Melissa and Jerry married at the beautiful Aldea at Tlaquepaque in Phoenix earlier this spring. It's a stunning location, just perfect for outdoor ceremonies (think Spanish-looking arches, fountains and dramatic stairs) and indoor receptions (with lots of rooms and even a patio with fireplace). Melissa sent us photos with some stories from their special and uniquely memorable day.
(Editor's note: these are scans of hard copy photos.)
Melissa's hair and makeup was done by Heather Peterson. You can see her stunning eye makeup. Although false eyelashes may feel strange on and look unnatural to you, we always recommend them because they really help your eyes pop in photos.
Because Melissa had a big staircase to navigate, she decided to be escorted by her best friend. He carried her shoes down the stairs, helped her into them, and then handed her off. What a clever way to get around the quandary of "how do I get down stairs in a wedding dress with train and heels?!"
Melissa chose a satin wedding gown. It featured a highly beaded bodice with ruching through the waist and hips, and pickups on the skirt. The pickups were beaded, and her wedding dress had a bubble hem. Melissa customized her gown by adding a large satin flower to her hip (she loved it on another dress, and we were able to order it as a separate piece for her). She also made the neckline more sweetheart. Melissa's flowers were by Petals By Lucy.
One of the coolest things Melissa designed was her cake–it is a replica of her dress. Check out the "beaded" top layer, the "ruched" middle layer, and the pickups on the bottom cake tier. Her cake even has the big flower. We love it! Her cake was by Tiffany's Cakes.
Melissa spent hours making programs and such for her outdoor wedding. And remember the day it hailed in the valley? Yep. That was Melissa's wedding day. There's a video of her wedding and, when we saw it, we were surprised that she was laughing through most of the ceremony. "I had to laugh," she said, "because if I didn't, I would have cried." In the end, though, the skies cleared and Melissa's and Jerry's marriage was blessed with this beautiful double rainbow:
Congrats to you both. We hope Jerry's newly broken leg heals quickly!
