Archive for the ‘floral inspiration’ Category

     
26
Apr
Real Wedding: Marney and Booth
categories: cakes and sweets, fabulous reception sites, floral inspiration, photography, real weddings, Scottsdale Weddings, Wedding Inspiration, Wedding Resources

Since we are in Arizona, we tend to gravitate towards weddings that celebrate the beauty that is unique to our locale- desert colors, mountain views, and Arizona inspired flora. Marney and Booth’s Desert Botanical Garden wedding celebrates all that is quintessential yet modern Arizona…

Confident in her know-how and desire, Marney was a hands-on bride to the extreme! She designed many of the beautiful details herself. I’ll let her tell you about it: As guests arrived at the ceremony, they found self-serve glass dispensers of mint lemonade and cucumber water set at the edge of the desert garden path. Green and white straws kept the mood light, and handwritten kraft signs, tied with twine around the dispensers, informed guests as to what they were drinking. Hand-made nests of twine, succulents, yellow genista, and white wax flowers hung from aisle chairs at the ceremony, and the natural desert red rocks acted as a dramatic backdrop for the nuptials. Also, I personally designed and, with the gracious help of my parents, crafted the ceremony program fans. The graphics featured the agave logo repeated on the fan back to create a custom pattern, and printed program on the reverse.

The ceremony was held in the Binns Wildflower Pavilion at the Desert Botanical Garden. Marney’s mother is an active board member of the gardens, and the couple have been to many family events in the Pavilion. They knew immediately they wanted to marry at the garden, and booked the venue within days of getting engaged.

Guests RSVP’d to the event “Will be there with bells on”, and picked up small white bells to ring as the we walked down the aisle during the recessional. The bells featured tags tied with twine, and custom “RING ME!” graphics I designed.

Just in case you are not sure if the Desert Botanical Gardens provides enough privacy for bride and groom time, check out these shots by Hollye Schumacher Photography

After the ceremony and just before the rain storm, guests picked up prickly pear margaritas and wandered through the desert pathways to Boppart Courtyard. The courtyard featured bright coral tablecloths on hightop tables, tied with burlap ribbon and topped with small arrangements of succulents. Guests found their names and table assignments (hand-written by me) on kraft cardstock tags hanging with twine strung between a set of agave stalks my parents had carefully collected, continuing the theme of the century agave plant.

Marney and Booth enjoyed some time on their own being newlyweds

 

Among all the memories from the day, Marney and Booth say their favorite moment of the day was their first dance. Here’s what they have to say about it: We both loved so many moments of the day: spending the morning in anticipation with our friends and family, seeing each other for the first time, our vows… but our first dance was a clear winner. We worked with a fabulous choreographer and a happy tune, Home is Wherever I’m with You by Edward Sharpe, and as we twirled and giggled, our guests circled round and clapped in unison to the tune. It was the perfect kick-off to the celebrations that ensued.

The tables names were chosen for cities Marney and Booth had lived in- so exotic!

(Image from The Live Photobooth)

KG: What was the smartest planning decision you made?

M/B: Securing a back-up location. I thought my parents were crazy when they suggested it for our April wedding, but on our wedding day, when the clouds rolled in and the rain poured down just as we completed our vows (outside), we were so glad to have an indoor reception for guests to dash to. My dream reception on the outdoor twinkle-lit patio didn’t happen, but our guests were warm, dry, and happy – and that made us happy.

KG: Did you go on a Honeymoon?

M/B: I was in the middle of business school and couldn’t take any additional time off, so we delayed our trip until a more convenient time. We headed to Thailand for two weeks in March – a perfect way to celebrate our first year together! We’ve both traveled quite a bit but have never been to SE Asia. It was important to us to find a place new to both of us so we could discover it together.

KG: What advice would you offer brides-to-be?

M/B: Know it won’t all go as planned – whether it’s the weather, making the rounds to all your tables, or snapping a candid with your grandfather – but it will most likely be the best darn day of your life. Just relax, be present, and enjoy your guests and each other. It goes so fast, it’s not worth fretting about anything once the event begins!

KG: Tell us what you love best about being married!

M/B: We dated for 7 years before getting married so had already experienced so much together. But now that we’ve made it official, we love discussing life’s big next steps together… while tossing a football on the beach, learning to paddleboard, or exploring new hotspots on our Vespa. Life couldn’t be better in Southern California!

KG: Anything else you want to tell us?

M/B: We had a rockstar team all around. Favorites included Bright Bokeh videographers (we felt like Hollywood stars!*), photographer Hollye Schumacher, and the Desert Botanical Garden crew for going above and beyond in all respects. Victoria Canada and her team kept the event in check, while Santa Barbara Catering kept guests’ glasses full. Petal Pusher provided the perfect succulent arrangements – Tamara delivered on exactly the look we were aiming for. We were blessed all around!

Congrats Marney and Booth and thank you for sharing your day with us!

