Timeless elegance and modern desert details collide in today’s Arizona wedding captured by Amy & Jordan Photography. The rich burgundy color palette is perfect for fall, but there’s also an abundance of heirloom details that make this wedding really special. The groom’s grandmother handmade handkerchiefs for each guest for the ceremony and the bride wore her grandmother’s ring on her right hand. These sweet sentimental touches (and others you need to read about below!) really made this day unique!
Our wedding was in November in Arizona, so we worked to find the perfect mix of “fall” with the desert by incorporating desert accents (succulents, cacti, mountain backdrop) with a rich burgundy color palate. We fell in love with our reception venue, El Chorro, the first time we went there, and knew it was the perfect setting for our family and friends to enjoy the day.
The Filakto (small white cloth pouch with blue stitched detailing and a gold pin) in Greek tradition is a little pouch that contains blessed fabric to keep you safe. Evan received this Filakto when he was baptized at the Monestary of Faneromeni in Lefkada, Greece as a baby. We pinned it to the inside of my wedding dress on the day of the wedding to keep me safe!
The ring I wore on my right hand (ruby center with diamonds surrounding it) was my maternal grandmother’s engagement ring! My mom had it resized and refurbished for me as a gift for my bridal shower. The watch Evan wore was a gift from his father that he received on his wedding day. The Common Cup and the silver tray that were used during the ceremony were the bride’s parents’ from their wedding day.
As we are both Greek Orthodox and many of our family and friends are Greek too, we wanted to host the ceremony at our parish, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church for a traditional ceremony. We provided guests with handkerchiefs at the ceremony which were handmade by Evan’s Yiayia (grandmother) in Lefkada, Greece where she is from.
We were very inspired by gemstones, crystals and natural mineral elements, so Evan and I handmade all of the magnets that held the placecards to the chalkboard. We also had geode bookends hand-lettered with table numbers to continue the theme.
The best part was the dancing! This was truly the best day of our lives from start to finish! Having all of our friends and family there from all over the world to celebrate was one of the most incredible feelings we will never forget. There wasn’t a moment where everyone in the room wasn’t on the dance floor — we even got Amy & Jordan to join us!
Photography | Amy & Jordan Photography | Ceremony | Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, Scottsdale | Reception Venue & Catering | El Chorro | Planning | Outstanding Occasions | Florals | Petal Pusher | Cake | Paula Jacqueline Cakes & Pastries | Rentals | Fancy Lou and La Tavola Linens | Invitations | Minted | Entertainment | Desert House Productions | Transportation | Copper Star Transportation | Dress | Monique Lhullier | Veil | BHLDN | Shoes | Badgley Mischka | Bridesmaid Dresses | Bella Bridesmaids | Hair | Jordan McClane | Makeup | Michael Franco
