: Avant-Garde Studio / Hair Stylist: Lisa Fresa Palacios of Sachi Salon / Make-up Artist: Linda Wagner / Wedding Dress: Lily Pulitzer / Veil: VioletBells / Bride’s Shoes: VanEli / Invitations: Paper Ink Press / Calligraphy: Perch Paper Co. / Ketubah: Dutch Door Press / Tiki Mugs: Happy Rhino Pottery / Drink Umbrellas: AutumnJo / Tiki Soaps: Sweet Soap Treats / Cookies: PS Sweets – Swoon Cookie Crafters

We’ve totally got each and every bride-to-be covered today with a little bit of everything and now we’re moving onto this beyond gorgeous traditional Scottsdale wedding sent into us by Sedona Bride Photographers and coordinated by Tres Chic Events. We’re absolutely loving the bouquets overflowing with beautiful white tulips, so classic and elegant! And please don’t get me started on those amazing centerpieces, such a perfect balance of rustic and refined. See even more of this pretty, pretty day here in the gallery!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From Sedona Bride Photographers…It’s hard to believe Patty and her mom, Karen and their wedding planner, Monica had come to us over a year ago and met us at our studio in Sedona. A fun year of planning came to this beautiful day where the weather was perfect and they day was filled with fun. We know how much love and attention you put into this wedding and what a huge success it was! This group knows how to have a great time!

Special thanks to Monica McQueen who’s wedding planning really made our job easier by letting us focus on getting great images instead of the schedule. We saw so many places where Monica had put her special touch into the details of the wedding to really make it unique and special for Patty and Dallas!

Venue: Royal Palms Resort and Spa / Wedding Coordinator: Monica McQueen of Tres Chic Events / Floral Design: The Garage by Ivy / Invitations + Paper Goods: Lucky Luxe Couture / Ceremony Music + DJ: Mancini Entertainment / Wedding Cake: Royal Palms Resort and Spa / Groom’s Cake: Sedona Cake Couture / Hair + Make-up: Angie + Jennifer of Angessa Salon / Linens: Wildflower Linens / Wedding Photography: Sedona Bride Photographers

Gorgeous doesn’t even begin to describe these Scottsdale nuptials by Melissa Jill Photography.  This wedding had me at the fabulous purple bridesmaid dresses and the uber-chic pink heels.  Love.  Add to the mix some amazing blooms by Avant-Garde Floral Design Studio, a Jim Hjelm gown to die for and paper goods by MJ Paperie (the oh-so-talented bride) and we have ourselves one breathtaking desert soiree.  All perfectly planned by Impact Events, you don’t want to miss a single stunning detail.  Join me in the gallery for more!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From Melissa Jill Photography… Dave was a senior when Jessica was a freshman at Notre Dame. She knew him as half of the “Ulrich Twins” – Dave & Todd – she knew he played lacrosse – a sport she’d never heard of growing up in Arizona – and that was about it. After college Dave moved to New York City and so did Jessica – four years later. They bumped into each other on occasion through mutual friends, but sparks didn’t fly until a storybook summer weekend in the Hamptons when Jessica was attending a bachelorette party and their paths crossed again. They went on their first date that Sunday night and Monday morning Jessica hopped a plane…to Chicago…where she had just relocated. The rest is (long-distance) history.

Though the majority of their relationship has spanned the distance between the mid-west and the east coast, Dave and Jessica never let that get in the way of their love. One holiday season, Dave was on his way to Arizona to see Jessica and her family and there was an ice storm in the northeast that canceled all flights out of New York. Dave was determined to make it to the desert so he tried to take a CAB from the curb at Laguardia all the way to Pittsburgh – a 5 hour trip in good weather – to outsmart the storm and catch an evening flight. There was no stopping him from getting to Jessica. Unstoppable love is the best kind.

