one enchanted evening
You don’t hear that every day from a bride. But then, not every bride is Svetlana Hanumic, who wed her longtime love, Emir Mustedangic, after a ten-year courtship.
Svetlana and Emir’s relationship began when the two were introduced by mutual friends after she emigrated to the united states from Bosnia. Emir is also from Bosnia, though he came to the U.S. two years earlier.
When the pair decided to wed, they knew that they wanted a multi-cultural celebration that incorporated music from europe and America and they knew they wanted to be surrounded by their closest family and friends.
Svetlana’s best friend since childhood flew out to Arizona from Germany several times prior to the wedding date tohelp the bride choose a gown and prepare for the festivities.
Having a dear friend present sure helps to ease the nerves, but the bride credits the couple’s close relationship with the minister for keeping her relaxed. “it helps when you are working with a close friend,” she recalls, “We just asked him to put together a ceremony that reflects who we are.”
Following the heartfelt exchange of vows, the couple and their guests moved to the clubhouse at Desert Mountain for a celebration that included an open bar, dinner and dancing to music that was carefully selected by the couple. “We wanted to include music from many countries, including American, european and jazz,” says svetlana. The party included the bride’s two daughters, ages 17 and 11, who clearly enjoyed their roles as bridesmaids.
As for décor, the bride recalls their desire to keep the embellishment to a minimum in order to keep the focus on Arizona’s natural beauty, “You don’t need anything but the desert atmosphere.”
Location:
Desert Mountain
Photographer:
Ben Quillinan Photography
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