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Tucson:Say”Yes”to the Destination Wedding!

Okay, so maybe I’m a little biased. I was born and raised in Tucson. I grew up swimming in our backyard pool from March through November. Flip flops, shorts and a sweatshirt (which I normally ditched by noon) were my cold weather outfit. Hiking to Seven Falls with a backpack full of my Humanities homework was my weekend hangout as I attended Salpointe Catholic High School(GO LANCERS!) Many days were spent in the glorious sunshine on the U of A mall, writing scripts and honing my camera skills…and possibly checking out the Rugby team (BEAR DOWN ARIZONA!). Tucson is a very special place to me…it’s my hometown.

After graduation, I left Tucson. I couldn’t wait to leave. Bright lights, big city…LA, San Francisco, cable tv shows, studio services, feature films…it was fun. But it was hard. Feast or famine. So I came back. I couldn’t wait to get back. The mountains, the monsoons, the Mexican food, oh, and my family that I missed terribly. I met my hunky English hubby, started Black Sheep Filmworks, rescued an Australian Shepherd, a brown tabby cat and an Australian Cattle Dog. I also gave birth to two of the finest human beings you will ever meet, Alexa and Aidan. Okay, so maybe I’m a little biased.  Tucson is the place that chose me from the get-go. And the place I chose to call home when I had a choice.

YOU have a choice as well, where to hold your wedding. That most ahhhmazing day with your dearly beloved(s)….why choose Tucson for a Destination wedding?  Here are my top five reasons:

1. The Scenery. Search  “Tucson, Arizona”  in google images and you get choices: Mountains, Skyline, Sunset, Downtown and University of Arizona, all of which are spectacular, especially the mountains and the sunsets. All sunsets with high wispy clouds are pretty, but when you have a sunset with gorgeous color AND a huge saguaro in the background, that’s ICONIC.

ritz-carlton wedding

Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain-Destination wedding perfection!!!

2. The Venues. From The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain to the Westin La Paloma to Hacienda del Sol to Tanque Verde Guest Ranch, Tucson is full of  world class resorts, spas and inns that want to pamper you and your guests with loads of Tucson hospitality. The views, the food, the pools, the golf…just basking in the warm Tucson sun, it’s AHHHmazing!

3. Margaritas. From prickly pear to mango habañero, you won’t find a better specialty cocktail. Enough said.

4. The Wedding Professionals. Or the Wedding Vendors, or “Friendors” as my friend Brie Dumais of Brie Dumais Designs likes to call us;) Hands down, some of the most talented, creative, fun, hard working, kick a** individuals you will ever have the pleasure of being around. From florists to photographers, event planners to filmmakers (!) Tucson’s talent is extraordinary. And we all like each other. We will scramble up a hill loaded with cacti and maybe a gopher snake or two (don’t worry, they’re non-venomous ;)) to get that dream shot of you and your beloved. We are used to this 100+ degree “dry” heat. We don’t over direct and under produce. Golf carts, Quarter horses and dirt bikes were probably our first mode of transportation, or our most recent, so we’ve got you covered. We know Tucson, we love it, and we want to share it with you and your besties.

5. The Feel. No place in the world feels like Tucson. It’s a sprawling city (over 227 square miles!) in the middle of four mountain ranges under a huge sunny sky 350 days a year, but it still feels like a small town. When I meet a new client, somewhere in my portfolio, you will know someone. 6 degrees of separation with Kevin Bacon? It’s about 2 to 3 degrees of separation in Tucson. From The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum to the Mission San Xavier del Bac, Tucson is full of natural beauty, wildlife, and history. And really nice people. Come to Tucson for your Big day, home of the best sunsets, warm sunshine, spas, saguaros…oh, I could go on and on. Okay, maybe I’m a little biased…

Destination weddings are one of my favorite things to capture…we film a lot of them. We get to know everyone beforehand with FaceTime, a pretty detailed wedding questionnaire, text conversations and even chats on the phone..if you’re into that. Come to Tucson, cheers with me over a prickly pear margarita, marry your beloved and live happily ever after. Make those “once in a lifetime” memories and invite a few black sheep to make sure you can re-live it all, over and over. Yes, I am biased, but I won’t steer you wrong; Tucson is destination wedding perfection!!!! Just watch 😉

 

 

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The holidays are here! and/or Why I am thankful for wedding videos!

