Arizona Photography & Studio
Eloping Today
Eloping Today
What does this mean? To put yourselves and your love first. As a couple, your love, is the most important. At least this is our story. For those of you that cannot decide if you should elope or have a giant wedding, DO WHAT CELEBRATES YOU BOTH TOGETHER THE BEST! It will be the best memory & adventure you will forever cherish.
Eloping in Maui, HI
Eloping in Maui, HI
November 8, 2021
November 8, 2021
With less than ONE month away, we have started booking our excursions and gotten started on an itinerary for our travels. May seem like much, but we have tons we want to check off so we are hoping this schedule keeps us on track. I hope to share all the awesome vendors and places we visit. To be honest though, a lot of vendors have been unresponsive or too busy with all the current brides flying into town today. That's okay, I get it. But I am not going to wait last minute to book details. Therefore, Felipe and I have been searching local farmers market and growing farms in the area to find the details I am looking to complete our elopement. I am so excited to share everything we are about to discover. From sunset cruises to dragon fruit farms in Maui, you bet we are super stoked to explore.
MORE DETAILS COMING SOON!
RINGS
RINGS
November 14, 2021
HIS
I am going to love saying we waited and saved somewhere between $200-$400 for our wedding bands together. Felipe is a very simple man, which I adore! But I told him he could not get anything less than a solid gold band to match my rings.
Together, we chose the thicker gold band that fitted his style best. I am looking forward to creating and showing you our final choices as our elopement approaches.
TIP: Always shop your weddings bands near Black Friday or a special holiday sale. Because Thanksgiving is around the corner, Kay jewelers Black Friday sale started quickly at mid month in November. We were blessed enough to find choices of our likings over this past weekend and not feel like we had to settle for a great price. Which we did get regardless! I am so happy how everything is aligning itself just weeks before our elopement. My advice, trust the process!
HERS
Felipe is the sweetest! Not only did he buy me both rings I need for the ceremony but he bought me a 3rd ring in white gold when he first proposed. Only to give me the choice on which ring I wanted to keep my diamond on. It was hard but such a sweet choice to chose yellow gold. I plan to add an opal stone and also wear this ring when I am not wearing my gold ones. In the future, for those ladies who can't decide which ring color to chose from, this definitely should be your alternative!
My wedding band will consist of a slight sparkle and all gold tones. I am very excited to show you the combination I created. My wedding band reminds me of a mini crown on my finger, I cannot wait to show you!
Since we are marrying on our 7th year anniversary, we decided to save the boujee ring choices for our 10 year anniversary together. Giving us a little extra something to look forward too!
Vow Books
Vow Books
December 27, 2021
December 27, 2021
If there is one tip I can give to all the lovely brides doing their research it would be LAMINATE YOUR VOW BOOKS before your date if you can. Going from dirt to rain to mud to who knows who's pocket can be quite the ride. Treasuring and caring for the little things that you will value forever will go a long way down the road.
I will forever love the story these vow books will tell but I would much have preferred to wipe the mud off once the picture was taken vs the books forever imprinted. But I guess they will now tell a story forever, lol. So it really is up to YOU & what you would prefer.
Groom's Suit
Groom's Suit
Sweet Suit Sale.
Sweet Suit Sale.
November 26, 2021
November 26, 2021
I want to say we waited for a deal, but truth is Felipe hates shopping and can you believe on our first stop at Chandler mall on Black Friday afternoon we found EXACTLY what we needed. Yes we waited the weekend before flying out to purchase his suit, AH!!!
His suit would have retailed over $700. Macy's had suits for sale, and for $120 we found a smoking deal on the most perfect Kenneth Cole suit.
From there, we made our way to Arizona Mills to pay a visit to Nick's menswear to find an awesome variety of ties and suspenders. Little to say, we found everything we needed for him within hours of searching, Talking about being #blessed I am beyond grateful and excited to continue building custom details for us. Including his boutonnière and my floral arrangements for our ceremony. Apparently florists in Hawaii are very busy and not interested unless you have a large order over $1k or are already in town. Therefore, we are taking our chances and building our own floral details! Stay tuned for that turnout. I can't wait to share.
DRESS & DETAILS
DRESS & DETAILS
November 11, 2021
November 11, 2021
I have avoided to talk about my dresses, until today. All the photos you have seen so far are of my 2nd dress which I originally planned for it to be my reception dress for next year.
