Arizona Destination Weddings

Are you thinking about an Arizona Destination Wedding? How important is Photography?



When choosing to have a Northern Arizona Wedding, brides usually factor in the incredible scenery as a back drop for photography. Let’s face it, between a Grand Canyon Wedding, Flagstaff, or Sedona Wedding; there are some award winning scenic locations. How could anyone mess up a picture with those beautiful mountains or red rocks as a setting? It does happen.


However, we have yet to see it happen, with the top notch photographers we work with as Arizona Wedding Consultants shooting Flagstaff or Sedona Weddings. What is the trick? It is nice to capture the Sedona Red Rocks in a photo but let’s not forget to feature the bride. A skilled and experienced photographer specializes in just that. They are experienced in shooting the outdoors while still capturing the individual moments and people.


They are used to working with the Northern Arizona elements and lighting while still getting the best angles and capturing the perfect moments. All of this while making you look great. The type of professional cameras and equipment they use are capable of capturing perfect shots that a common camera just cannot do.


Still thinking about having Uncle Bob with his digital camera take that winning shot of the back of your head leaning over to fix your shoe?


You are probably thinking about the cost. While photography cost can be 10% (or more) of your total budget, you need to look at your priorities. How important is it to have incredible pictures of your most important day ever? Remember, you will hold on to these special pictures your entire life.



Photo by Wedding Guest



Photo by Melissa Dunstan Photography



There is a range of prices and services offered when choosing a photographer for a Northern Arizona Wedding. Peak Events specializes in helping you find the perfect photographer as well as other vendors in your price range. It is our pleasure to guide you through this process in planning these details. We love what we do and look forward to working with you to help plan your Arizona Destination Wedding.

Voted Best in Flagstaff two years in a row, Peak Events specializes in Arizona Event and Wedding Planning.

Sally

Northern Arizona Wedding, July 2011

Imagine getting married at a one hundred year old trading post. That’s what Jessica and Gerald did on July 23rd along with 100 of their friends and family members. The sky was a vibrant blue and formed a perfect backdrop for the red sandstone buildings and pathway. The garden flowers were in bloom and the wedding was picturesque as the music began and the couple pledged their love to one another. The applause that ensued after the wedding kiss, promised to send the couple off into their future with love and support from all those present.

Weddings in Northern Arizona are special and there are so many unique places to have a wedding. I am often asked where we do the most weddings and my answer is always the same – anywhere outside. Brides and Grooms are drawn to the historical uniqueness of a trading post and the spectacular beauty of the Grand Canyon. They come to Flagstaff for the forest surroundings, something most people don’t realize exists in Arizona, and they come for the over 288 days of sunshine. Northern Arizona is the perfect place for a destination wedding; your picks for locations are as varied as it comes. Trading Posts, the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, San Francisco Peaks, Sedona and of course Flagstaff offers everything a bride and groom could want.

Jessica and Gerald wanted a location that reflected their love of Arizona and their connection to history. Jessica chose brown and sage green as her colors and her bridesmaids were beautiful as they walked down the aisle dressed in brown dresses with sage sashes and then she reversed the colors for her Maid of Honor. At the reception, she threw in the color pink to add to the fun summer playfulness of the wedding.

Our July 23rd wedding was a wonderful reminder of all the great places in Northern Arizona that I’ve passed by a million times and all it takes is one stop to take the time and witness the abundance of beauty and grandeur.

 Debbi

Vendors

Venue & Reception: Cameron Trading Post and Tuba City High School

Event Planner: Peak Events

Floral: Flagstaff Floral

Catering: Main Street Catering

Cake Designer: Family Friend

Entertainment: Family Friend

Photography: SJA Studios

Winter White Weddings

Any brides out there that love Flagstaff and have thought about having a winter wedding in Northern Arizona but still have doubts and questions?


Don’t rule out a Northern Arizona Wedding in the winter. Imagine photos with the snow Cap Mountains as a back drop or even a snow covered ground with the mountains behind to set the scene for your beautiful special day!


We can help you plan a simple affordable and even last minute wedding for the 2011-2012 winter seasons. You can have a Grand Canyon or Flagstaff Wedding for a fraction of the cost when choosing a date that is not during high season. Don’t forget a Sedona Destination Wedding this winter. The weather is perfect and mild during the winter months


At Peak Events we are here as your Northern Arizona Wedding Consultants to connect you with the vendors offering amazing deals for winter weddings. There are some beautiful ceremony and reception sites lodge or formal style that would love to host you this season for your special day.


Whether you live in Northern Arizona or just love it as a location for a destination wedding, contact us today to discuss some of the options available. There are some beautiful places to choose from. You can keep it small and quaint with a small guest list or have a large celebration.


