I have to say, I love it when East Coast couples chose to have their weddings here in Arizona. I’m a Wisconsin girl and whenever my relatives come to visit, I enjoy showing off the beauty of our desert, the perfect golf courses and the unusual red rocks of Sedona.

Beth and Mark, who are both from Massachusetts, wanted their guests to feel like they were on vacation when they came to Arizona so they chose the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa as home-base for the entire weekend. This was a smart move on their part because the JW is amazing. It’s huge, has great dining, a chic spa, several pools, beautiful rooms, etc. But most  importantly, they have Tuscany- a warm and inviting beauty of a restaurant that is perfect for wedding receptions. We’ll get to that later…

The gorgeous couple

Beth was radiant in an ivory and champagne gown while her girls donned cognac-hued dresses and carried bouquets of sunset orange lilies and oversized ivory roses.

The handsome men in coordinating vests and ties

It was a signature Arizona fall day- the sky was bright blue, the golf course and mountain views were spectacular, nobody was chilly (like they would be back east!)…

Beth tells us: Our reception was in the Tuscany Ristorante; Tuscany Ristorante has an old style italian mood so we went with it! Long bare wooden tables were set family style. Candle centerpieces were surrounded with rose petals and votive candles. Favors were mini cigar boxes filled with chocolate and salt water taffy made and sent from my Aunt’s family- owned shop, Nichol’s Ocean Home Candies, in Gloucetser MA. Cigar boxes were also decorated with feathers and string of pearls for the ladies to add to the old italian flare

Such a sweet picture

Our meal consisted of 5 courses begining with crab cake appetizers and ending with a trio of creme brulee. Mark selected the cake flavors, color and design; displayed on the cake table were pictures of our parents on their wedding day cutting their cake.

This is the creme brulee trio- yum!

Here are some post-wedding nuggets that I just had to know:

KG: Now that you have had some time to reflect on your wedding, what is your favorite memory from the day?

BP: My favorite part of the day was walking down the aisle with my dad (sharing that special moment with him) and being handed off to Mark.

KG: What was the smartest planning decision you made?

BP: To have it at a location that can accommodate everyone, esp. out of town guests without rental cars and knowledge of the area

KG:  Now that your day has come and gone, what advice would you offer brides-to-be?

BP: This is a tough one. As far as the planning – concentrate on one thing at a time. Once you decide on something don’t look back. Example: you find an invitation that you want/love – you have to have it! get it and never look at another invitation. When people give you advice: smile, accept their two cents and do what you want. It’s your day! This is the time in your life you need to be selfish and make it the wedding that you want. I sometimes feel brides/grooms get too caught up in making everyone else happy (I used to plan weddings for a hotel – I have seen this plenty of times). Try not to stress.. as far as the wedding day.. sit back, relax and enjoy it because it goes by so fast.

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

BP: Being someone’s spouse and best friend, someone to share each day/night with and that no matter what you know they will be there

Thank you Beth and Mark and Congratulations on your new life together!

Beth and Mark’s Real Wedding Team:

Ceremony Site: Ballroom Lawn, JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa

Reception Site: Tuscany Ristorante, JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa

Bridal Gown Store: David’s Bridal

Bridesmaids Dresses: David’s Bridal

Tuxedos: Men’s Wearhouse

Florist: Wendell Design Group Florists, LLC

Photographer: Cosey Photography

Invitations: Thee Wedding Warehouse

Caterer: JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa

Cake: JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa

DJ: Starz Entertainment, John Green

Make-up Artist: MAC

Hair Stylist: Studio 326, Peter

Officiant: Reverend Marnie Olsen

 

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One of the ironies of my life is that for as I much as I love photography, I am not fabulous in pictures. I’m a little awkward, I don’t have a huge range of acceptable facial expressions, and I’m rarely at- ease. I tell you this because when I look at Lyndsey and Hugh’s pictures, they seem like the polar opposite of me. They are so comfortable and easily show their love for each other. I just love how happy they are!

