Bethany & Dan’s Rustic DIY Ranch Wedding

We’re always so pleased when we receive a wedding submission that redefines or refines a trend. Bethany and Dan did just that with their big day that takes the ubiquitous-but-lovely rustic trend and incorporates elements of Arizona’s Salt River Valley. It makes for a beautiful – and unique – combination as you’ll see below.

From photographer, Dina, of Dina Remi Studios:

When I think of Bethany and Dan I think of effortless charm. They are one of those couples that are just perfectly matched. Each of them bring their own set of wonderful differences and strengths but together it’s a perfect storm of awesome. Attention to detail is the phrase that comes to mind when I think about all the wonderful, intimate and personal details that went into this wedding.

The venue, River Ranch, is actually the home of a mutual friend and a Scottsdale, Arizona based interior designer. Every piece of her property has little bits of Arizona history and each unique item has a story to tell. Bethany and Dan’s wedding was the first official wedding held there and I am so incredibly blessed to have been chosen to document their day.

Bethany teaches home economics and has a passion for food and cooking so it was no wonder that her and Dan paid extra attention to the delicious details of the day. They started the reception with appetizers and drinks out of mason jars labeled with all the names of their guests as a take home. For the main course they hired a gourmet cheese truck and had menu’s designed for each place setting that could be filled out and given to the awesome cooks behind the grill. Not only did Bethany and Dan put on custom aprons and serve their guests before themselves, but they also included her students in a special way.

Bethany’s students were given the assignment of writing meaningful quotes and phrases on each dinner plate served to their guests. They ended the evening with gourmet s’mores and dancing around the bonfire. Bethany and Dan are the perfect blend of confidence, passion, kindness and gentleness. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for these two!

Noteworthy Details: Bethany’s engagement ring was a custom design. She had been told that she would be getting a simple gold band at the wedding. Little did she know that Dan surprised her with a “little sister” to the original engagement ring made by the same designer. The couple had their guests highlight favorite verses in their first Bible together as a married couple. Polaroids were taken as the guests arrived and placed in a scrapbook. During the reception the guests had the opportunity to find their pictures and write a little note to the newlyweds. Bethany had her grandmothers vintage brooch made into a hair piece that adorned her lovely side swept curls that day. Bethany’s best friends sang as she walked down the aisle. Dan’s father married the couple.

Bethany & Dan
Rustic DIY Ranch Wedding
Private Residence, Arizona
Event Date: March, 2014

Photographer:  Dina Remi Studios//Dress Store: Lillian Lottie Couture//Caterer: The Grilled Cheese Truck//Caterer:The Lunch Lounge//Floral Designer: Tylers Custom Design//Event Planner: What A Day Weddings//Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Brittany + Dean’s Rustic Log Cabin Wedding

Talk about bringing the outdoors in! A beautiful log cabin with a tree in the center of the room. Foxboro Ranch Estates in Arizona provided this amazing backdrop for a perfectly rustic wedding. Complete with all the the right country touches and all of the smiles and charm that make Charity Maurer Photography’s images just that much more perfect, Brittany and Dean’s county cabin wedding is sure to knock your cowboy boots off!

Brittany and Dean took care of just about everything. From the covered hay bale seating over a bridge next to the cabin to the mason jar glasses and burlap runners and mason jar centerpieces that go together like “I” and “Do” this wedding features tons of little details planned oh-so perfectly. But Charity Maurer might have captured the best part when asked what made the day special. From the photographer:

I loved the sweet rustic charm of this wedding! I loved the smiling groom, Dean, as he held tightly onto his new wife throughout the day. I loved that they subbed tradition for a more creative forms like the river rock guestbook and mostly that they carefully pieced it together themselves!

Thanks Charity Maurer Photography for sharing such a charm filled day! Congratulations Brittany and Dean!

Vendor Information:

Date: May 25, 2013

Location: Flagstaff, AZ

Photographer: Charity Maurer Photography

Event Venue: Foxboro Ranch Estates

Courtney + Jesse’s Arizona Rehearsal Dinner

After seeing this next little treat from Siegel Thurston Photography, I cannot wait to see Courtney + Jesse’s wedding!!!!!  Let me give you a quick rundown:  a killer Texas BBQ, an assembly line for the floral arrangements, hot pink chandeliers sparkling in the Arizona night sky, some black and white graphic unners that I need in my home right now, more hot pink accents, and one heck of a cute, stylish couple.  What more can you ask for right?  If Courtney + Jesse’s rehearsal dinner is any clue as to what their wedding might hold, then please add me to the guest list!  Okay, well, I can’t really make it out to Arizona on such short notice, but at the very least, please be sure to share the big day with us Siegel Thurston Photography!

