May

categories: cakes and sweets, fabulous reception sites, real weddings, Scottsdale Weddings, Wedding Inspiration

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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tags: Arizona Wedding, red and black wedding, Scottsdale Wedding, White Wedding
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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!