We all know the saying: It takes a village. That statement couldn’t be proven truer in the wedding world. Thirty days post wedding and after watching the new Iliza Shlesinger: Unveiled special the other night I was in tears laughing and relating with the wedding planning stories. But it also surfaced a re-appreciation for our vendors and the magic they pulled for our special day. On this blog I’ll be sharing not only our amazing wedding photos but the other stars in our show- who they are and why you need to use them.
Front Paige Events- Paige is amazing! She went from podcast guest, to wedding planner to lifelong friend. She has a passion for love- sharing it, creating it, all of it! After sitting down for a full episode on the Finding Arizona Podcast with Paige she asked to be our wedding planner and a year and half later her vision came to life too! No detail gets passed up and my favorite thing about her services are the personal touches she adds to each event. We were very open for ideas and décor but one thing we were very excited about creating was a teepee altar. After back and forth and wind and rain and ups and downs the original plan fell through, but Paige showed up with plan B and it turned out even better than plan A anticipated. You need Paige in your life- not only for the day of but the process leading up to it! “Get Paiged” here.
Beyond the Mask Photography- Katrina has been our photographer for a few projects, but this one took the cake! Pun intended! I asked Katrina to be a part of our wedding and she was all yeses! She specializes in boudoir and intimate weddings but you can absolutely see her talent with all subjects. Katrina was a part of our family that day. She got all the details from getting ready, table settings and gift tables to the big moments like the ceremony and the family photos. Her gift is taking a simple moment a creating a memory to last a lifetime. You can reach Katrina here!
Hey Lo Company- We met Lois through the Honey Book- a fantastic place to initiate creative collaborations. Her passion for her art is noticed the second you interact with her. Lois was accommodating for trials and open for feedback. The day of the wedding she was early, extra prepared and left myself and my maid of honor looking flawless. Her contouring is amazing and she uses her own products she had been developing for years behind the scenes. You can book Lois here and learn more about her product launch as well. Post wedding we had her on the podcast for a full interview to learn more about how she got started and he experience working with us! Check it out here.
Danielle Durak- Danielle was guest #181. She came in and chatted with us sharing her passion, but when she opened up her guitar case to strum some acoustic melodies on the podcast I started crying. Her voice, her passion, her talent! Wow! When she asked to be a part of our wedding I cried again. Danielle was our musical talent during the ceremony and a family friend after said he wanted to tip her to play the whole night! We didn’t have any specific songs to request and we trusted that her magical music would set the right tone and it did! You can check out Danielle live at a local venue near you by learning more here. Then, be sure to listen to our full episode with her.
Mezcal Carreno- Abel Arriaga is a co-founder of an incredible Mezcal. Abel reached out to us as an advocate for community building and was 100% on board for sharing his love on the day of our love. Our cocktail hour featured the traditional “open bar” but we also gave our guests a full Mezcal tasting experience. After the ceremony- Abel followed us back inside where we could partake in our first drink as husband and wife and it is one moment I will never forget. You can visit their website to learn where to purchase the bottles in your area as well as what local places are featuring them. We also had the pleasure of having Abe on our podcast sharing more about the brand’s story and our wedding tasting event. Episode will be airing soon!
Emerald Nomad-Speaking of drinks, let me tell you about our friends at Emerald Nomad! We met Nakia, on the podcast, of course and shared so many commonalities: people, places, mindset. We clicked and when we asked them to be apart of our wedding they were more than happy to work with us and of course, Paige, whom Nakia knew from previous projects. Renee was our bartender and point of contact for the event. She was friendly, accommodating and went above and beyond to add details to the bar for our special day. We chose to purchase all the alcohol and mixers before hand and made sure she had everything from shot glasses to straws. Emerald Concepts provided us a stunning black and white frosted glass bar and it blended so well with our décor. Listen to our full episode with Nakia of Emerald Concepts here and check out their site to reserve their stunning trailer for your next event.
Every Impression Counts - EIC has worked with us on so many projects so it was only natural that we had them be involved in our wedding. Our biggest wish was to have our friends and family watch the ceremony no matter where they were at in the world- so we went LIVE on Facebook. Not only did the team capture the set up through the speeches but they also separately broadcasted our ceremony from the Finding Arizona Podcast Facebook Page and you can rewatch it here. Dustin, Dre, Cole and Colton work countless hours to produce phenomenal pieces of art to last and share forever. I cannot wait to see our finished product. You can learn more about EIC and what they can do for you here.
Mustache Pretzels- Greg from Mustache Pretzels is a two time guest of the podcast and owner of the amazing creation. It explains itself but yet everyone always gets a kick out of it! We loved incorporating these tasty treats into our cocktail hour and paired nice with our charcuterie board. You can learn more about where to find a delicious mustache pretzel here.
Dang Fine Rentals- Of course you know Dang Fine Rentals! If you don’t, you don’t get out much in Phoenix. Meet Matiana- creative entrepreneur and overall just the person you want on your team, working with you and sharing a cocktail with. Matiana is also part of the Know Tribe and after connecting at so many events we finally had her on the podcast and became great friends since. But back to Dang Fine! Their entire inventory is GORGEOUS! They are constantly pushing boundaries as far as displays go but with the help of some of their amazing pieces they took our backyard wedding from fine to Dang fine! We used 2 sweetheart chairs and table for our dinner spot and even created a comfortable chic sitting area with chairs, tables and couch and a rug from their Mexican Boho Inspo Collection. Check out their site to view their entire inventory here.
Chris Andrade- Our Chef was Chris! Full details on how we found him and our full tasting on a previous blog post you can read here. Our chef is phenomenal, from the tasting to the final plates we couldn’t have asked for anything better. We honestly could not get a full picture of the buffet because it was never full! When Jose andI were making our rounds everyone mentioned how full they were and you rarely here that at a wedding. You need Chris to cater your next event- send him an email beyondhomeec@gmail.com.
Aneesh- Our officiant was the voice of the Valley you know and love Aneesh from the Morning Mess! Aneesh was guest #127 and you have to listen to this throw back episode. He offered his services and when it finally was time to meet up discuss our personal vows and the ceremony this was one of my favorite memories of wedding planning. Outside on the patio sharing my love for the one I was marrying- it was beautiful and I thank Aneesh for helping us find the right words and guiding us through a life changing moment.
Celebrity Tux and Tails- This company came highly recommended by our wedding planner Paige and after learning that the owner has been in the industry for decades and now has his whole family learning the tricks of the trade we were happy to support and have on our special day. They were friendly, fast, accommodating, and budget friendly! Everything you need for your tux rentals can be found here.
Design Squeeze- Last BUT most definitely not least was Brittany! She designed our wedding invitations and stationary. You can read the full details of the seamless process from a previous blog post here. We also invited Britt on the podcast and that will be airing soon! I love how the theme of our invites carried into our forever yard with the planting of the smooth agaves. We even have framed her watercolor RSVP! Contact Brittany here to see her amazing creations and use her for your special events!
WOW! I know that was a lot but there are not enough words to say THANKS to our Village of Vendors that made the Finding Arizona Wedding so incredibly special. NOW you have to scroll through the rest of these gems and let me know your favorite photo in the comments!
XoXo
Britt
