Happy Monday, folks! I hope you had a fabulous Valentine’s Day and that you’re not feeling the ill effects of too much bubbly and chocolate today.
But even if you are, we’ve got just one thing to turn your day around: Kristin & Luke’s beautiful ranch wedding in Arizona.
Their day is brimming with swoon-worthy touches, so we’re pretty excited to be sharing their pictures by the amazing Amy & Jordan Photography.
With a palette of blush and navy, Kristin & Luke created the prettiest day to accompany their atmospheric desert backdrop at El Chorro Lodge.
With DIY details like their ceremony altar and invitations (that don’t look DIY at all! ), they were able to splash out on stylish attire, gorgeous florals (you know we love succulents and peonies!), and amazing photography.
And if all that wasn’t sweet enough (throw in a DIY cheesecake bar! ), you’ve got to see Kristin’s first look with her dashing son Michael. Too bloomin’ cute!
Our Love Story
Kristin has a son (from a previous relationship) and was spending all her time working, finishing school, and taking care of him as a single mom.
Her brother wanted to get her out of the house and invited her to play recreational softball with his friends and co-workers. This is where she was introduced to Luke.
Someone called out sick on the softball team, and her brother asked Luke to sub. She can tell you the exact spot where they met. Luke ended up becoming a regular on the team. When she first met, Luke was the first time she ever really saw and wanted to spend a lifetime with someone.
While playing softball, Kristin batted first, and Luke batted after her and chased her around the bases. Kristin hoped he would chase her off the grounds, too… and he finally did!
The Inspiration
Our themes were blush/navy and classic/modern.
Our inspiration was using Arizona succulents combined with Kristin’s favorite color, blush, and Luke’s favorite color, navy, to give our personal touch to everything.
We customized our ceremony and vows so that guests who didn’t know us as a couple felt very included and got to know us and our story.
The Flowers
Brides Bouquet: European hand-held bouquet of creme/blush David Austin roses, white ranunculus, peonies, and soft pink astilbe.
Boutonnieres: Succulents, sweetheart roses, and seeded eucalyptus with bear grass loops.
Centerpieces: Creme hydrangeas, garden roses, calla lilies, ranunculus, succulents, astilbe, sweetheart roses, green ball, and curly willow.
Advice for Other Couples
I recommend checking Etsy for items to customize and personalize your day.
Amy & Jordan’s blog helped us find poses we like and what colors look best in pictures.
Basecamp was a great app that our wedding coordinator used to have a checklist, store contracts, and be able to share with all parties.
The Budget
We didn’t have a specific budget.
We went all out on our photographers and videographers, as that was the most important to us, and I have no regrets!
We were able to save significantly on all the DIY items. Instead of renting an altar, we purchased wood to make it ourselves.
We also saved $2000 by making invitations on our silhouette cameo cutting machine. Despite taking quite a bit of time, it was great bonding and fun to look back on and laugh about it with each other!
