Desert Botanical Garden Wedding

The desert is home to the agave century plant, which traditionally blooms after 100 years. Our next couple chose this desert plant as a symbol of their love. The plant is featured throughout the garden, and even portrayed in Chihuly sculptures at the garden entrance. The plant was referenced in the vows and displayed on printed material throughout the event, as well. We love when a theme is carried throughout the wedding.
The bride shared so much more with us about this desert wedding so be sure to read on. You can also view the entire wedding gallery by clicking here. All of this desert beauty was captured by Hollye Schumacher Photography.

Guests were given small white bells to ring as the couple walked down the aisle during the recessional. The bells featured tags tied with twine, and said "RING ME!" How sweet of the guests to ring in the newlyweds.

Desert Botanical Garden Wedding

After the ceremony, guests picked up prickly pear margaritas and wandered through the desert pathways to Boppart Courtyard. The courtyard featured bright coral tablecloths on high-top tables, tied with burlap ribbon and topped with small arrangements of succulents.

Desert Botanical Garden Wedding

Guests found their names and table assignments hanging with twine strung between a set of agave stalks Marney's parents had carefully collected, which continued the theme of the century agave plant. The tags were hand-written by the bride on kraft card stock tags with white ink, so very lovely.

Desert Botanical Garden Wedding

Guests sat in shabby chic white chairs at tables covered in natural green tablecloths. The centerpieces were 8" x 8" dark-stained boxes filled with coral peonies, purple lisianthus, yellow genista, flower shaped succulents, yellow & purple freesia, green viburnum, ladies mantle and purple lilac with floating candles highlighting throughout.Each box was wrapped with twine.
Tables were identified by cities Marney and Booth had lived in (Florence, Honolulu, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc). The city names were hand-written by Marney's artistic cousin Michael in white lettering on kraft card-stock. Place settings were clean and crafty. A kraft menu (designed and printed by Marney) featured the agave logo hand-stamped at the top, and tucked inside a crisply folded white cotton napkin tied with twine. Marney's mother cut rosemary from her herb garden and added a sprig to each napkin.
The homemade guest book was housed in a Russell + Hazel Signature 3-Ring Binder wrapped in white patent. Inside, natural/kraft and green sheets held green and salmon-colored (empty) envelopes. Guests chose their own blessing from any of five card sets laid out on the table. The cards are hand-stamped with custom designed graphics borrowed from one of Martha Stewart's guest book ideas. Guests wrote a response to whichever card they chose and slipped it in an empty envelope.

Desert Botanical Garden Wedding

Marney spent a few of her childhood years in London, and has fond memories of snapping British Christmas crackers with her family. After ordering supplies to fabricate 175, she put her parents to work helping stuff the cardboard rolls with almond roca, white LED jelly rings that flash when depressed, traditional silly colorful paper hats, and light marriage jokes like "My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met," courtesy of Rodney Dangerfield. Marney's sisters lead the guests in a celebratory "SNAP" to celebrate the couple in their toast.
Another family tradition of the bride's family is to sing "Happy Trails" as a family member departs. To close down the evening, the band played "Happy Trails" as Marney and Booth danced by their friends and family lining the luminaria-lit pathway. Guests picked up muslin bags hand-stamped with a custom "Happy Trails" stamp designed by the bride and filled with the Binns family's secret trail mix recipe.

Desert Botanical Garden Wedding