Wedding Part 1 – Prep – Sassy Anesthesia

Hey everyone, I wanted to share all the aspects and details of our moody October wedding. I had my vision and wow, it was incredibly difficult for others to visualize. I didn’t follow the crowd, I wanted dark colors and a sort of sophisticated gothic vibe. I didn’t want to bombard our guests with the typical love songs on repeat, or the cheesy quotes scattered amongst rustic farmhouse decor.

Just, no. Not me and not my plan. And let me just say, it was EXTREMELY difficult to portray this vision to all our vendors. We were the couple that wanted black details throughout, statement music and decor. I wanted my guests to have an experience while they were there… This was more than a wedding to me. I wanted my guests to be attending the best party they’ve been to in awhile.

So Part 1. The prep, the dress, the accessories, the party bus ride to the altar. Let us begin. And let me paint the scene with Frank Sinatra playing softly in the background of our super trendy hotel suite with the best bridal crew ever. (since I can remember, I always wanted to get ready for my wedding listening to Frank Sinatra. So classic.)

Since our wedding venue was a good drive outside of Phoenix, there really were no hotels or places I liked to get ready out in the middle of nowhere. So I decided on prepping in central Phoenix at The Camby Hotel, and coordinated a ride for all of us to get to the venue afterwards.

This hotel was so perfect – quirky and desert modern. It was a Ritz Carlton in its prior life, transformed into a unique and trendy hotel with Arizona flair.

So now for getting ready. I had the amazing Nina Gashi do our makeup: makeup artist at the popular Habit Hair Salon, and my hairstylist Brian from Kefi by Bjh. Obviously I wanted a darker makeup look for me and the bridal party as well. It was a fall wedding so I was able to justify it 😉 (to my mom lol)

Prep necessities. A Costco haul to feed all. Got tons of carbs, coffee, alcohol… you know, the necessities. I freakin LOVE these detail shots by my amazing photographer. She’s so cool.

Accessory details. My amazing aunt handmade both of my garters. My earrings and bracelet were from Kendra’s Scott’s wedding line (the earrings are discontinued now so sad). Super cute custom wedding purse I got off of Etsy, which was perfect for all of the events leading up to the wedding as well. And lastly, I went super simple with my wedding shoes. My dress was so detailed I really couldn’t have any details on my shoes or it was just too much. I went with a super simple white heel from Sam Edelman.

I got each of my bridesmaids their own black Kendra Scott necklace to match their black dress too.

OKAYYYY okay okay so THE DRESS. My dress was nothing like I imagined wearing on my wedding day. KEEP THIS IN MIND when you go trying on wedding dresses cause it was really hard for me at first!!! All my life I wanted to have a long-sleeved wedding dress like since before it became popular a few years ago. I’ve never loved my arms and I wanted them covered, plus I wanted something different. So I go and try on long-sleeved wedding dresses and… I just didn’t really feel like a bride? I’m really short. Like 5’1. So I think the sleeved dresses kind of overwhelmed my body. The strapless ones just made me feel taller and you were able to see..me.

I bought my dress from The Dress Theory while I was living in San Diego. This place was so cute and had so many amazing options. Once I had decided on my Pronovias dress, they took my measurements, and they were sent to Spain to create a custom handmade dress. Sigh…what a dream.

Oh did I mention I got my veil for $20? I truly don’t believe that veils should be as expensive as they are. Like good grief it’s a piece of tulle that’s going to drag and snag on the ground, and then come off after the ceremony. I went with a simple veil since again, my dress had a lot of detail. Adding any other detail to the veil would have been too much. But don’t think I compromised on drama. I bought a super long cathedral veil here.