It’s probably obvi why we’re digging Connie + Josh’s Arizona soiree. A straight-out-of-the-‘70s aesthetic, Annie Gerber’s ethereal photos, and lots and lots of DIY details. Oh, and did we mention that these two were married the day of the harvest moon, aka the biggest full moon of the whole year? Leave it to the moon to take a dreamy wedding and make it even more magical.
From Connie… We chose our wedding date around the phase of the moon. I’m a huge astronomy/astrology fanatic and the moon is my ruling planet. I would have liked a little more time to plan, but being married on the harvest moon was really important to me. We were engaged for only three months, so it truly took a village of crafty and talented loved ones to put our magical day together.
I ordered my dress about five days after we got engaged and it was the only one left in any of the sizes, which just so happened to be the PERFECT fit. I just completely skipped over the wedding dress store hopping. I fell in love instantly with my dress because it had a very ‘70s bohemian feel to it.
My very talented and lovely bridesmaid Yasmine Khatib is a floral designer based out of L.A. Her arrangements were outstanding and so unique to me. I think my flowers were one of the most talked about elements at the wedding.
Our families made all of the food. My parents have a friend that works in a potato processing plant in Idaho. They had her handpick over 150 potatoes and drive them down to Utah, where my maid of honor took on that baton and drove them to Arizona for the wedding. (Talk about taking MOH duties to a whole new level!) I made the vegetarian chili the night before the wedding and my father made his specialty chili. My mom slow-cooked all the meat. We rubbed the potatoes in rosemary that I grew and dried before we roasted them. I could probably keep on going for a while about the food, but you get the idea. There was truly a lot of love that went into every bite.
A little more from Connie… We took on pretty much this whole wedding as a large DIY project. There is something so special about personally putting work and sweat into your own wedding. It made the day more gratifying for so many that were involved and truly made all the elements of the day seem very personal to us as a couple.
My mother-in-law Denise made over 200 pinwheels that we attached to pencils and gave out as wedding favors to our guests. She also made many of the banners that are pictured around the candy and pie bar and several other places. My aunt Nora in Illinois made the table runners and tablecloths. I had the fabric picked out and cut from a fabric thrift store and she had them all hemmed and packed up in her suitcase for the big day. The large yellow and brown pom-poms were handmade by me over a span of time before the wedding. For the centerpieces, my mom, sister-in-law, and I hand picked all the succulents and planted them a week before the wedding, along with the ribbon and raffia that we wrapped around the pots.
Photographer: Annie Gerber / Reception Venue: Gerber Gardens / Floral Designer: Yasmine Floral Design / DJ: The bride’s brother / Bride’s Dress: Tracy Reese from BHLDN / Shoes: Vintage / Earrings: Anthropologie / Pearl Necklace: The bride’s mother’s / Groom’s Suit: H&M / Tie: Vintage / Groomsmen’s Pants: H&M
