Stephanie + Andrew
October 16, 2022 / Scottsdale, Arizona
Tell us a little more about the two of you!: We met on Hinge in November of 2020 and have been together ever since! Andrew proposed while we were enjoying the beautiful vineyards and a glass of wine at Brix in Napa Valley California. We got to celebrate our engagement at each wine tasting thereafter! We approached wedding planning by each picking three things we each wanted to focus on for our wedding and prioritized those things. I did most of the wedding planning and Andrew helped with decision making and being supportive.
What was your vision for your wedding?: Neither of us are from Arizona and we really wanted to show our friends and family the beauty of Arizona and why we have both fallen in love with this place we call home! We wanted a fall wedding with colors that you see when you look around the Arizona landscape with some sophistication! I am a very decisive person and I know what I like when I see it which made decision making relatively easy. I asked around to friends and coworkers for vendor suggestions as well as researching on wedding wire. I also focused on staying within my budget. Since all of our family and the majority of our friends live out of state we wanted one location for people to gather and stay which made picking a resort the best fit for us! We really wanted our friends and family to have a good time and to enjoy an open bar! I also really wanted to have a certain elegant look on my wedding day.
Tell us all about your wedding dress!: I actually saw my dress online before I even got engaged and thought wow I love that! Once we were engaged I knew I wanted to come wedding dress shopping in the Milwaukee area so my sister and mom could be with me! I knew I wanted something form fitted as I am petite but I did try on a wide range of dresses. I shopped at 4 stores and left Strike Bridal Bar as my last location because it had the dress that I was most excited about and I wanted to be for sure when I tried it on! As soon as I tired on my dress I cried because I knew it was THE ONE! My dress was the Giovanna by Sarah Seven.
You planned and you planned, but how did the day ACTUALLY go?!: October is know as one of the best months in Arizona when it comes to being “perfect” weather! It did rain terribly the day before our wedding which caused some anxiety as our entries ceremony and reception was outside. Luckily the rain cleared up and we had a perfect high 70’s wedding day! It was overall a traditional wedding, we had a bridal party of 4 bridesmaids, 5 groomsmen, my niece’s and Andrew’s nephew’s were our ring bearers and flower girl’s. My cousin was our officiant! We had 97 guests which felt like the perfect amount. We were ahead of schedule all day from hair/ makeup to photos/ ceremony and speeches which was nice because nothing felt rushed! My photographer and videographer kept saying how nice it was to be ahead of schedule!! Once we started taking photos in natural light we noticed the belt that was on my dress was white. The wrong belt must have been attached to my dress at the alteration place. With some brain storming and double stick tape we were able to use the ribbon front he flower girl dress to make into a belt for me and it worked great, the color matched! No one even noticed. I did find the belt the next day in the bottom of the garment bag!!! So remember to always check the garment bag, we didn’t think to check the bottom since the dress already had a belt on it when I picked it up from the alteration place.
What is your best advice for future brides-to-be?: Try to not stress too much and find joy in the planning process because you only get to do this once! Put energy and focus into the three things you each really care about and don’t worry as much about the rest of the things. One my wedding day I tried to really just live in the moment and I feel like I accomplished that! Check the garment bag for all pieces of your dress haha!
Vendors:
Dress: Giovanna by Sarah Seven from Strike Bridal Bar
Photographer: Carly Nelson Photography
Videographer: Lee Media Weddings
Hair & Makeup: Beauty and Propaganda
Flowers: Love in Bloom
Location: Scottsdale Plaza Resort