From the photographer:

Rehearsal dinners now days can be anything from a fun gathering at a happening restaurant, to renting out a dance hall and having private lessons for all the family and guests. We love to see and hear about it all.  It is always such a treat for us to be involved in a rehearsal dinner as wonderful as this. It gives us a little extra time to get to know the family and the wedding party so on wedding day everyone is even more comfortable with us around all day and our cameras out.

Simply can’t thank Courtney, Jesse, their friends and family, and Siegel Thurston Photography enough for sharing this rehearsal dinner with us!  We do hope you’ll share your big day too!  Congratulations!

 

Vendor Information:

Date: March 30, 2012

Location: Mesa, AZ

Photographer: Siegel Thurston Photography

Caterer: Texas Roadhouse

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Michelle + Joe’s Wrigley Mansion Wedding

As Khris embarks on her handmade gown journey, I thought it only “fitting” to include a wedding with handmade gown.  (Get it?  Wedding gown humor…Sorry, I had to.)  The dress is so often one of the most anticipated parts of planning process.  So when your mom is as seriously talented as Michelle’s mom, I’m pretty sure it’s safe to assume you’ll be in good hands.  Once you check out this stunning mom-made gown, you will certainly see why sometimes mommy does know best.  With a solid plan of splurging only on two things, their venue and their photographer, Jill Lauren Photography was the perfect choice to seamlessly snapp Michelle and Joe’s  custom fit wedding at Wrigley Mansion.

Talent like Michelle’s mom’s tends to run in families and you can see the proof in the impressive cream, pink, and succulent bouquets arranged by Michelle.  The centerpieces and Wrigley gum favors added that sweet touch of fun to a sophisticated day.  The one thing I love most is when photos capture how much fun the couple is.  You just see it their smiles! Michelle and Joe get it.  As lovely as the DIY injected into the day was, they never seemed to take things too seriously.  It was about love, and personality and sharing the day with the people you love.  And a good old fashioned cake smushing never hurts either!

Thanks Jill Lauren Photography for shooting this made to order day of DIY loveliness with the same sweetness and sophistication as Michelle and Joe.  Congratulations Michelle and Joe!

 

Vendor Information:

Photographer: Jill Lauren Photography

Event Venue: Wrigley Mansion 

Tuxedo and Men’s Attire:  Mr. Formal

Makeup Artist: Beauty by Erica

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

 

Holly + Dan’s Intimate Al Fresco Wedding

Ever see that commercial on TV where the girl asks the designer to build a room around a faucet? Holly and Dan have designed this next wedding around something much more schnazzy: her ring.  The inspiration came from using the turquoise and blue opal stones in Holly’s amazing ring that was designed by Will McNabb in Flagstaff, Arizona.   The result was an intimate, dreamy design filled with twinkling lights, dazzling DIY, and a pinch of Southwestern spice.

From the Bride:

“I began wedding planning soon after the engagement and, considering the longevity of our relationship, we had similar expectations for the day. We wanted something small and intimate, with only our closest friends and family. After all the big decisions were made I finally got to do the fun stuff!  I had to remind myself on a daily basis, that DIY is NOT just for Martha Stewart!”

 

I am so glad it’s not!  (Especially, since I, for one, will be searching for a jalapeño jelly recipe the next second I have.)  I loved the dried flowers that warmed up the bright and beautiful color combination so perfectly and the awesome graphics that added a touch of vintage to a modern design.  And show me wedding with such perfectly mismatched bridesmaids that wasn’t beautiful and I’ll sell you the Brooklyn Bridge.  Maybe it’s the East Coast part of me, but I get a little giddy when I see palm trees with twinkling lights too.  The al fresco setting of The Grotto at the Arizona Center and the fabulous photography of Jennifer Halen Photography made this a wedding I’ll be staring at for a while.

Congratulation Holly and Dan!

Vendor Information:

Photographer: Jennifer Halen Photography

Venue: The Grotto at the Arizona Center

Catering: Fresh From the Kitchen

Event Planner: Definitv Bridal

Floral Designer: Family Dried Flowers

Favors and gifts: Tipsy Graphics

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

 

 

Brittany + Ryan’s Modern, Classic Wedding

Um. There are very few times that I am rendered speechless, but Brittany and Ryan’s wedding left me that way for a while.  I found myself going through this gallery over and over admiring so many things from the bride’s amazingly ruffled dress and the sweet first look, to the to-die-for simple diy name  frame favors  and the oh-so modern guestbook.

