Romantic Wedding at Gainey Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona

Lindsay and Alex selected Arizona as their destination wedding location. This Kansas City couple would vacation in Phoenix often and fell in love with the weather, beauty and desert setting. They chose Gainey Ranch Golf Club, located in Scottsdale, as their ceremony and reception venue. Gainey Ranch has a scenic mountain backdrop ceremony site, wrap around veranda for cocktail hour and a spacious indoor ballroom. Their full-service food and beverage package takes all the work out of a caterer search. I’ve coordinated many weddings there over the years and find their staff and service to be top notch.

The couple chose an aqua blue color for the ‘maids dresses and accent color. For florals they incorporated white hydrangeas and white roses with lush greenery. Flowers by Jodi did a beautiful job on two large floral urn arrangements at the end of the aisle. After the ceremony, I was able to repurpose them by bringing inside and placing at the base of the head table. I always suggest relocating as much as your ceremony decor as you can—saves on the budget and it gives guests another chance to see the piece(s) in case they missed the first time.

There were many memorable moments during the celebration. My favorites were how the couple incorporated their fur baby, Marvin, into the ceremony. He walked up the aisle, wearing a aqua bow tie, with the couples nieces and nephews. Another special moment came during the toasts. The father of the bride, Steve, surprised everyone by bringing Lindsay’s teenage journal. He read an entry that she wrote when she was 15 detailing the characteristics of the man she wanted to marry. As Steve read each point he “checked” it off by comparing it to Alex. It was so fun to watch—made for a hilarious toast. And to top of the night the bride and her father wowed the crowd with a choreographed F/D dance. But the amount of smiles and laughs that day was the best memory of all.

Happy Planning, Janet