What an honor and privilege it was to capture Amanda and Travis’ spring destination wedding at Gold Canyon Golf Resort in Arizona! We had the most AMAZING light the entire day and Amanda’s color scheme perfectly matched the surrounding landscape of the desert and mountains. They were such a wonderful couple to work with and their true love for each other shined through their portraits!
Settled against the Superstition Mountains and Sonoran Desert, the Gold Canyon Golf Resort creates the perfect backdrop for a wedding day with 400 acres of spots for sunset portraits. This venue is complete with villas and casita-style rooms for wedding guests, several golf courses with beautiful views, and many options for your wedding ceremony and reception. The resort is also dog-friendly so you can include your furry friend in your wedding plans!
Special Family Friends
Traveling to Arizona marked my first time away from home since having my son William (9 months old). It definitely wasn’t easy but worth it to document Amanda and Travis’ stunning wedding day!! This wasn’t an ordinary wedding for me. I grew up with Amanda in Virginia and was best friends with her sister, Christine. We spent every single day together growing up, so Amanda was usually around and hanging out with us as well. I liked to call her my little sister too! I was around for all the happy times and the sister fights. We were in dance together and spent all our summer days together at the pool.
Being able to travel to Arizona with Amanda’s family and photograph her wedding was such an honor. After watching Amanda grow up, it was so special to be able to capture her wedding day. I may not get to see her family as often as I did when we were kids, but I had the absolute best time with them on this trip. It was like nothing ever changed, and we quickly picked up exactly where we left off. It was such a full circle moment to be able to photograph her wedding after I took her high school senior photos too!
A Full Weekend of Pictures
The wedding day for Travis and Amanda was absolutely stunning! I’m used to the flat beach areas of Wilmington, so having the mountains in the background for portraits was a wonderful experience. I now have a new obsession with cacti, LOL. I arrived in Arizona on Friday. Since they were getting married in Arizona, I shot their engagement pictures and wedding all in one weekend. We walked around the resort where we were staying. Amanda was a trooper hiking up rocks in her heels because she trusted my ideas and expertise! Travis and Amanda’s had a welcome party Saturday night, and the wedding took place on Sunday.
As with any wedding I photograph, I went to Amanda’s room first to shoot bridal details. I loved the earth tones she chose for her invites – perfect colors for a Arizona desert wedding! Her veil had fringe and it was STUNNING! We took so many portraits with her wearing it! Amanda practiced her vows in front of her friends while she got her hair done and had everyone in tears, including me! Once we finished with hair and makeup, the girls got dressed including Amanda. She shared a first look with her dad followed by a first look with her bridesmaids.
We headed down to the venue and met Travis for their first look. It was such a sweet moment and Travis was amazed by his beautiful bride! They were so excited to see each other and Travis had to wipe away some tears. The bridesmaids’ dresses were all different colors and designs. They were a perfect complement to the groomsmen’s tan suits!
Before the ceremony, we took some couples portraits before tucking them away. Travis and Amanda are so easy to photograph. They did a great job with posing and trusted me for any ideas and suggestions. Amanda and Travis chose to get married outside on the lower lawn. The ceremony view was so beautiful! Amanda’s brother-in-law was the officiant which made their ceremony more special. They read personal vows to each other, and there was not a dry eye anywhere among the wedding guests.
Bride and Groom Portraits Galore
This couple now holds the record of the most bride and groom portraits on their wedding day! We seriously had so many opportunities for pictures in the largest variety of places – it was amazing!! Some of my favorite photos are from a large tree on the golf course. The light peaked behind the branches and created a pretty glowy effect on them!
After they had their official entrance into the reception, Amanda and Travis went right into their first dance. They practiced a lot beforehand and it really paid off! Once they finished dinner, we set out for sunset portraits all around the golf course with some incredible views!! I kid you not, we spent 45 minutes on the golf cart driving around to all sorts of spots around the property. Once we arrived back to the reception, there were speeches and parent dances. Travis and Amanda cut their cake and danced the night away!
I’m so thankful that this job takes me to such amazing places where I can photograph special couples like Amanda and Travis. Their destination wedding at Gold Canyon Golf Resort in Arizona was definitely one for the books! Congratulations to you both!
No matter if you want a big wedding in the mountains of Arizona or an intimate day in downtown Wilmington, I want to be there for all of it! Send me a message so we can start planning!
Wedding Vendors
Photographer: Stephanie Alberse Photography
Wedding Venue, Catering, Cake, and Rentals: Gold Canyon Golf Resort and Spa
Hair and Makeup: Beauty by Bobby; Hannah Stalder of Arizona Beauty Lab ‘n Lash
Florals: Apache Junction Flowers
DJ: All Pro DJ’s