If you haven’t fallen in love with the grey and yellow color combo yet, you will now.  Brittany and Ryan showed how to blend the colors beautifully.  The fun patterns they incorporated gave the colors a modern edge, but the simple styling of the event kept thing perfectly classic.  With the historic Z Mansion in Tucson as the backdrop, they showed that DIY is as classic as it is classy.

As much as I loved this color palette, the bride’s stunning style and all the little details like the packaged streamers to throw for the get-away, there was more thing about this wedding that made my heart skip a beat.  Lowe Photos let us know that this couple’s love story started in kindergarten.  Talk about timeless romance!

We can’t forget to thank Lowe Photos for capturing every one of these sweet moments and perfect details. Congratulations Brittany and Ryan!  Thank you for sharing such a gorgeous day!

 

Vendor Information:

Venue: Z Mansion, Tucson AZ

Décor, Flowers, and Linens: All Party Solutions- Amelia Romero

Wedding Dress: Allure Bridal

Wedding Shoes: Anne Michelle

Bride’s Bracelet: Enchantedly Yours

Bride’s Earrings: Lavendar by Jurgita

Hair/Makeup: Fierce Shears

Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alfred Angelo

Groom’s Suit: Mens Warehouse

Groom’s Shoes: Converse

Wedding Caterer: Smokin Hochs Catering
Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Brittany + Derrick

Today’s featured wedding looks like it was one awesome party! Brittany is a nurse, Derrick is a motorcycle racer, and their personalities busted out in this wedding. All the details are modern, fresh, and funky, but with a fierce classic twist. I especially love the photos of them in the bright aqua car, which belongs to the bride’s father, and the Ring Security t-shirt the ringbearer was styling.

 

 

DETAILS

Location: Peoria, AZ

Photography: The R2 Studio

Venue and Caterer: Blackstone Country Club

Florals: Etsy

Dress: Maggie Sottero from Brilliant Bridal

Hair: Tracy Peck

Makeup: Glamor Looks

DJ: SKM Entertainment

Michelle’s Bridal Shower

Good day, bridal friends. We’re going to switch it up and doing things a little differently today. Instead of featuring a wedding, we are showcasing a bridal shower. I find this wonderful for a couple reasons:

1. I’ve been writing the Real Weddings section since October, and we’ve never featured a bridal shower. Ever. Score one for something new! Please feel free to submit more showers and wedding celebrations!

2. This bridal shower not only toasted lovely bride Michelle, but also doubled as a fundraiser for ovarian cancer.

 

Michelle’s bridal shower had a sewing theme, in honor of her mother. Unfortunately her mother had passed away from ovarian cancer several months prior to the shower. A local bath shop donated a gift bag to the shower, and it was raffled off to raise money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. The bath shop also set up a bath salt station for the shower as favors for the guests, and all the lovely food and desserts were homemade.

 

 

Photography: Michelle Koechle Photography

Venue: Sundara Boutique & Gallery

Favors: Fizz Bath Shop

 

Robyn + Josh

Usually when a couple decides to go with a wine-themed wedding, a rich and dark color palette usually follows. However, Robyn and Josh bucked the trend and went with bright bursts of pink and daisies to accompany their wine motif. They had their guests sign a wine box they later used in the ceremony to hold letters they wrote to each other and will read on a future anniversary, as well as wine tags for place cards, and they used corks in the table decor. The daisies made an appearance in Robyn’s hair, on the tables, and even on the shoes they bridesmaids and bride changed into during the reception, and pink could be found everywhere, contributing to the atmosphere of fun romance.

 

 

DETAILS:

Location: Tucson, AZ

Photography: Danielle Daigle Photography

Venue: Reflections at the Buttes

Hair Stylist: Circa 79 Salon

Dominic + Christina

When the photographer for Christina and Dominic’s wedding submitted their wedding to us, she described it as a day when “magic was bound to happen.” She could not have been more spot on. The magic began with the use of vintage keys and antique furniture, and wove through the handmade wreaths of music pages, love notes, candles, and lots of twinkle lights. There was also plenty of Sinatra to groove to during the reception.

 

 

DETAILS

Location: Arizona

Photographer: Jen Driesbach of kreatid photography & design

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