Can you believe it? I love that story…

I asked the couple what their favorite thing is about each other:

Brett: There are too many things about her that I love to just choose one favorite. But if I had to, it would be her heart and selflessness.

Jacqueline: I find something new and amazing about him everyday. My favorite thing is that he is my best friend and can always put a smile on my face.

Congratulations Jacqueline and Brett and thanks for sharing your e-session with us!

All photos courtesy of: Ted Hewitt Photography

Happy Planning from your Tucson Wedding Blog!

Kelly

By the looks of the pre-collection, there is no going back! There is something for every type of bride. The quintessential princess bride echoes in Dirlan, Dalia and Dolomita:

High fashion strokes ‘á la Great Gatsby’ are present in Diango, Dia, Deimos and Dehesa

With this preview, just imagine how gorgeous the entire collection will be!

Gigi Bridal is currently in Barcelona to preview the collection and I am sure they will come back with even more pretties for you. Call Gigi Bridal Boutique to make an appointment and for information on trunk shows: 520.777.7747

Happy Planning from your Tucson Wedding Blog!

Kelly

Lisa and Andrew love architecture and the beach so their California Getty Museum and Santa Monica beach engagement session was a natural choice. Lisa tells us: Andrew and I live in Los Angeles, so Amanda took these when she and my brother came out for a visit. We took our photos at The Getty museum in Los Angeles, as well as the Santa Monica beach. We chose the Getty for it’s stunning architecture, beautiful grounds and panoramic views of LA–from the beach to downtown. Santa Monica has a fun vibe that’s full of energy, and the natural beauty of the beach creates a romantic backdrop. 

Lisa and Andrew met while paired together as bridesmaid and groomsman at a wedding! I asked them why they chose Amanda Rockafellow Photography for their pictures. Lisa says:  I guess what I love most is that you can see the passion behind each image. Amanda is truly an artist and she manages to tell a story with every photo. She always looks for the unexpected moments and captures them perfectly.

I asked the couple what they love most about each other. Here’s what they said:

Lisa: My favorite thing about Andrew is his big heart.
Andrew: My favorite thing about Lisa is her selflessness-she’s always thinking of others.

All images courtesy of: Amanda Rockafellow Photography

Lisa and Andrew, thank you for sharing your engagement pictures with us!

Happy Planning from your Tucson Wedding Blog!

Kelly

Linsey and Eric chose bright colors- orange, green and periwinkle- for their decor, attire and invitations. The colors elicit a warm Arizona feel while the wedding favors, brought in from the groom’s favorite chocolatier in Madison, represented the groom’s midwest roots and the couple’s current residence (in Missouri).

We absolutely love that the couple arranged for the groom’s aunts from Wisconsin to lead the entire congregation in singing James Taylors’ “How Sweet it is to be Loved by You”. The lyrics were printed in the wedding programs so everyone could participate- how cute is that?

A cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres took place following the ceremony featuring sangria punch, margaritas, and a local beer from Nimbus brewing. During the cocktail hour, guests posed with a variety of wood picture frames with the golf course in the background to create photos for the guestbook

Linsey and Eric chose cupcakes a’la mode in lieu of a wedding cake

Here’s the Wedding Trailer from Beyond Video:

Linsey & Eric’s Wedding Trailer~Tubac Golf Resort & Spa from Beyond Video on Vimeo.

Did you go on a honeymoon? Eric and I did go on a honeymoon. Because we are both on an academic schedule, we postponed our honeymoon a few months and spent 2 weeks in Chile in December/January. We were able to visit Santiago, a city in the Lakes District of Chile (Pucon) and a very small beach/surfing village (Buchupureo). It was a wonderful trip and we enjoying a fly fishing excursion (one of Eric’s dreams about a honeymoon in Chile), surfing lessons, and several walks on the beach and hikes exploring beautiful deserted coastline nature areas.

What was your favorite moment from the day? I asked Eric this question and we both can’t quite pick a “favorite” moment or detail from the wedding day. Looking back some of the things that stick out for great memories were being able to have a few quiet moments with all of our close family members and the wedding party enjoying some Eegees and other snacks between the afternoon pre-wedding photos and the start of the ceremony, walking out of the chapel and having a brief moment together with the bell ringing, enjoying the amazing sunset lighting and views as we walked around/rode on the golf cart on the golf course taking some more photos during the cocktail hour, and dancing with all of our friends and family at the reception.

What advice would you give brides planning a wedding from afar? It really wasn’t that bad! Having supportive family/friends who are local was a huge help, along with choosing very well-established and organized vendors. Melissa at Tubac Golf Resort and Spa was a very big help in coordinating everything and helping us remember things we needed to decide or arrange. And then I think our approach of having a few key details we really cared most about but being somewhat flexible/adaptable on a lot of other details helped reduce the stress and simplify decision-making from afar (and to delegate tasks!). We were also fortunate that in the ~3-4 months that we were planning the wedding Linsey was able to take 2 trips to Tucson/Tubac to visit the wedding site, meet with vendors, find a dress… and Eric and his parents were able to join Linsey on one of those trips as well. So, with a couple of concentrated “in-person” long weekend trips, plus a lot of internet research and helpful family, friends and vendors, we were able to plan it successfully (it’s been almost a year since the most hectic planning so maybe I am forgetting, but it really didn’t feel that hard – I think the amount of help we got from friends/family and choosing good vendors is the main “tip”!).

Congratulations Linsey and Eric and thank you for sharing your day with us!