See what I mean? Let’s take a look at Lyndsey and Hugh’s pretty day:

  

Lyndsey tells us: Hugh LOVES interesting ties, so we purchased ties for all the men. Since he’s a Second Lieutenant in the Army, he also wore Army cufflinks; we were not having a military wedding but I wanted him to have something Army with him that night.

 

We were traditional and waited until the ceremony to see each other; walking down the aisle towards him and seeing each other for the first time is something I will never forget! I could not stop smiling the entire time and when I saw the way Hugh was looking at me it made me smile even bigger. We had a quick ceremony, only about 15 minutes (we wanted to get to the party!), and when Chaplain Oxendine pronounced us husband and wife I have never been happier, it was the most amazing few seconds of my life.

   

 

I love photobooth photos of the bride and groom- they are in party mode and photographers usually get some cool shots of them in the booth together, Here’s what Lyndsey says about the booth: We had a photobooth that printed out two strips of pictures, one for the guest to keep and one for the guest to put in a memory book with a note from them for us to keep. We used this in lieu of a guest book and had such a great time reading all the comments the next day. The photobooth was on the patio outside the ballroom all night and had a constant line. 

Lyndsey shares some of her favorite moments: My Maid of Honor gave the best speech and was the only person who made me cry that day; when I heard her list the reasons why she knew Hugh and I were meant for each other (including the fact that he is the only man who could love my 5 pound yorkie-poo almost as much as I do) I could not help but tear up. Then we hit the dance floor; dancing with all of our friends and family was one of the highlights of the evening for both of us. There were so many people that we loved and loved us all in one room and being able to spend that time with them was amazing!

Here’s my post-wedding Q and A with the couple:

KG: Looking back, what was the smartest planning decision you made?

Lyndsey: The smartest decision I made was the fact that I found vendors I truly trusted and that shared my vision. Knowing that all my vendors would come through and I could trust them to do their jobs and do them well made my life so much easier! The day of the wedding I did not stress over the details because I knew that they would handle everything!

KG: Did you and Hugh go on a Honeymoon?

Lyndsey: Yes, we spent 8 nights in Costa Rica! We actually waited about a month before we left because of our schedules, and I am so glad that we waited. We had the opportunity to relax after the wedding and it also gave us something to look forward to. I feel like we spent so much time looking forward to the wedding that I was a little sad when the night was done, but knowing something else exciting was coming was great! While in Costa Rica we relaxed at the beach, at a ton of great food, went zip lining, white water rafting, horse back riding, hiking through the rain forest and so much more! It was the most amazing trip!

KG: Now that your day has come and gone, what advice would you give brides- to- be?

Lyndsey: The biggest piece of advice is not to worry about things the day of. Trust your vendors and the planning you have put into it and then just let go. If something goes wrong, and chances are something will, relax and know that you are probably the only one who realizes that small detail is not what it should have been. Also, before you start planning put together a detailed budget and guest list, you really can not plan the other details without knowing those things. Know what is important to you and what you are willing to spend more money on, for us it was the venue/food/beverage and the photography/videography and I was willing to not spend as much money in other areas to make sure I had the best possible vendors in those areas and I knew specifically what the dollar amount was because of the budget I put together before I started planning.

Lyndsey and Hugh, Congratulations again and Thank You for sharing your day with us!

Lyndsey and Hugh’s Real Wedding Team:

Ceremony and Reception Site: Troon North Golf Club

Florist: Butterfly Petals

Photographer: Sandra Tenuto

Videographer: Serendipity Videography

Cake: La Dolce Pesca

Bridal Gown Store: Alfred Angelo

Bridesmaids Dresses: White House Black Market

Tuxedos: Men’s Wearhouse

Entertainment: Ray the DJ

Ceremony Musicians: Allegro Quartet

Photobooth: A2Z Photobooth

Make-up Artist: Steven Paul Salon, Naomi Cadena

Hair Stylist: Steven Paul Salon, Kandi Palmer

Officiant: Army Chaplain Frankie Oxendine

Rentals: Classic Party Rentals (formerly Tri Rentals)

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