Today, I pick up my official wedding dress from David's Bridal alterations department. Little to say, my experience here has not been the greatest or most fabulous so I have avoided suggesting this store to other brides. Although, I was blessed enough in August to find both of my dresses on clearance. This beautiful beaded dress is not white but was enough to win my heart. I forgot my veil for my engagement photos so you will have to wait to see that look. 2 different veils and lengths, call me much but I plan to make the most of my special day with different looks and the most beautiful photos created for us.
This dress only cost me $599 & buying one veil gave me the 2nd one at 50% off so I did it.
Because of the intricacy and and perfect silhouette of the dress, I decided not to get this dress altered. This also gave me the opportunity to use my dress whenever engagement photos spontaneously came up as an option.
Alternations
Alternations
November 12, 2021
When you purchase a dress from David's Bridal or any bridal shop you are going to spend an additional $100 to $300 on alternations. Expect it, and prepare for it so you know where you want to start on your budget for wedding dress shopping.
Unless you buy true to size, that almost never happens. With my $399 dress I spent an additional $290 on alterations at David's Bridal. This is because I recreated the front, hemmed the bottom, added a slit and adjusted the tightness of it.
My dress is ALMOST complete! I am so happy I did my thing with my 1st dress and redesigned the look. A little laugh between us, I ordered it to have a TRIPLE push up for the girls. Hahahaha, yes I did that. I was so curious! I could not help it. After going yesterday to try it on, I realized it could have been a bit much requested so I removed 1 set of cups and had a piece of sheer tulle added to the front to keep my dress as close to my body when wearing it as possible.
Oh, did you not know you could add padding to your dress to avoid wearing a bra day of your wedding? Well no one told me either, I just requested it and took several photos of the inspiration I wanted to recreate with my dress. ANYTHING is possible for the right price. Do not let bridal shops and their employees bully you otherwise, it's YOUR day.
Create the design what YOU want to cherish, celebrate and seize the day with!
Dress is complete.
Dress is complete.
November 15, 2021
Guess what queens! I stopped at Luv Bridal on 7th st., downtown Phoenix.
Before I tell you what I found, for the ladies still dress hunting..
This shop has dresses from $1,200 to $1,800. I am sure you can always call their boutique if they have specials or sales. I walked in and saved $50 on my purchase. It was my first time in and it was fun to browse but what I requested was in the back. Be sure to always ask, even if you do not see it on display. Find more info on their Facebook if you are interested. Alternations I am sure are separate so be sure to consider the additional cost for this when searching for your dress.
For my ceremony dress, I found a Henley Cape in size SM with attachments already sewed in. It was the most perfect one left. A bit of lace attached to keep it altogether. But at this point, the lace was the least of my worries. My dress is so simple and elegant this is the perfect touch to add to my dress. With a double layer of fabric now expected to sway off the windy cliffs at Ironwoods beach, ah!! It is all becoming too real.
As I start to think of my wardrobe and photo moments I want to create and cherish forever, I realize this has been the BEST bridal find yet! At a price of $283 before taxes, I truly want say it has been so hard to find a piece like this that has not been on a list for special order or won't cost me over $500. Little to say, as soon as I posted on my IG where I was shopping (LUV BRIDAL) several of my girlfriends immediately messaged me to let me know their experience was awesome here!
Brides, if you have more than 7 mos. start searching now for those costume one of a kind pieces. Special orders can sometimes take longer. For all the ladies who are at 5 to 6 mos. away, like me when I started looking, it may be a little too late for custom bridal boutique orders. But my recommendation to you is, start searching online, consider delivery dates, rush order options and custom seamstress work near you at a trusted source.
Alternations at David's was worth it because they provided me the result I wanted. Despite all the unnecessary attitude they gave me to start with, I left happy with my dress at the end of it all. I got what I wanted and then some. It worked out perfectly.
Today's date marked my 3rd return back to David's, and the same day I found my dress add on at Luv Bridal boutique. Since August of purchasing my dresses, this dress has not left shop until today.
Always request what YOU want and need done for a paid service like so. Professionals in this area visualize as they create. I recommend you bring photos of inspiration to help you recreate the look you are going for.
If you can't find it, make it! I cannot wait to share with you my final dress creation. I am still searching for wedding shoes, but that's a story for another day, ha!
