by: At the end of last year, the Pantone Color Institute announced their 2018 Color of the Year: Ultra Violet. Yay for a purple hue {this lover of purple is ecstatic}! And coincidentally, we have a stunning purple-infused backyard garden wedding to share with you! Gorgeous duo Samantha and Drew were married in front of friends and family in Phoenix in an intimate ceremony. Their backyard garden wedding and reception at the Maricopa Manor Bed and Breakfast is full of wow, and we are swooning over the luxe, pretty purple and gray details! The bed and breakfast has a beautiful courtyard and garden that served as a perfect canvas for creating the intimate and unique wedding they wanted. 
The combination of so many purple hues in their flowers, centerpieces, attire {Samantha's shoes ... love!}, and their beautiful MagnetStreet Weddings invites … we totally love how their day came together. Their photographer did a fantastic job capturing the emotion, happy moments, and chic details of their backyard garden wedding. Plus, bride Samantha put it all perfectly into words! 
Saying "Yes" to the dress My three undergrad roommates (three of my best friends and bridesmaids) came to Phoenix so we could all spend some time together, and we planned to go wedding dress shopping together as part of that weekend. I had seen this dress on a website and I thought it was just what I was looking for - elegant, more fitted on top with a little princess poof at the bottom, a little sparkle (of course), and I liked that it had sleeves. The fantastic bridal consultant at Luv Bridal helped me choose several others when I got to the shop, as I was open to trying on several different dress silhouettes and fabrics. The one I had seen online was actually the first dress I tried on, and I loved it right away, but tried a few more just to be certain. After a few dresses I asked to try the first one again; they styled me with accessories and a veil, and I knew it was The Dress! 
Something borrowed, blue, old, and new My mom surprised me with a gift while I was getting ready. When I opened the pouch, there was a beautiful necklace with two charms - wedding bells and a blue pendant (new and blue). She had also included a diaper pin from my childhood so I could attach this pouch to the inside of my dress during the day (borrowed and old), as she knew I had planned other accessories to wear. 
The first look We had already decided to take some photos before the ceremony, so we wanted those first moments to be as special as if the first time seeing each other was walking down the aisle. 
MagnetStreet wedding stationery | Twinkling Hearts design suite I found the website while searching the internet for cute and affordable save the date magnets! I then found several stationary designs that were exactly what we were looking for, that matched the garden intimate feel of our wedding, so I ordered some samples and we loved them. We ended up getting our invitations and save the date magnets from MagnetStreet, and received so many compliments that we decided to come back for our thank yous! 
Samantha's advice to other brides-to-be 1. Budget! Have a budget and stick to it the best you can. 2. Relax! If you plan ahead and get things done as early as possible, the last details (that you can only get done in the last few weeks) won't seem so stressful. 3. In the end, as long as you and the groom show up with a wedding license, that's all that really matters. Enjoy the journey, you only do this once and it'll be over before you know it! 
Cake! We decided on a small, more traditional wedding cake just for the two of us (wedding cake is one of my favorite things in the world) - white chocolate champagne cake with a strawberry mousse layer, buttercream frosting. (We don't believe in fondant, it's not delicious.) Our caterer Fresh From the Kitchen made it absolutely beautifully white with a silver dragée design. We had mini cupcakes in 3 flavors (red velvet, champagne strawberry, chocolate raspberry) and chocolate covered strawberries for our guests. 
This cake was so good that we kept eating it even after our photographer was finished with the traditional cake cutting ceremony photos and the DJ was trying to get me out to the dance floor for the father-daughter dance. Whoops. We also completely finished our cake within a few days at home! For our first anniversary, Noelle (the owner of Fresh from the Kitchen) was sweet enough to make the cake again, and I surprised Drew with it ... definitely as amazing as we remembered! 
The best moment and photo from the day At the end of the night our wonderful DJ Kevin asked all of our guests to go out to the street to line up for our sparkler exit, while we danced the last dance. It was our first chance to let everything sink in from the day, and our first chance to see all the wedding details and lights and really enjoy how beautiful the garden looked. These moments were our first moments alone together as husband and wife; the memories of the day were fresh and we felt so much love surrounding us from our family and friends. 
Their engagement We planned a weekend of fun, hiking and exploring in Page, AZ, something we had both wanted to do for some time. Upon reaching Horseshoe Bend, we walked down to the absolutely gorgeous view and Drew set up a tripod so we could take a nice photo together that didn't involve a selfie stick (which he knows I always appreciate). He was taking his time with the camera settings, so I went down to the edge to take in the view for a while until he was ready (Drew said this worked out well for him as he had to smuggle the ring box from his backpack to his pocket). A very nice tourist stranger noticed how much care Drew was taking to set up the camera, and kindly offered to take our photo. After a few photos, Drew asked the stranger to keep snapping MORE pictures. I turned in him in confusion, and Drew took my hand and began to propose. I'm pretty sure I said something to the effect of 'what are you doing??' He got down on one knee and pulled the ring out of his pocket, and asked me to spent the rest of my life with him. I was so excited and surprised that I could barely say anything ... but once I could speak, I said YES!
Their honeymoon in New Zealand & Fiji!
We adventured all through New Zealand for about a week, kayaking through waterfalls at Milford Sound, wine touring on Waiheke Island, riding a jet boat in Queenstown, hiking an extinct volcano Mt. Maunganui, rafting in Waitomo Caves, wandering through Hobbiton, skydiving in Auckland, and enjoying all the beautiful scenery (and sheep!). We stopped in Fiji for a few days on the way home to relax and enjoy some time on the beach. We actually got to stay an unplanned extra day or two in Fiji because transportation was stopped due to a tropical storm that rolled in -- bonus helicopter ride from the private island back to the airport due to inclement weather!
The following vendors helped make Samantha and Drew's dream day come to life! Photography: Melissa McClure Photography / Venue: Maricopa Manor / DJ: SKM Entertainment / Florist: Flowers by Jodi / Hair: Belissimo Salon / Make-up: Jellis Faces / Bride's dress: Luv Bridal / Groom's attire: Combat Gent, The Tie Bar / Videographer: Something New Media / Catering: Fresh From the Kitchen / Lighting: Mystic Lites
