Small Backyard Wedding in Tucson with Desert Portraits | Veronica + Tolga

I’ve been helping Veronica and Tolga with wedding plans for almost a year and half now. These two and I met back in January 2020 at a bridal show. We hit it off immediately and then, well, COVID kicked off. This couple has a lot of important family members that live outside of the United States, so figuring out wedding plans during a pandemic has been close to impossible as well as insanely heartbreaking. While a sense of normalcy seems to be more of a possibility with each passing day, their big wedding celebration at JW Starr Pass Resort is on hold until those most important to them can be here to celebrate. In the meantime, Tolga and Veronica decided to host a small backyard wedding at their home in Tucson so that they can finally call themselves husband and wife.

 

Getting to Know Veronica and Tolga

In addition to their families being long-distance, Veronica and Tolga are also members of the medical field. They have been working non-stop since the pandemic. When things first started to shut down and we spoke about postponing their big celebration, they kept insisting that they just wanted to keep everyone safe.

Despite their insane schedules and the tremendous amount of pressure they’ve both been under, Veronica and Tolga have been the kindest most relaxed couple to work with. I hope that this next year is much kinder to them and allows them to have a little bit more time together. They’ve definitely earned it! And I’m sure their little Pom-Chi Chewbacca (aka Chewie, of course) will appreciate it, too!

 

Planning a Small Backyard Wedding

Just about two months ago, Veronica and Tolga made the decision to have a small backyard wedding. While they want the big celebration to happen with family, they also don’t want to wait any longer. “All we want is to be married,” Veronica told me. I gave them some tips from my own wedding experience on how to get an officiant reserved and a marriage licensed secured. Then all that was left was to figure out the location of it all!

In the spirit of keeping things simple, they decided to hold the ceremony at their home. Chairs had been set up underneath the porch so as to try and keep their guests cool and shaded. A table with fresh flowers was centered among the chairs and on it was a tiny tripod. That is where all of their friends and family from around the world would be tuning in. As guests started to arrive, the energy in the home grew and it was obvious how excited everyone was for this moment.

This is the second time I’ve seen a couple hug while sharing their first kiss. I love it!

Time to make it official!

As a language nerd, it was so cool for me to hear Tolga speaking to his family in Turkey while Veronica spoke to her family in Mexico.

Don’t let this calm group photo fool you– these guys were ready to party it up!

Desert Wedding Photos

The photos to commemorate the day are extremely important to these two. After the ceremony, we took a short trip before sunset to capture some gorgeous photos in the Tucson desert.

       

 

Veronica and Tolga, I am so freaking happy that you two finally got to tie the knot! Being there with you both for such an intimate, long-awaited moment is so humbling. I can’t wait to celebrate with you and your families next year!!!

Check out more intimate wedding celebrations here!