Marney and Booth’s Real Arizona Wedding Team:

Wedding Coordinator: Victoria Canada Weddings and Events

Ceremony and Reception Site: Desert Botanical Gardens

Photographer: Hollye Schumacher Photography

Videographer: Bright Bokeh

Bridal Gown Store: Ultimate Bride

Bridesmaids Dresses: Bella Bridesmaid

Suits: Groom’s- custom, Groomsmen- Macy’s

Florist: Petal Pusher

Invitations: Mr Boddington (& bride)

Caterer: Santa Barbara Catering

Cake: Honey Moon Sweets

Band: The Walkens

Ceremony Musicians: String Serenade

Photobooth: The Live Photobooth

Make-up Artist: Corinna Cooke

Hair Stylist: Meaghan Gingrich

Officiant: The Honorable Andy Hurwitz, Arizona Supreme Court

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

Transportation: Real London Bus Company

Hotel Accomodations: FireSky Resort and Spa

Rehearsal Dinner Site: The Valley Field Riding & Polo Club

 

 

 

 

 

 

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18
Apr
Real Arizona Wedding: Amy and Bryan
categories: fabulous reception sites, floral inspiration, real weddings, Scottsdale Weddings

Amy and Bryan wanted all their family and friends to join them on their wedding day but since they are scattered throughout the country, they weren’t sure how to choose a wedding location that would please everyone. So how did they solve their logistical dilemma? They had a destination wedding right here in Arizona! The weekend ended up being exactly what they wanted: the weather was quintessential Arizona (75 gloriously sunny degrees), the views for the wedding and reception were spectacular and they had a ton of FUN with their loved ones!

Amy has the biggest, happiest, most genuine smile and now we know here she gets it from!

Another moment captured by Kimberly Jarman that melts my heart a bit

Amy surprised Bryan with Taco Bell, their favorite food. As a fan myself, I have to say, this is BRILLIANT!

Amy tells us more: With Bryan and I both being from Ohio, but studied in Chicago, and most recently living in Arizona- we felt like no matter where we decided to have a wedding it was not going to be convenient for anyone.  We knew we wanted an outdoor, timeless affair that portrayed our personalities and relationship in every way possible.  With Chicago and Ohio both being in the Midwest with unpredictable weather, an outdoor wedding quickly eliminated those options, so Arizona it was!

Sunridge Canyon Golf Club turned out to be the perfect venue for us.  It was the ideal setting for an outdoor AZ wedding, especially for our out of town guests.   The weather was the typical perfect AZ weather in November- 75 and sunny.  Our ceremony was picturesque with the AZ sunset and the famous “Four Peaks” of the Superstition Mountains behind us.  Our bridal party all wore black with their bouquets and boutonnieres filled with cymbidium orchids.  To include a bridesmaid who was unexpectedly put on bedrest and could not fly, I made a cutout of her picture for the bridal party to carry in with them.  I carried an all white bouquet of ranunculus and peonies with green lilac accents.

The cocktail hour and reception were held in an outdoor area of the golf club, with views of the mountains.  Guests were greeted with our green signature cocktail, the “Gavintini” and crabcakes.  Lanterns and candles were a common theme throughout the reception with pops of green and white coming from our green pintuck linens and floral arrangements.

Our eclectic taste in music was showcased during the reception.  The hit of the night was the bridal party’s entrance to LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It.”   This really set the mood of the party for the rest of the night.  Our flower girl was also the star of the night getting the whole dance floor to surround her while she showcased her dance moves.

Some of my favorite parts of the wedding were the little details we came up with to make the wedding our own.  Because live music is such a huge part of our relationship, we named each table after our favorite music venues.  My mom and I spent hours making tissue paper flowers for each place setting along with a personalized thank you note.  To keep the favors fun and outdoorsy, we went with our favorite summertime treat- S’MORE’S!   A photobooth was a must have for my parents, and I’m so glad it was.  Our guests had so much fun with it using our homemade mustache and bowtie props to put their own touch on our guestbook.    To end the night, tacos from Taco Bell were delivered as a surprise for Bryan and our guests.  If anyone knows Bryan and I, Taco Bell is one of our main food groups.  Overall, Bryan and I had such a wonderful wedding day thanks to our family, friends, and our amazing vendors- it was truly a night to remember.

Congratulations Amy and Bryan- thank you for sharing your special day with us!

Happy Planning from your Arizona Wedding Blog,

Kelly

Amy and Bryan’s Real Arizona Wedding Team:

Wedding Coordinator: Imoni Events

Ceremony and Reception Site: SunRidge Canyon Golf Club

Photographer: Kimberly Jarman Photography

Bridal Gown Store: Cincinnati Bridal and Formal (Mikaella)

Bridesmaids Dresses: Cincinnati Bridal and Formal (Bill Levkoff)

Tuxedos: Men’s Wearhouse

Florist: Petal Pusher

Invitations: Papyrus

Cake: Piece of Cake Desserts

Entertainment: Ray the DJ

Ceremony Musicians: Ray the DJ

Make-up Artist: Sarah SanMarco

Officiant: Reverend Giovanni

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals

Transportation: Ollie the Trolley

Linens: Southwick Linens

Photobooth: Snapz Photobooth

 

 

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