Check out this gorgeous floral chic Arizona wedding. A subtle colour palette paired with chic florals and sophisticated decor to create a stunning wedding for bride and groom, Julie and Stephen. Sit down and grab a coffee, this post has loads of swoon-worthy images! It’s very apparent that this is a couple very much in love, from the look in their eyes to the sweetest words they shared with me for this post.
Julie is from Farmington Hills, Michigan and Stephen is from Chandler, Arizona. They met through mutual friends and the first time Stephen saw Julie, he photo-bombed her and her friends! They are both huge hockey fans and after years of trying to convince mutual friends to set them up. Julie finally gave in, and asked Stephen if he had tickets to a Detroit Red Wings hockey game when they were in town. Stephen jumped at the opportunity, but said he could only get 2 tickets to the game. #CheekyChancer! So they went as a first date and have been together ever since!
Julie loves Stephen’s sense of humour and his patience. “I also love how I can be 100% myself in front of him no matter what. He still loves me, even when I’m crazy. He brings me a sense of calm and comfort that I’ve never felt with anyone else.”
Stephen loves how he can be himself around Julie. “I love how comfortable she makes me feel and how I know she always has my back. I love how crazy she can be. Julie always keeps me on my toes. She is the only woman I have ever met that I can talk sports with and she completely understands me. I love how she loves hockey. I love everything about her.”
“I think our relationship works so well because we are so different. Stephen is definitely the calm/dreamer type. Whereas I’m a little crazy and can sometimes be too rational. It’s a good balance and we are constantly challenging one another, which helps us both grow individually and as a couple.” – Julie
The Bride
“I knew Julie was the one on our first date. We were at the Coyotes/Red Wings game and she was shouting something at the players that only someone who really understood what was going on would know. I knew I’d found a keeper. And when, after just a few weeks, I found myself packing a bag to stay over at her house all the time. I couldn’t be away from her for more than one night.” – Stephen
The Groom
“I knew Stephen was the one a few months into our relationship when he went away for a camping trip. By that point we were already spending every weekend together, and almost every weekday too. I had lived alone for a while and really valued my alone time. But I truly missed him when he was gone. When he went camping and I couldn’t even talk to him for a few days, I realized I no longer wanted my alone time. I just wanted him with me all the time.” – Julie
The Proposal
Stephen proposed at sunrise in the Papago Mountains. During summer, Julie would always get up early to walk their dog, Leo, before it got too hot. Stephen would usually sleep in but on this occasion he went along and suggested they went to Papago, instead of their usual walk around the park. Once they got to one of the higher points and the sun was rising, Stephen got down on one knee and asked Julie to marry him!
Floral Chic Style & Decor
“For our wedding we wanted something classic and elegant. We stuck with mostly whites, silvers, and greys. We added some light blue for a little color. We wanted something that would never go out of style.”
“It was really important to incorporate some elements that were personal to us. We had a hockey theme since hockey is what brought us together. We used hockey pucks as table numbers, customized jerseys as guest books, and hockey sticks to help with our grand entrance.” – Julie
Floral Chic Arizona Wedding
“For the florals, I wanted a timeless look and something that would pop next to the girls’ dresses. I was a little sad that our wedding didn’t have many Arizona elements {such as cacti} so I made sure to incorporate them into our bouquets by having succulents! I love succulents”- Julie
Table Decor
The Guest List
“When we began planning our wedding, we had a very large guest list, over 50% of whom were from out of town. We wanted to make sure we had a place that could accommodate everyone and also be convenient for our guests. We invited about 265 guests and ended up with around 175. We looked at several places, but when we went to the Double Tree Resort in Scottsdale we just loved it!”
The Venue
“The beautiful white flowers and greenery were the perfect backdrop for us. The whole resort was just beautiful. Many of our guests stayed the whole weekend and commented on how perfect everything was. The place is so large we had our rehearsal dinner and Sunday brunch there too, all in different locations on the property.”
The Details
The Wedding Party
The Bridesmaids
The Groomsmen
Favourite Memories
Stephen’s favourite memory of the day was seeing Julie at the first look. “I was waiting my entire life for that moment and it was everything I thought it would be and more. She looked stunning!” – Stephen
“Once I saw that smile walking down the isle toward me I felt a feeling I had never felt before. I guess what I loved the most was that she chose me to spend forever with.”- Stephen
Julie’s favourite memory was the first look too. “I was so excited to see Stephen all dressed up and for him to see my dress that I had been keeping a secret. I liked that it was just us in that moment, and we had time to really take everything in. All the nerves of the day went away in that moment.” – Julie
“I wasn’t feeling anxious until about an hour before our first look, and I couldn’t wait to see him. The moment that I walked up to him, my heart was pounding and I was so nervous. As soon as he turned around and we hugged and kissed, all that nervous energy turned into pure excitement. I knew this was going to be the best day ever. It was so nice having a few moments to ourselves to just laugh and smile and be us.” – Julie
Aisle Music | First Dance
Stephen walked up the aisle to a violin version of “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran. The bridal party walked up to a violin version of “Marry Me” by Train. And Julie walked down the aisle to a violin version of “How Long Will I Love You.” Their first dance song was “You’re Beautiful” by Chester See. Early on in their relationship, Stephen randomly came across the song on Spotify and told Julie that it made him think of her.
What would you do differently?
“Everything about the day really was perfect. If we could think of anything to change it would be having the videographer come slightly later. There was a mix-up in our final timeline, so when they arrived, none of us were ready yet. Then they didn’t get to stay for as much of the reception as we would have liked. Make sure to double check your timeline {even when you have a wedding planner!}”
Our Tips & Advice
“Hire a planner! When we first started planning our wedding, I didn’t think we would need one and thought it was a waste of money. After a few weeks I realized I didn’t know what I was doing! We had all these vendors, but I wasn’t sure how to bring it all together. Wedding planners know what you need, what goes well together. Our planner helped us choose the flowers, linen colors, and really brought the whole day together. On the day of the wedding I didn’t have a worry in the world because I knew they were handling everything.” – Julie. Stephen’s advice is a little more simple and concise: “Let the bride get whatever she wants!”
Our Best Spent Money
“The best money we spent was definitely on photography and videography. I know not everyone does a wedding video, but it was 100% worth it for us. We watch it over and over and smile the whole time reliving the day. The day goes by so fast that you will want to have those pictures and videos to look back on.”
Photographer: Jennifer Wagner | Event Venue: Double Tree Resort | Makeup Artist: Gina Schroeder Creations | Cake Designer: Honey Moon Sweets Bakery and Dessert Bar | Lighting: Karma Lighting | Jewelry: Kay Jewelers | Floral Designer: LUX Wedding Florist | Groomsman Attire: Nick’s Menswear | Dress Designer: Pronovias | Band: Sapphire Sky | Dress Store: Schaffers Bridal | Wedding Cinematography: Simply Cinema | Linens and Coverings: Southwick Linens | Event Planner: Vermilion Events
You might be interested in reading 6 reasons why you should book a wedding videographer
Or the hugely popular, 12 things wedding guests hate
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