Shoes
Shoes
November 28, 2021
November 28, 2021
Deals, deals, and all the steals!
I waited until I received my dress back from alterations to purchase my wedding shoes. As a visual, to embrace the silhouette I wanted to complete for myself for my wedding day, I knew I needed something unique on my feet. Now with a great deal in store, the results are even better! That is all I wanted for my wedding shoes, and in total I spent less than $160 on all 5 pairs I purchased for my trip.
Where? You may ask, well my favorite bargain store in town of course. Oh yes! If you know me and I have told you about Last Chance, you know I am very picky to choose a date when to go but when done, the outcome is soooo worth it! Every time I come here, I kid you not I manifest everything that I need. I usually find it all, if not better choices. I bought myself 2 main pairs to wear for the wedding. My feet will be reppin' Kate Spade and Steve Madden for my photos. At full price, each pair was only $39 each. The rest were random beautiful BP white options I found.
Last Chance is a store variant of Nordstrom and the best kept secret in AZ. At least, I like to think so when it comes to shopping retail. I'll be sharing all prices and looks real soon.
Stay tuned, the color choices are white, white and tan!
Wedding Day Shoes
Wedding Day Shoes
December 17, 2021
I decided to do something different from the ordinary. I wanted photos of the aftermath from 4 different photoshoots and locations to show the adventure we got ourselves in! I truly loved the result images I created at the resort. I was able to use my flowers and pearl necklace I found in Hawaii as backdrop on a pathway I could see from our hotel room. Honestly, the shoes are not as dirty and beat up as I thought they would end up. Remember when I told you I only spent $39 on both these pairs? Well when photographing, it felt good not having to worry about the dirt and maintenance of these beauties while wearing them. I highly suggest you consider what you will be doing day of your wedding to have your feet and self be as comfortable as possible.
Flowers in Maui
Flowers in Maui
Okay adventurous brides, imagine yourself already on the island and you want to explore but it's pouring rain outside. This was my exact scenario and I only wanted the freshest flowers available. I did not want to spend more than $300 on florals and well after exploring the island on an awesome eco-friendly car, we were able to get around and find everything we needed on the road to Hana, Safeway & a local florist I found on Instagram.. I was very pleased with everything we found, starting with Nahiku Garden Farm. It is located in the lush Ko’olau Forest Reserve, just outside magical Hana on the northeast shore of Maui. Here you must stop and say hello to Cameron. He will definitely give you a proper tour of the garden! Here I was able to find and create 3 floral bouquets, a boutonniere, a flower crown & 2 leis for our ceremony. How much you may be thinking? Well after exploring Sunday and a little bit of driving on Monday, we were able to find everything for about $280, so let's just round it to $300 to count the $20 fill up on gas. Which by the way, gas is not cheap while on the island, so be sure to rent a car worth your buck! Be sure you consider to track down a florist ahead of time, who will actually reply and communicate to you on what is available to order and purchase for the time you will be on the island. A lot of florists were quick to communicate they were "too busy" with larger orders so if you are able to find a local flower farm that has an Instagram account, SAVE IT & FOLLOW! Florists I found out are most likely to share the specials and current flowers in season. Which will be easier for you when searching closer to your date than before the actual day of your event. The weather and so many other unforeseen natural causes can cause a change in the flowers available.
That first photo you see of the Ironwoods cliffs is the picture that started it all. My entire goal from the start: I wanted to recreate this view, and not being from Maui, I am so proud of Chloe and Calvin for bringing this image to life for Felipe and I. I promise I will go into further details on each of the locations as we progress in the blog.
The Honolua Forrest is a sacred place to the native Hawaiian people, and they do not like tourists or happy brides trespassing this area so be sure to know the risks before you enter..
After our quick photos in Honolua forrest, we went ahead and moved onto the next location at Ironwoods Ranch. Tara was the host who made it all happen here. We are so grateful for her help in making everything happen for us at the ranch.
Chloe and Calvin, our photographer and videographer (wife and husband) were kind enough to join us back to our resort at The Royal Lahaina and end our session at the resort's beautiful beach front.
Ironwoods Cliffs
Ironwoods Cliffs
This first photo you see is the start of it all.
