On a windy October afternoon, Breanna and Tony’s closest friends and family gathered in Tucson to celebrate with them. Lots of hard work and preparation had gone into their Westin La Paloma wedding, but, when the day finally arrived, all Tony and Breanna cared about was that they were finally marrying each other. Their elegant and rustic wedding day featured a private First Look, witty and personal vows, and a reception full of lively dancing.
Getting Ready at the Westin Resort
As I was heading towards the bridal suite, I saw two well-dressed guys walking towards me in the parking lot. As they got closer, I could clearly make out Tony’s infectious smile, accompanied by one of his groomsmen, JD. He admitted he was a mixture of excited and nervous. JD assured me, however, that their morning would be nothing but shenanigans while they waited for photos.
When I got up to Breanna’s room, it was filled with yummy snacks and excited chatter as everyone finished with hair and makeup. Breanna and her girls had an enormous suite at the Westin La Paloma to get ready. After a quick check-in, I let Breanna get back to her stylist and I started photographing her and Tony’s details. Not only was everything gathered up in one place for me, but it was even organized into separate boxes for the both of them! I hope Breanna knows how much I love and appreciate her organizational skills…
First Look on the Country Club Lawn
Leading up to the wedding day, Breanna and her mom, Debbie, had a tour of the resort with Ashley, the event coordinator. Breanna immediately fell in love with the green lawn bordering the golf course right outside of the country club; it became a “must have” for some of their photos. I brought Tony out into the shade and went back inside to get Breanna. I lined her up behind Tony, making sure to lay out her beautiful train behind her. It was finally time for them to see each other!
Breanna was really looking forward to Tony seeing her dress. It featured a mix of lace and beading detail set against a unique champagne-blush color. She looked so beautiful!
The wind was really starting to pick up at this point in the day. Since all of Breanna’s hair was pinned back, she wasn’t too worried at first. But then she realized that her long, cathedral veil (that I LOVE for portrait time!) was becoming quite unruly. We grabbed a few quick portraits with her veil still in and then the bridal party joined us.
I love how the rich green color of the grass popped against the guys’ blue suits!
Their Ceremony at the Basin
There were some intense clouds hovering over the mountains as I arrived at the Basin ceremony site at La Paloma. Breanna and Tony chose not to have an arbor at the Basin so that the view of the mountains could be the main focus. They definitely had a dramatic view for their guests! As the ceremony progressed, the clouds got more and more dramatic over the Santa Catalina mountains. While a little ominous, the colors in the sky were beautiful!
Tony’s sister, Teresa, performed a reading from 1 Corinthians at the start of the ceremony. She couldn’t stop smiling the entire time. It was easy to see how happy she was to be a part of the day.
I asked Breanna what parts of the wedding day she was most excited about. Other than showing Tony her dress, she said she was most looking forward to hearing the vows they wrote to each other.
In her vows, Breanna recounted one of her and Tony’s first dates together where she accidentally cut herself. Without hesitation, Tony rushed to her aid. Breanna watched him as he carefully bandaged her up. He then jokingly told Breanna that it would cost her something since he was putting his job as a nurse into action for her off the clock. Adoring, Playful, Trusting: 3 words that they use to describe their relationship that seemed to have been there from the very beginning.
The officiant, Courtney, gave this mischievous yet excited smile. When Tony and Breanna saw her, they immediately broke into big grins. They all knew what was about to come next…
Before leaving the Basin and heading towards the reception, we took a few minutes to make things official!
One of my favorite portraits of the day! The columns and covering of the Lion’s Walk area gave us just enough shelter from the wind to pop Breanna’s veil in one more time.
Murphey Room Reception
Tony and Breanna took a quick peek at their reception setup in the Murphey Room before heading off to the rest of Cocktail Hour with their guests. One of the main reasons they chose the Murphey Room for their reception was because of its large outdoor patio. They love spending time outdoors and knew they would enjoy that space. After some fun entrances made by the bridal party, Breanna and Tony made their way through the double doors to the dance floor for their first dance together as husband and wife.
These two took dance lessons prior to their wedding day and were excited to surprise and perform for everyone!
In addition to their wedding ceremony sign, Breanna’s dad also carved all of the mesquite wood slices scattered around the reception tables. They really tied the rustic, elegant style of the evening together and made it a bit more special, too.
After dinner and a little dancing, everyone headed out onto the patio for a fun sparkler photo! Pro Tip: if you’re thinking about using sparklers at your wedding, be sure to get the extra long sparklers! Not only does this mean they’ll burn longer, but it also gives you the opportunity to run through your sparkler tunnel multiple times!
The DJ turned up the fun, colorful lighting and drew everyone out onto the dance floor.
A few days after the wedding, Tony and Breanna took off to Maui, Hawaii for their honeymoon! While I’m sure they’re doing their fair share of relaxing, I have no doubt that this adventurous, outdoor-loving couple is also exploring as much of the island as possible. Tony and Breanna, thank you again for choosing me to be a part of your wedding day at La Paloma!
WEDDING VENDORS FROM THIS [SEO KEYWORD] WEDDING
Wedding Venue | Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa
Photographer | Christy Hunter Photography
Dress Shop | Maya’s Palace
Invitations | Zazzle
Florist | SavOn Flowers
Hair and Makeup | The Powder Room
DJ | Satyr Entertainment, Andy DePew
Cake Shop | Village Bakehouse
Groom and Groomsmen Attire | Nick’s Menswear
Officiant | Weddings by Courtney, Courtney Little