Voted Best in Flagstaff the last two years in a row, Peak Events specializes in working with each individual to create your best day ever!

Photos provided by Cameron Kelly Studios

Introducing our new Wedding Planner…

Welcome Everyone! I am thrilled to be part of the Peak Events team here in Northern Arizona. I love living and working here. My journey as an event planner began in 1978 when I coordinated ski vacations for teenagers. My intention at the time was purely selfish. I thought my family was the only one in my town that did not know how to ski. If I coordinated and planned the trips for 25 people or more, I would ski and vacation for free. The most important thing for me was that I learned how to ski.


I loved the planning and organizing aspect of the trips. I loved making the flyers, securing the dates, travel, meals, accommodations and ski packages. It never crossed my mind I would be doing this for a living 30 years later.


I went on to college to study Psychology and Early Childhood Education. I still continued working events through graduate school. I worked for three different caterers and especially gravitated towards the tailored events and private parties. I was a DJ for many parties. I organized and led freshman and transfer orientation for the first week of school 3 years in a row. We organized events for up to 1000 students.


After I landed my first teaching job in New York I still continued working events on the weekends through the 1980s. I always loved it. I just never considered doing it full time.


After years of living in New York and Boston, I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1998, I took my first job as a Wedding Coordinator. I was also working as a Youth Education Director during the week since most weddings were on the weekends. After 6 years and 250 weddings later, I moved to Tucson, Arizona when my husband took a new job teaching Business at the University of Arizona.


I worked for the Tucson Botanical Garden coordinating Weddings and other events until we moved to Sedona with my three children in 2009. I continued doing social work mostly on the reservations until recently.


I have finally come to accept the importance of doing what you love. I am dedicating myself full time to planning events and weddings because it is so fun and it is what I love to do. I am also trained to assist in childbirth and hospice. Although I really hope those skills don’t come in handy at my events.


When I am not working, I am spending time with my family, gardening, traveling, dancing, or hiking some of Northern Arizona’s incredible trails.


I look forward to working with you and learning more about your special day and how we can make that a reality. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Sally
sally@peakeventsaz.com

Why Hire a Wedding Planner?

Every wedding is unique and most brides know exactly how their day should look and feel. When a couple begins to think of their wedding day, they want it to be special, romantic and to reflect who they are. Many have ideas of what they want and don’t want, but discovering how much preparation is involved can be daunting. Where to start? How far in advance? How much to spend? Where to find the services you want in your price range? Planning a wedding can be stressful, and hiring a Wedding Planner will alleviate stress from the bride and groom at any stage of the planning process. The average wedding takes more than 250 hours just to plan! Most brides don’t have a lot of free time, regardless of how early they start planning their wedding. Instead of enjoying being engaged, brides will fill their nights agonizing over details, their lunch hours with phone calls and before long, the most wonderful time of their life has turned into a headache.


There is a myth that Wedding Planners are a luxury, only used by the wealthy and not affordable to the everyday bride. Weddings can be very expensive. You might think you are saving money by doing it all yourself and that hiring a Wedding Planner is an extra unnecessary expense. The truth is a bride and groom will save more money when working with a Wedding Planner because planners have the expertise to work within the couple's budget and are experienced in negotiating contracts with vendors and other suppliers, saving valuable time and money. The Wedding Planner has relationships with vendors and can find you the best deals in your price range, while taking advantage of discounts and avoiding costly mistakes.


Wedding Planners do NOT make decisions for you; they assist you in making informed decisions. Wedding Planners advise couples on etiquette, budget, traditions and timelines, allowing the bride and groom time to enjoy being engaged. A Wedding Planner will help you focus on what needs to get done, and do all the research, so you can choose based on your budget and style. A Wedding Planner is a steadying and soothing support, who is removed from the emotions that can complicate decision making for your wedding and tell you honestly what does and doesn't work. By hiring a Wedding Planner, you’re hiring someone who has done this dozens of times; ensuring details won’t slip through the cracks.
If you feel having someone involved with the planning of the wedding isn’t necessary, consider hiring a Wedding Planner to coordinate your actual wedding day. Wedding Planners know how to troubleshoot with regards to the wedding day timeline. Through their years of experience, they know how much time things actually take and how much of a cushion to build into the timeline. A wedding day timeline is essential to creating an accurate schedule that flows well and is the mark of a well-coordinated wedding. It is impossible for any couple to really experience their wedding and coordinate the day as well.

On the big day, who wants to worry where the flowers need to be placed, if the DJ has enough power while you’re trying to get dressed? By hiring a Wedding Day Planner, you can hand over all the details, so you just have to show up, get dressed, get married and enjoy the day with family and friends!

Debbi

Grand Canyon Destination Wedding

June in Arizona is beautiful, but June at the Grand Canyon is stunning. Shoshone Point was the location of Chelsea and Brian’s wedding ceremony.