As a calligrapher and co-owner of an online stationery boutique, MJ Paperie, Jessica was the mastermind behind the vision, design and stationery products for the event. The color palette inspiration was a blend of the serene light blue and white classic Hamptons beach weddings where the couple began their courtship and then got engaged combined with the bright desert shades of fuchsia pinks and deep purples fitting of the Paradise Valley desert setting. She used white calligraphy throughout the stationery suite to make the colors pop – from the save the date, to the invitations, escort cards, menus and even the table number photos with New York City as their backdrop and the directional signs at the reception. The white calligraphy along with the repeated light blue band on the save-the-date card, invitation belly-band, ceremony program and the menu place setting cohesively tied together the visual theme of the day.

Wedding Photography: Melissa Jill Photography / Event Planner: Impact Events / Floral Design: Avant-Garde Floral Design Studio / Reception Venue + Catering: Sanctuary on Camelback / Invitation Design: MJ Paperie / Wedding Cinematography: My Wedding Film / Wedding Dress: Jim Hjelm via Destiny’s Bride / Wedding Cake: Julia Baker Confections / Band: The Walkens / Ceremony Location: St. Mary’s Basilica / Hair: Mandy Samford / Make-up: Maureen Cosovich via Barney’s / Officiant: Father Micah Muhlen

Oh my goodness. I am so loving this Scottsdale wedding, it’s almost a little embarrassing. I, like the whole affair, am totally blushing. Victoria Canada Weddings & Events pulled together a simply fabulous soiree, filled with pretty pink, AMAZING flowers, kiwis, grapes, and so much love. I mean, seriously, how posh are those fruit and floral centerpieces? And the bridesmaids, all lined up in coordinating gowns? Forget about it. Totally, and completely, crushing on this wedding. We couldn’t do this beautiful wedding, courtesy of Phyllis Lane Photographer, justice in this one post, so I’ll totally be gazing at the gallery all afternoon. Care to join me?

From Victoria Canada Weddings & Events … The lavish wedding was hosted at exclusive Country Club at DC Ranch.  Guests experienced the beauty of the desert all from the rustic surroundings of DC Ranch.  We created a fun and festive party within a beautiful space.  There were numerous elements that were created to surprise Janet and Rick at every turn.  The Bride is a well known and busy interior designer with little time for wedding planning.  Thus, we were brought on to help the brides best friend plan the wedding.

The cake was designed off the bride’s love of shoes – in particular, Christian Louboutins!  The ruffles on the cake are a nod to the bride’s elegant dress.  The cake was displayed on a vintage ranch table from the original DC Ranch.  It was an amazing image to see it placed under the tree that was lit and hanging with Moroccan lanterns.

The bride and groom wanted to incorporate a sand ceremony into their wedding ceremony.  The main bottle was an antique bottle with a handmade cross sodered to the bottle by an artisan that works with Janet.  It gleamed with the background of the McDowell Mountains.  The perfect touch was the rustic original ranch table that the bottles rested on.

The Wedding Linen’s were inspired by a vintage piece of cloth that Janet brought to us a year before the wedding, with simple instructions – “this is what I love… the texture and the understated elegance.”  We then went on to find the perfect combination of rustic elegance and simple romance at Wildflower Linen.   The Russian Linen textile was a perfect fit.

The Floral was a wonderful collaboration between the floral designer, Events by Showstoppers, the couple and us.  Because of the couple’s limited involvement with the design, we, along with the brides best friend, were the main contacts.  We brought in Jim and Ken from Events by Showstoppers because they also have Houston roots.  She felt it would be a good aesthetic match.  The rose petal carpets, use of fruit, draping, and eclectic and unexpected containers helped created a breathtaking event.

Guests were greeted with an amazing rose petal carpet at the ceremony.  The Cocktail hour was defined with yet another rose petal carpet.  After cocktails, the guests crossed the grassy lawn lit with candles and transformed with more rose petals while serenaded by the string quartet placed on a balcony above them. They then climbed the steps full of candles to enter the breathtaking courtyard.  Guests were gasping and grabbing their cameras to take in the courtyard.  It was an amazing moment.

