Lauren and Paul’s Sedona destination wedding was PERFECT. It literally could not have been better with the weather, people, and overall good vibes atmosphere.
Sedona, AZ
Lauren and Paul first met in Arizona when Lauren moved to Tucson to pursue her master’s degree. They became friends over their mutual love of photography and the outdoors and eventually fell in love during a multi day hike in Havasupai. You could say adventure has been a part of their relationship from the start.
Eventually they both moved to Washington but their hearts were still in Arizona so they knew that was where they needed to get married. Sedona is the perfect magical embodiment of the Arizona red rocks and after exploring the area in the days before the wedding I could see why they chose it!
Lauren and Paul reserved the whole Red Agave Resort for their wedding which gave all of their traveling guests a place to stay. The rooms were literally surrounding the ceremony/reception space which made everything super convenient.
Before The Wedding
The couple wanted to keep things a little more traditional so in the morning they headed separate ways for breakfast and then got ready in separate cabins. Lauren had hair + makeup while sipping champagne and Paul and his friends hung out while watching Cops and getting dressed.
Lauren didn’t have a first look with Paul but she did have a very special and emotional first look with her nieces and brother-in-law that had my eyes misting. After we pulled ourselves back together it was time for the ceremony!
The Ceremony + Reception
When I say everything about this wedding was perfect and personal – guys, it really was. Their officiant was the mother of Lauren’s longtime best friend (it was her first time officiating and she did great!). Then when it was time for Lauren and Paul to exchange vows, they were personal, handwritten vows. I loooooove it when couples write their own vows instead of saying the standard ones!
After more tears, Lauren and Paul said “I do”, had their first kiss as a married couple, and were finally able to go have fun at their reception. The reception was outside underneath the stars and market lights with tables surrounding a dance floor. Perfect.
When it came time for golden hour I kidnapped the couple from their reception for a quick adventure in the desert. Red Agave Resort backs right up to a trail so we literally walked from the dance floor to the trail for our sunset photos!
The rest of the night was amazing, catered by a local taco truck and bar cart with custom bride and groom drinks. Like I’ve said before – perfect! Maybe just check out the photos so you can see for yourself…
(Don’t forget to check out their Rialto Beach engagement session here!)