Linsey and Eric’s Real Tucson Wedding Team:

Ceremony and Reception Site: Tubac Golf Resort and Spa

Photographer: Julie Livermore Photography with Michelle Rooney

Videographer: Beyond Video

Bridal Gown Store: Maya Palace

Florist: Linda St. Louis

Entertainment: Harmony Entertainment

Ceremony Musicians: Jim Flores

Make-up Artist and Hair Stylist: Suzanne Becker

Officiant: David Wilkinson

Rehearsal Dinner Site: The Italian Peasant

But some trends have real staying power- ceremonies in the round, doing the first dance immediately after the grand entrance, feasting tables…you get the idea. One trend we think has said staying power is the Fingerprint Guest Book. Why do we think this trend will stick? Because it has 2 major hallmarks of good wedding design: it adds to the personalization of the wedding day and simply put, it makes sense.

(Inviting Moments via Etsy.com)

We love the sign in guest books that feature the couple’s engagement pictures where guests can write a sweet message or give advice. Love it. But an alternative to this is to have guests use their fingerprints to fill in a tree that comes to life only when those who are there to celebrate with the couple participate. I have to admit, I’m a little bit of a sucker for the symbolic qualities of the Fingerprint Guest Book.

(Courtesy of: Jason + Anna Photography)

(via Green wedding Shoes Blog)

You can see that you are not limited to trees either- we have seen bird feathers, seashells, cake sprinkles, and balloons to name a few . We think you’ll agree,  this trend is sure to stick around.

Happy Planning from your Tucson Wedding Blog!

Kelly

Heard of the upcoming movie The Five-Year Engagement? It’s wedding planning comedy at it’s best and now you can enter to win a pair of tickets to the advance screening on April 24th at AMC Foothills! Just complete the form below and we’ll randomly draw 10 winners on Friday, April 20th.

The director and writer/star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall reteam for the irreverent comedy The Five-Year Engagement. Beginning where most romantic comedies end, the new film from director Nicholas Stoller, producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Rodney Rothman (Get Him to the Greek) looks at what happens when an engaged couple, Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, keeps getting tripped up on the long walk down the aisle. The film was written by Segel and Stoller.

We love the interesting textures and colors of this engagement session. Here’s what Jennifer told us about the cool locale: We choose downtown Tucson because it reminds us of the urban area in Austin, Texas where we live today and before I left Tucson that is where I would normally hang out with friends.

Sweet alert! I asked the couple what they like best about each other; here’s what they said:

Jon: My favorite thing about Jennifer is her big heart and sweet soul

Jennifer: My favorite thing about Jon is how witty and funny he is

I am always curious about the relationship between the couple and the photographer, especially when the session goes as well as this one did. Here’s what Jennifer says about Shelley Welander of SheWe Studio: I first discovered Shelley Welander a few years ago when she did my family photos and instantly fell in love with her work. After meeting her and her husband Cam, I knew it was a great match to work with! We had a blast when shooting our engagement photos!

(All images courtesy of: Shelley Welander, SheWe Studio)

Congratulations Jennifer and Jon- we wish you wedded bliss!

… and many thanks to photographer Shelley Welander of SheWe Studio for sharing her gorgeous work with us!

Shelley’s Tips for a Great Engagement Session:

1. I encourage my brides-to-be to get make-up done prior to our e-session, this is a suggestion not in any way mandatory! My style of photography really captures the eyes and sometime pro make-up really enhances the shape of the eyes for black and whites.

2. I always suggest a couple of outfit changes; one more casual and the other with maybe a sexy little dress.

3. I like to shoot at a location that suits each couple’s personality; nature, urban, studio. I want my couples to feel comfortable and have FUN! Engagement sessions should be about capturing your true personalities so we play a lot!

Happy Planning from your Tucson Wedding Blog!

Kelly

Congratulations to:

Elaine Taylor Fine Flowers- Best Florist

(Image courtesy of: Amanda Rockafellow Photography)

Sullivan’s Steakhouse- Best Local Jazz Venue AND Best Place to Order a Martini

Maya Palace- Best Women’s Boutique

(Image courtesy of: Chris Richards Photography)

A Fine Line Stationery and Gift Boutique- Best Place to Buy a Special Gift

(Image courtesy of: Amanda Rockafellow Photography)

Happy Planning from your Tucson Wedding Blog!

Kelly

While dating, Michelle and Will traveled extensively so they knew luggage tags would be fitting escort cards. Guests enjoyed cocktail hour on the patio then went to the lawn for an intimate dinner under the glowing mesquite trees. The twinkle lights, flowers hanging from the trees and the chandelier over the sweetheart table all set the mood.

After dinner, the party moved to the ballroom that was set up as a hip lounge, complete with a private sitting area for the couple. Guests also had some fun with a live photobooth.

KG: What is your favorite memory from the day?

M/W: There are so many amazing memories because I truly had the wedding of my dreams. Everyone kept telling me to “remember as much as you can…you won’t remember a thing…it all goes by so fast”. So, throughout the night, I would take a deep breath and just remember that small moment and take something in…one moment was putting on my wedding shoes to seeing two of my girlfriends dancing up a storm on the white dance floor to seeing my parents’ look on their face during the wedding speeches. However, one of my top favorite moments was right after our first kiss, turning around, seeing all of my guests and being announced as “Mr. and Mrs.”.

Michelle and Will’s Real Tucson Wedding Team:

Mattie Luxe is a company that can help you with the business of personalizing your wedding- they offer the cutest placemats and other goodies that are sure to compliment a sweet and stylish picnic-themed wedding or bridal shower. Oh, they make great thank you gifts too!

I love this one with the ikat pattern- very hip

Mattie Luxe also makes custom lucite trays- imagine using these for your escort cards, ceremony beverages or candy bar bag holder

Happy Planning from your Tucson Wedding Blog,

Kelly