30 May Bryce & Stefanie: Our Wedding Day Recap
April 29th, 2017 flew by, just like we knew it would.
The months leading up to our wedding day were just…insane. Totally, completely, wildly insane!
If you’ve planned a wedding, you know what we are saying.
If you’ve planned a wedding while running a business with your soon-to-be spouse, you FEEL what we are saying.
For our “industrial chic” styled wedding in Downtown Phoenix, we wanted it to be as authentic and personal to us as possible. Our wedding planning was totally selfish, in the best way: from the beginning, we decided this was a day for us to celebrate our love and commitment, and every detail turned out absolutely perfectly.
All photos are courtesy of Shepard Visuals, they were the BEST! Be sure to get all the way to the bottom for our wedding video trailer by Serendipity Cinema. I will also leave a bunch of links to some of the DIY materials and things we used to make this wedding day extra perfect!
Pre-Ceremony
The first moment we saw each other in gown and suit, all of the stress and tension leading up to the day melted away. The day was absolutely perfect.
We woke up in the Hotel Palomar in Downtown Phoenix on April 29th, and smiled at each other (stifling a little morning breath, no less). We were happy to say a few sweet-somethings to each other before we went our separate ways to get ready for the ceremony.
I will never forget spending this day with the most important women in my life: my best friend Makayla, my mom, and my sisters, Kennedy and Taylor. We spent our time getting ready in my room, listening to questionable Spotify stations and sipping on champagne.
First Look
Bryce and I chose to do a first look, and met around the corner from our venue in the historic Warehouse District of Downtown Phoenix. When I turned around the corner and saw him standing just feet away, it was everything I could do to keep myself from running to him! We were flooded with so much emotion the moment we saw each other. The two of us are both emotional people — but this was on a whole other level!
One of my favorite photos of the day: I remember this exact moment, when the Shepards told us to step aside from each other to take our portraits. We couldn’t take our eyes off of each other, and I remember looking at Bryce as he stood outside of this frame. I couldn’t handle the incredible love I felt for him in this moment.
And then something funny happened: a Phoenix PD officer, who was patrolling the area, stopped to help us with our portraits! This guy was hilarious! He just waltzed right up and handcuffed the two of us, and it was the perfect way to laugh off the nerves. What a memory!
Ceremony
Early on in the process, we decided to scrap most wedding day traditions. Bryce and I don’t come from convention, and we like to do things our way.
Before we decided to commit to an actual wedding, we had seriously considered eloping. We talked about exotic locations — an elopement to Italy, a honeymoon through Europe, a week on island time. But, nothing ever quite felt right. So, when we chose to have the wedding in our hometown of Phoenix, we wanted to keep a bit of that intimacy we dreamed of in the event.
As much as we love our closest friends and family, we chose not to have a wedding party. At some point, I decided we didn’t need any flowers in the wedding, so our floral package by Angelic Grove consisted of only the most gorgeous varieties of eucalyptus.
We went for an industrial chic theme for our wedding, and the warehouse venue The Croft perfectly captured our vision. Exposed brick, twinkling candle-light, and green and rose gold tones made this day extra romantic.
Can we get an “AMEN” for confetti throws??
Cocktail & Reception
After our portrait photos were taken, we chose to arrive at the cocktail reception for a toast, then join our guests in entering the reception. This was such a fun idea, and it allowed us to see some of our guests before swinging in for the first dance.
Our dinner was plated and served for us the moment we were seated at our sweetheart table, which was perfect! I was so worried we wouldn’t have enough time to eat, but we were able to take our time and enjoy our meal. Little Miss BBQ’s brisket and sausage, a macaroni & cheese bar, with yummy sides of potato wedges and creamed corn. I hear there was salad served, as well — but your girl has no time for that!
We worked with Couple of Bartenders to create a custom cocktail list for the reception. The Confetti Studio provided special glassware, a different style for each cocktail, and the presentation was just beautiful.
The “His” cocktail was a cocktail called a slope – whiskey based, almost like a manhattan. It was strong, just like Bryce likes it! The “Hers” was a vodka lemonade with Iconic Cocktail mixer. A third cocktail, “Ours”, was a yummy blood orange rum punch. These turned out even better than we could have imagined!
The rest of the night was a blur of dancing, photo booth fun, cake cutting, and the sweet ending of a root beer float bar! This was the best “late night snack”, and we totally recommend including one with your catering company!
Looking Back
Our favorite parts were having a photo booth bus – you’d never guess how many people can cram in one of these for a photo! We loved dancing with our guests, and our DJ played the best music.
Afterward a quick outfit change, we all went over to The Duce, and had ourselves a good ol’ time over cocktails and corn hole.
This will be a day we will never forget, and having it captured in photos by our sweet friends at Shepard Visuals, and on film by Serendipity Cinematography is something we will treasure forever.
Our biggest wedding takeaways:
Hire a cinematographer. Just do it, you’ll regret it if you don’t. This was also one of the most repeated pieces of advice we’d been given during wedding planning.
Don’t be afraid to be different. There were so many details that were true to us. We loved throwing a wedding that was authentic to us. It made the day so much more meaningful.
Write your own vows. We almost couldn’t get through ours for the tears! But they were special and true to us.
Don’t forget why you’re in it in the first place. Through wedding planning, we made sure that it was all about us celebrating our love and commitment. The planning was stressful, but we always remembered why we were doing it. ‘Cause we love each other!
Vendor Team
MUA: Kensington Makeup // Hair: Bride’s sister, Taylor Crosby Hair // Venue: The Croft Downtown // Decor and Florals: Angelic Grove // Cake: Sift Bakehouse // Photo Booth: Crusin’ Photo Bus // Custom Drinks: Couple of Bartenders // Calligraphy: The Letter House // Glassware: The Confetti Studio // Photo: Shepard Visuals // Video: Serendipity Cinema // Custom Signs: Arizona Craft Co // Invitations: Love & Lace Invitations
Who / What / Where
Mini Pails for Wedding Succulent Favors – Amazon
Rose gold twine for Custom Menus (made by us!) – Amazon
Rose gold confetti toss – Amazon
Favor tags (stamped with “Thank You!” ourselves) – Amazon
Custom Champagne Glasses – Brinny K. Designs
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