November 4, 2016

This Scottsdale, Arizona wedding took place at Sassi, a beautiful Italian restaurant. Surrounded by scenic desert views, Emily and Josh said I do in front of their loved ones. What I have seen in shooting Arizona weddings is that you find a sense of peace in the desert. The cacti, agave plants, and evergreen shrubs all create a calming essence. This wedding was nothing short of elegant and meaningful memories. Their special day truly embraced their love story.

We asked the couple of questions to get to learn a little more of their story. They talked about planning their Arizona fall wedding and gives advice to newly engaged couples to be.

How did you and your spouse meet?

“Josh and I met in our apartment complex during the Spring of 2013. It was my birthday weekend and three of my girlfriends were visiting to help celebrate. We met Josh by the pool that weekend and I was immediately charmed by his good looks and Northeastern roots. He was easy to talk to, cute, and extremely charismatic. We were both transplants to Arizona, trying to make Scottsdale our new home; far away from the comfort of our family and friends. Our friendship evolved over that year and grew into our now love story. Ironically, my parents had met in their apartment complex 30 years prior. Following in the footsteps of a successful marriage.”

What inspired your Scottsdale, Arizona wedding style and vibe?

“Josh and I were passionate about getting married in Arizona. It was where we met and fell in love. Arizona was our now “forever home.” We were excited to share the beauty of Arizona with our family and friends scattered across the U.S.

I had always dreamed of a wedding in the fall, which lined up perfectly with the weather in Scottsdale. November it was! We knew we wanted an outdoor ceremony surrounded by the beauty of the desert saguaros and mountain landscape.

The desert inspired much of our wedding style; as I wanted to capture Scottsdale’s natural beauty. It was important to me that everything felt organic and effortless. Our color palette included cream, black, and gold with hints of burgundy, mauve, and lots of fresh greenery. Our venue (Sassi) was naturally beautiful on its own, I was inspired to enhance the landscape around us with simple elegant details.“

What resources did you use to plan your Scottsdale, Arizona wedding?

“In terms of social media, Pinterest and Instagram were my go-to’s. However, the best resource I had was my planner, Andrea Leslie. She relieved so much anxiety throughout the planning process and had great connections within the vendor community. I would highly recommend all brides look into hiring a planner.”

What advice do you have for brides planning their wedding?

“Once you make a decision, cross it off the list, and never look back!

Budget and save for a planner. Whether it’s for the planning from start to finish, design, month of, or day of, hiring a planner was the best decision we could have made. Wedding planners keep you grounded, calm and make the planning process so much more fun! If you’re lucky, you’ll get a great friend out of it too.

Before picking a venue, make your invite list! Once you have a number in mind, then begin the venue search. Many venues can’t hold groups over a certain number. This will help narrow down the venue selection process.

Get as much done early as possible so you can enjoy the week of celebrating with out-of-town guests!”