Photography: Phyllis Lane Photographer / Flowers: Events by Show Stoppers / Event Design: Victoria Canada Weddings & Events / Event Planning: Victoria Canada Weddings & Events / Ceremony Location: The Country Club at DC Ranch / Reception Location: The Country Club at DC Ranch / Invitations: Rebecca Baltutis, Square LA / Linens: Wildflower Linen & Southwick Linens / Cake: Andrea Carusetta-Blaut of Sedona Cake Couture / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bride’s Dress: Meriah, Monique Lhuillier from Casa Di Novia / Bridesmaid Dresses: assorted gowns from Monique Lhuillier and BCBG / Flower Girl:  Custom Dress by Jenny Kim Couture / Band: The Groove Merchants / Hair & Makeup: Glam Lounge Artists / Calligraphy: Jennifer Schmitt

I know we are smack dab in the middle of the pretty parade also known as Wedding Wednesday on SMP, but you’ll want to pull your party train over for a moment to fully fall in love with this charming, Anthropologie-inspired wedding captured by Dana Grant Photography. Sweetness is seriously seeping from the seams of this entire affair – and when you add a tutu, TOMS wearing flower girl, well – I melt. Click here for even more!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…I would say my inspiration of style for the wedding came directly from Anthropologie with a little mix of vintage and Southern charm.  I went to Joanne’s fabrics looking for some color inspiration right after I got engaged and fell in love with two amazing patterns in the coolest shades of yellow and gray.  I bought that store out of the material as well as another one in town!  I built everything around this fabric and my sister (as well as my entire family at one point) pitched in and ended up making 160 unique flower napkin holder-décor as well as using it within our table number designs and a tree-hanging monogram.

We met through a mutual friend and immediately found out that we were both social butterflies with quite a few mutual friends/acquaintances in common.  When we got engaged and starting talking about what kind of wedding we wanted we envisioned what we love doing-throwing (as well as attending) parties and gatherings.  We knew we wanted to transfer this personality into a “backyard” stylish reception and found the perfect place in North Scottsdale to host it.  And so you have it, complete with mason jar drinks, vintage window frames, burlap fabric, cigars, beach cruisers, and macaroni and cheese!!

Wedding Photography: Dana Grant Photography / Wedding Coordinator: Some Like It Classic / Wedding Cake: Vista Cakes / Ceremony Location: Brophy College Preparatory / Reception Location: Desert Camp at DC Ranch

This lovely Monday morning, we thought you could use a bit of a kick start – so here is a darling wedding AND a fabulous day after shoot by Sloan Photographers all wrapped up in one pretty little post. Not a bad way to get the day going, right?  An intimate ceremony and reception filled to the brim with darling details, an adorable couple, and gorgeous images from their snowy day after-shoot – ahhh, if only every Monday could start out this lovely. For even more, be sure to check out the full gallery.

click here for more lovely!

From the Bride…We wanted to have a really casual, intimate affair, so we picked a venue that we could have both our ceremony and reception at, and that would provide us the intimate feel that we were looking for. It was perfect, the perfect location, and just the right amount of room to make it feel cozy. The space was already just what we had wanted, from the color of the walls, to the wood beamed pergola on the balcony, and enormous sets of steel doors.

For the Ceremony our florist created a birch arch that had intertwined white hydrangea, and hanging bell glass jars. He hung some of the bell glass jars in the trees surrounding the area, and lined the bridge that led to the park with candles in vases filled with brown beans. We married outdoors in a small park that was just a short walk across the way. It was a lot colder than we thought it was going to be, so my aunt and cousins picked up gloves and blankets for our guests at target the night before the wedding! They turned out to be super cute additions to our already beautiful decor.

For the reception we chose the most beautiful long wooden tables with accompanying benches. Our florist filled the tables to the brim with the most incredible (and I mean incredible) flower arrangements I could have ever imagined. We had the guests take home whatever florals they wanted at the end of the evening, and I think that they were more than happy to do so. For our favors we filled small boxes with mints and caramels from See’s Candy, wrapped them in butcher paper, and tied them with many varieties and colors of ribbons from beaded to lace to shoe lace. The attached ‘Thank You’ tags were from Etsy, along with all of our table numbers. We bought a polaroid camera and left it out for our guests to take pictures, it was a big hit and they are some of our favorite photos from the evening.