This photo represents to me where my family comes from and where Felipe and I's love meet. Strong, and roaring like the ocean, a sweet reminder that our love is like this. I knew this was the location I wanted to marry my best friend the moment I saw this image on the internet. To my surprise, it's a dream come true to make these images ours forever into a reality. Located in Kapalua near Lahaina, we were blessed enough to stay at the Royal Lahaina and only drive 15-20mins to this location day of our elopement. Our ceremony only lasted 15mins or so. Reading our vows to each other, exchanging leis and pronouncing "I DO" was the most happiest and special moment to have taken place near the roaring ocean. We heavily wished our parents and family could have been there but from the start to the end of this morning, we were go, go, go! We wanted privacy, intimacy amongst us, and an adventure of course! I started my morning with Felipe at 5 am to get married at 8:30am and be at the next location for photos by 9:30am. A little ahead of schedule, but we were able to knock out 4 locations before 1pm. So grateful, blessed and truly happy we eloped in Maui.
Honolua Forest
Honolua Forest
When I first found this place, I fell in love majestically feeling already at home because of the trees and natural space. Once Felipe and I arrived to check out the area in Maui, we realized this is actually a very sacred and special place to native Hawaiian people. You will get yelled at if you try trespassing onto the beautiful scenery. There is a path to walk through and around. Like us, if you decide to make your way and strategically shoot here, I recommend you take closed boots and extra towels to clean mud off. Otherwise, I suggest you make a stop in Oahu in Honolulu city and I promise you, you will find just as much beautiful and similar scenery and completely free range to shoot. We did both locations on different dates and I did not know Oahu had an area that was also like an enchanted forest. It was so beautiful. I found 1 other bride here morning of our shoot. Other than that, it was all tourist hikers making their way to the waterfalls from there. Check out The Bridal Journal on this website to find out more about our Hawai'i' experiences.
Ironwood Ranch
Ironwood Ranch
From the start to end, Tara was the person in charge in setting everything up for our special time here at the ranch. If there is one thing I could change, it would be to bring carrots and apples for the horses to eat. I completely missed to grab snacks that morning but the staff (Gigi and Emily) easily accommodated us onto the horses and on our way to create these beautiful images you see. It was my first time on a horse and I felt as nervous and confident as ever! I had so much fun through out the process and learned a lot here. I will definitely do it again and wonder why I hadn't done it sooner. Nonetheless, at least now I can say my first time on a horse was in Maui on my wedding day as a bride. If you haven't done this already, I REALLY recommend you give this a shot. You will feel like a total princess with your Prince Charming by your side!
The Royal Lahaina Resort
The Royal Lahaina Resort
If you decide you want to dip into the ocean a moment after your ceremony, be sure to save it for last! After running around all morning in rocky cliffs, muddy forest paths, and moist areas lol you bet we were excited to jump in the water at the end! Thanks to my amazing photographer Chloe, she was kind enough to extend our time to take beach portraits at our resort and get amazing beach coverage for our video she and her husband Calvin created for us. We are forever grateful we did this too! Capturing these moments in the beach we vacationed all week long at was truly a magnificent way to end our wedding photo session. A memory that makes us so happy and full of cheer every time we see it and reminisce.
Created October 2021
Created October 2021
Attention all Arizona Residents: this photography list includes Phoenix and Tucson photographers.
Felipe & I, met Chloe at a styled shoot amongst 14 other photographers and quickly clicked with her. She is now our preferred photographer flying out to Hawai'i' with us! I am so excited to have her and her husband Calvin join us for photo and video of our special day!
Personally, this was the best way for me as a creative to see and compare the work of many talented creatives and get a better understanding with whom I wanted to work with on our special day. I highly recommend you build creative trust amongst your photographer when searching for a photographer for a special occasion. You want to be sure you find someone who will help you achieve those portraits you want to look back on and FOREVER cherish. No attitude, no disrespect, just communication and attentiveness to give, and create with you is what you should be receiving from the fellow photography community. Cheers! I hope you like the local list of photographers I have collected for you.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to go through the emotions and excitement throughout our journey together.
Salud.
Thank you all so much for taking the time to go through the emotions and excitement throughout our journey together.
Salud.
As we continue to run our mobile bar business BARMAGIC and photography business Oshoot, be sure to stay up to date and follow our daily fun through Instagram.
@Barmagic.az | @Oshoot.az | @Sostudio.az | @Odalys.bar