Arizona Desert Wedding at Mountain Shadows

Planned by Meagan, Real Wedding

January 28, 2025

Mountain Shadows Resort

Paradise Valley, Arizona

October 19th, 2024

Morgen and John love everything there is about Arizona! The warm weather, the mountains filled with cacti and desert florals, food, and hiking trails. That is why when they were planning on having a destination wedding Arizona was their one and only choice. Mountain Shadows Resort was the perfect location for Morgen and John because they wanted a place where all of their guests could stay and be close to the amazing food Scottsdale has to offer. The full view of Camelback as the backdrop to their wedding was the cherry on top!

First look

Ceremony

Planner Meagan shares that one of her favorite parts about planning with Morgan and John is that “the bride trusted the design process fully and even came up to me while taking in the ceremony design and said “I am so glad I trusted you and upgraded from the white padded folding chairs. It made such a huge difference and is gorgeous”.

The bride and the bride’s family is jewish so they wanted some of the traditional jewish wedding elements. They did not want it to be overly formal so they did not have a rabbi marry them, rather a friend who turned into Morgen’s “second mom” while she lived out here who is also Jewish and can speak and read Hebrew. Having her as their officiant was extra special to the couple and helped calm their nerves as it brought more calm and loving vibes to the ceremony.

The bride wanted to enhance the natural beauty of the Arizona desert and she was not afraid to bring in color through pattern. She loved the Hydrangea linen from BBJ La Tavola as it brought in the natural dessert hues as well as coordinating well with John suit. The wooden chair options throughout the design from The Confetti Studio felt like an elevated rustic western touch, another nod to Arizona. Lastly, the florals, being heavy on succulents and cacti were an obvious choice to bring more of the resorts natural landscape closer to the guest and breathe more life into the beauty of the desert.

One of the most memorable aspects of this desert wedding was the palpable love and support from everyone in attendance. You could truly feel the love in the air as friends and family gathered to honor the couple’s journey and future together. The celebration was a testament to the couple’s impact on their loved ones, and it seemed as though no one wanted the festivities to end.