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Since people come to Arizona in the winter to enjoy our fortunate weather conditions and escape the ice and snow, we have become an established destination wedding locale; however, even though we embrace the constant sun and glorious porch-worthy evenings, we also crave a little chill. Just about this time of the year, we want something that makes us retreat to the couch with a good book and cozy blanket. We want to feel a variety of seasons! That’s why Heather and Jordan’s winter white wedding appealed to us- it features snowflakes and winter sparkle along with fun red, black, and white details. And Heather and Jordan are just too cute…
I’ll let Heather explain the shoes: Since I was a little girl I have loved the Wizard of Oz and so red shoes were a must! My shoes were purchased online and then sent to someone I found on Etsy.com who personalized them. I sent him details about us and he drew our wedding date, where we got engaged, our hobbies, etc. on them.
Another personal touch was Heather’s bouquet: My bouquet was made out of brooches that friends and family had collected or given to me (quite a few were family heirlooms – my grandfather’s cufflink, my husband’s grandmothers guardian angel, my childhood babysitter’s grandmother’s heart pin, my mother’s blue dragon fly for my something blue etc.).
Our color scheme was winter white and we added a bit of charcoal as well as some red accents. I moved to Canada to be with my husband (fiancé at the time) and loved everything about winter as I had never experienced it- this was our inspiration. Instead of doing the traditional flowers we had frosted tree branches. We wanted everything to glow and look clean like winter. We wanted our menu to be unique so we purchased rectangular plates and did more of a European style meal (three small portions instead of one entree). Both being foodies, this was really important to us!
We also had a photo booth, candy bar (with all white candy and some traditional Canadian desserts – butter tarts and Nanaimo bars), ornaments for friends to write personal messages on, and our personal favorite…carrot cake as our wedding cake.
KG: What is your favorite memory from the day?
H/J: A few of our friends told us before the wedding to soak in every moment because the day would fly by, and it truly did! One friend actually told us to take some time alone just the two of us to enjoy each other at some point throughout the day. After our ceremony we went upstairs to a suite at the venue and enjoyed appetizers just the two of us. It was so amazing to have 20 minutes or so to talk and laugh together for the first time as husband and wife. It allowed us to slow the day down a bit and soak it all in. This is our favorite moment of the day and I will make sure to recommend this to future brides!
KG: What was the smartest planning decision you made?
H/J: Having other people help with the wedding, hands down! My mom and our family friend who is a wedding planner (Margie Walinski of Party Presentations) made all the difference in the world. We did not have to worry about a single thing the day of the event. We were and are still totally unaware if anything went wrong that day because it was all handled by Margie. Planning our wedding from Calgary in Phoenix added a bit of difficulty and having their help made it much smoother. We communicated what we wanted and they helped execute it. I think it is a common misconception that you lose control of your wedding with the help of others but our wedding was truly our own with very little stress!
KG: Did you go on a Honeymoon?
H/J: We are currently in the process of planning our honeymoon in Malaysia this summer. I am in school and work as a tax accountant so a honeymoon after our wedding in January just was not possible. We plan to be gone three weeks and backpack all over the country. We have both traveled in Southeast Asia before and agreed we would love to go somewhere neither of us had been. After a bit of research, we decided Malaysia sounded amazing!
KG: What advice would you offer brides-to-be?
H/J: I would definitely recommend taking time during the day together as bride and groom away from all the craziness, allow others to help, make compromises along the way (not everything can be what you see in a magazine and it isn’t worth the stress), incorporate as many personal touches as possible, and finally on your day “it is what it is” and there is no reason to get upset or stress about things that can’t be changed…just enjoy!
KG: Tell us what you love best about being married!
H/J: We both married our best friend and love being around each other just as we did before marriage.
…all of our vendors were fabulous! Everyone raved about our food, music and venue. Our photographers were amazing…I think our day would not have been the same without them! I would recommend all of them to anyone.
Congratulations Heather and Jordan and thank you for sharing your wedding day with us!
Heather and Jordan’s Real Arizona Wedding Team:
Wedding Coordinator: Party Presentations
Ceremony and Reception Site: Clayton on the Park
Photographer: Pinkerton Photography
Bridal Gown Store: Mariee
Bridesmaids Dresses: J Crew
Tuxedos: Brooks Brothers
Invitations: Taylor Murphy
Caterer: Creations in Cuisine Catering
Cake: Sweets Unlimited
Entertainment: Desert Music Entertainment
Band: Prague
Linens: Tyler’s Custom Designs
Make-up Artist: Char McCreadie
Hair Stylist: Haute Hair, Misty
Favors: Gail Murphy
Photobooth: The Arizona Photobooth Company
Happy Planning from your Arizona Wedding Blog!
Kelly
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