Really, aside from getting married to the love of my life, one of the best moments of the day was the speech that my dad gave. He was so charismatic and had such a presence about him that I really hadn’t ever known before. It’s something that I won’t ever forget. Another moment we won’t ever forget is our day after photo shoot with the most fun-loving and awesome photographers that one could ask for. We planned to make the drive to Flagstaff, not fully expecting the HUGE snow storm that made it’s way through that day. Let me just tell you that trying to shimmy on and off a wedding dress in the backseat of a VW was pretty entertaining. My husband doesn’t like the snow very much, but he likes me a lot, so I owe him for being so patient and so wonderful to me about the whole ‘we might get stuck here in a snow storm, I don’t have a coat, and I just walked out in ankle deep snow to see if the building was open so you could pee,’ kind of way. I love him. The four of us spent the morning freezing in the snow, but could not wipe the smiles off of our faces. Our photographers pretty much rocked it. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Photography: Sloan Photographers / Ceremony and Reception site: Scottsdale Arizona Regale / Florist: Billy Pailey of Artistic Surroundings / Catering: Put a fork in it Catering / Dress: Melissa Sweet

This next feature is for all of you shabby chic brides out there that are desperate for your daily fix. It’s SO pretty and the bride, who along with her husband just happens to be a pretty incredible photographer, is well… drop dead freaking gorgeous. Photographed by Jasmine Star, this particular wedding is jam packed with so many pretty details, so many approachable and yet completely charming details. Held at the DC Ranch Country Club, you ladies will love this affair.

From the lovely and talented Jasmine Star…

Throughout the course of Stephanie and Stephen’s wedding day at DC Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona, Stephen was so accutely tuned into what Stephanie wanted, needed, or wished for, it appeared they’d been married for fifty years. At least. The way they looked at each other was as if they hadn’t seen each other for years and the love they shared could, quite literally, be felt throughout the venue. From a photographer’s perspective, there are some things that just come together, like two puzzle pieces interlocking at the right time.  I was extraordinarily blessed to document the series of moments as they strung together to create a beautiful and memorable wedding day.

From Stephanie Fay, the bride…

We had SO much fun planning this wedding and every little detail had meaning. I searched through thrift stores to find tea cups, bird cages, chandeliers and chairs of all sorts to decorate our venue with.  Details can get quite expensive while trying to plan a wedding on a budget, so being creative is the trick. It took a lot of work and a lot of ideas. Wedding blogs definitely helped get the ideas flowing! Style me pretty was my favorite of course.

The moss chair was a DIY project. It was an old chair that we found at an antique store. My Aunt Mary and I personally covered and designed the chair in moss along with the sign on it that says “He loves me, He loves me not, He loves me…We tied the knot.”

My dress was by Jim Hjelm, shoes by Kate Spade. I wore a vintage lace shrug that was custom made by Holly Stalder on Etsy. She made it to fit the design of my dress and I was so impressed with how quickly she worked.  She’s amazing! We hired Tamara from AZ Petal Pushers who did an amazing job on the flowers for the entire event. The La Tavola Linens were a leek lace overlay and set the vintage tone for the entire reception.  I absolutely loved the look we got from these linen overlays. Our invitations and paper goods were designed by Dina Remi. She has such a creative eye in design and is full of ideas.

I actually bargained shopped for many of my decor items.  I bought the birdcages from TJ Max believe it or not. Found all the China at antique and thrift stores. Our cake topper was a 100 yr. old antique china cup that I found at an antique store for $1. The menus, programs, and paperweights were all designed by my talented cousin Dina at www.dinaremi.com. She has such a creative eye in design and is full of ideas.

You can see even more of this gorgeous wedding right here. Thank you so much to Stephanie Fay, the incredible bride behind the day. You will definitely find TONS of eye candy on Stephanie’s gorgeous blog.