 

I hear it all the time “Getting a wedding video was the best decision we made.” Really…couples say that to me after they receive their wedding films. It may not be as enticing as a “Multi-tier wedding cake with chocolate ganache filling and Swarovski crystal embellished fondant icing” (but, is anything?) or  “Locally harvested, sustainably grown, organically sourced ‘Surf and Turf”‘ (sign me up!) or even “A silent disco hosted by international DJ…” (so cool, you’ll be the first of your friends to do this at your reception!), but honestly, your wedding video is one of the sexiest, most enduring and truly personal keepsakes from your big day. It is the only way to truly get back to those moments, in sight and sound. I know it’s kind of a delayed gratification, as you have to wait a bit for the finished product, but, good things come to those who wait!!

Black Sheep filmworks is blessed to have amazing clients who trust us to capture some of the most important moments in their lives. From weddings, to births, to corporate extravaganzas and everything in between, we are thankful and humbled that you have chosen to take a black sheep, or two, along with you. I leave you with one of my latest weddings, from Tanque Verde Ranch, here in Tucson. Frances and Carson go way back with the ranch, so for them to have their wedding there, was like a homecoming. I hope you can feel the joy, love, laughter and commitment from these two that I tried to share in the highlight. I get to do this a lot. I am so lucky and I love what I do.

Bravo, Frances and Carson! Cheers to many, many more. #thankful #weddingfilmsrock #getone

 

 

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“I DO” at Tanque Verde Ranch:Let the Wedding Adventure begin!!

What I really love about Tanque Verde Ranch, besides the horses, mountain views and towering cottonwood trees with juvenile great horned owls nesting in them (yes, watch the video, second shot) is that you can make it your own. You can have a rustic, western themed wedding, or you can have an sleek, stylish affair with tons of glam. Or, you can aim for the middle of the two, and in true Annie Oakley style–Bull’s-eye!! This is exactly what Erica and Carson achieved this May at the ranch.

“Let the Adventure begin” proclaimed the card banner draped over the great fireplace in the Saguaro room, and that motto worked well for the whole weekend. This was a destination wedding, and family and friends were treated to horseback rides, hiking, golf outings and a few mandatory massages after all of the fabulous outdoor fun. The wedding day was sunny, then cloudy, and then…rainy! Which is really odd for mid May. Erica looked at the rain on the window, and became teary. I thought she was upset that their outdoor ceremony could be rained-out. Not the case. Erica’s Mom had passed away last year, and she LOVED the rain. Erica was sure that her Mom was there, in spirit and in rain drop form. We had a very sweet first look, a romantic, drizzly photo session and then a gorgeous outdoor ceremony at the Cactus View. The travel theme continued, as Carson and Erica had a sign post at the end of the aisle with exotic locales from Tongariro Park, New Zealand to Lake Como, Italy. My favorite part? THE VOWS…holy crow, these two went all out writing their own vows and their was not a dry eye in the house! My other favorite part? The fans that became paper airplanes that were flown above Erica and Carson as they recessed down the aisle–they even made sure the tips of the planes were blunt, so that no one lost an eye. #safetyfirst

The cocktail hour was full of signature cocktails, a giant postcard to take selfies in, and lots of yummy appetizers. The reception began with the introduction of the happy couple, lots of toasting, and then it was time for the first dance. It began slow and romantic, and then went into a salsa number with twirls and a great lift…everyone oohhhed and aaahhhed. The dance floor was packed, as was the cigar and bourbon bar out on the back patio. This #carsica #lovesnotcomplincated wedding at Tanque Verde ranch had this black sheep never wanting to leave this old homestead. No worries, we will be back. #fallweddings #styledshoots #tanqueverderanch #weloveithere

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