El + Al’s Wedding Recap | 11.11 , Phoenix, AZ

I STILL can’t even believe any of this happened. If I didn’t have photos and videos to prove it, this would feel like the most warm, magical, vivid dream.

Not going to lie- when we told random people we were getting married in Arizona, it was usually followed up with, ‘Oh! Is one of you from there?’ To which we would always answer cheerfully, ‘Nope!’ Confused looks kept coming.

For me- I’ve always been infatuated with the desert. It’s just magical.

I want to say this stemmed from a road trip my family took when I was in middle school along Route 66. Since then, I have been collecting succulents, visiting greenhouses with large desert plants, and plotting to visit the southwest as much as I could. Luckily, I have seen Alex start to love the desert and the mountains almost as much as me.

When I pitched the random venue in Phoenix- in the middle of a shopping center- to Alex…he was a little confused. But in true Alex fashion, he heard me out. We went to visit, signed the papers, and scouted out all the details. I fully believe in gut instincts. The ‘when you know, you know’ feeling.

On that trip, we stayed at an AirBnb where the hosts saw us running around like maniacs and invited us over to their yard for a drink (and to hang out with their cute pugs- ha!) We talked all things AZ and picked their brains on things to do, places to eat, and where guests would stay. Those ladies were the biggest blessing. We would’ve never found our fabulous hotel, The FoundRe, without their rec! Shout out to Lu’s Garage in Phoenix!

Anyone who has had a wedding knows, the planning process is A LOT. After helping out with numerous weddings and events throughout the last couple of years, I have had a lot of time to think about how I would want my own wedding to go. Alex and I landed on working with our venue and coordinators to plan the best damn day in our whole lives. The coordinators probably thought I was being crazy when I kept asking about a rain plan and having a tent as back up in Arizona- ha! They just kept assuring me- ‘It is Arizona, it will not rain!’ The midwesterner in me checked the Phoenix forecast every 5 minutes for the 2 weeks leading up to our day. They were right- it turned out perfectly. Shout out to our amazing coordinators at Aldea, Love in Bloom, Lumiere Photography, 24/7 DJs, Santis Catering, Cave Creek Burros, AZ Bartenders, and everyone else involved in our day.

We can’t even believe how well this little desert dream we schemed up turned out. The perfect temperature.. the desert chic outfits… the mini hot sauces… the tacos… the burgers… the hotel… the donkey. Oh my god.

We are so grateful.

A special thank you to our parents, our brothers, our beloved family and friends for being part of our story. It’s just beginning, and we are so grateful for this new chapter!

XO,

El + Al SUT!!!!!