With views that overlook the canyon and plenty of space for guests, it really does make for a perfect Destination Wedding Location. Chelsea contacted Peak Events via email, since she was located on the east coast. Chelsea and I did all of our contact and conversations via email or phone calls. It wasn’t until the day of the wedding that I might our beautiful bride and groom.



Chelsea, her groom and family were all staying at the Grand Canyon in the various hotels. When I first met Chelsea she was in her room, getting her hair and makeup done by Patricia Vega. When I drove up from Flagstaff I met up with Showstoppers to pick up the flowers they had created. Now Chelsea’s mother mailed Showstoppers all the centerpiece holders, which were these amazing wooden pieces and showstoppers worked with us, and made the flowers sit exactly in each of them. The flowers really were stunning.

The guests were transported from their hotels to the reception site, about 10 minutes away. Once they arrived, the hotel had refreshments available. Soon Chelsea, her parents and Brian arrived. There ceremony took place overlooking the Grand Canyon, and was stunning! After the ceremony guests were asked to stay and enjoy a cocktail hour and hors d’oeuvres.

Then the guests and bride and groom were transported to the Thunderbird Lodge for the reception.


As guests entered the reception room, they were greeted by their candy favors. Please remember that the bride and groom either brought everyone on the plane or had it shipped to the hotel before they arrived. And also shipped it all home after the wedding! So yes, it can be done.

The bride and I discussed linens and she decided to go with a butter cream tablecloth, napkins and chair cover. We had some ivory accents with the chair ties and table overlay. The room looked amazing.

The cake was provided by the hotel, with the flowers from showstoppers.

Guests enjoyed a fabulous dinner provided by the hotel, cocktails and dancing courtesy of Jam N Sounds.


The wonderful photographs were done by Sedona Bride.


As the night came to a close and guests were heading to their hotel rooms, they were lucky enough to see a few Elk eating the grass just outside the Reception hall; it is after all a wilderness area!



Thank you Chelsea and Brian for choosing Peak Events to be part of your special day.



Jen

Vendors

Venue & Reception: Shoshone Point and Thunderbird Lodge

Event Planner: Peak Events

Floral: Events by Showstoppers

 

Entertainment: Jam-N-Sounds - Andy

Photography: Sedona Bride

Northern Arizona Weddings

Weddings – aren’t they fabulous? I love weddings and I love working with couples who are excited about their future together. I’m lucky enough to work with two such people on a wedding less than three weeks away! You can almost feel the excitement in the air……

The Peacock Wedding is what I’ve named this one – after all, our bride LOVES the Peacock motif and since the Peacock Theme was the hottest trend of 2010 and she got engaged in 2010 – how LUCKY am I? I’ll be honest, I’ve never done a peacock themed wedding, but now that I’m in the middle of it – I’m completely on board.
So, the question becomes, how do we honor the peacock without feeling like the wedding has gone to the birds??????? Less is more. So many brides can get carried away with peacock feathers, that they forget the real reason they picked it. So, Google peacock and this is some of what you might find: In Greece, the peacock is believed to be sacred to Hera, the queen of heaven and lawful wife of Zeus -- a pair of them drew her chariot --, and they were kept at her temples. In the Roman Empire, peacocks depicted on coins symbolized the females of the ruling houses, the lineage princesses. Maha-Mayuri, is the Buddhist wisdom deity associated with the peacock who protects against calamity especially drought. In the old Chinese bureaucratic system, members of the third highest level displayed a peacock as the emblem of their rank. In Christianity, it stands for immortality and the incorruptibility of the soul.
I’m meeting with my bride tomorrow to discuss linens! Woo Hoo – we’ve got gorgeous white flowers because of her love of Calla Lilies, and I’ve found some linens that will make this wedding POP! I’ll let you know what we decided soon…… Oh what fun!!!

Debbi

My First Flagstaff Wedding Expo

                I was warned.  I had heard that wedding expo's are composed of company booths with brides running around, like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to plan their weddings within 2-4 hours.  So that is what I expected when I pulled into the Radisson parking lot.  What I found when I walked in the doors though was unlike anything I presumed.  

                The Northern Arizona Wedding Expo was the complete opposite of what I imagined.  Yes there was lots of people and certainly some brides on a mission, but I found it to be enjoyable... maybe even a calm enjoyment. 

                There were cake samples you could die for, floral arrangements that you wanted to take home with you, fun photo booths like you see in the mall, and beautiful wedding decorations that would drop your jaw. 

                If you missed it this year... don't next year!  Honestly, what bride could ask for anything better than being able to walk around eating cake and drinking champagne while meeting all the contacts that would create their dream wedding!

 -Belle

P.S. Did I mention the FREE cake?!