Laney & Daniel | Flagstaff Wedding
Laney and Daniel are an awesome, fun-loving, outdoorsy couple based here in Flagstaff. They met at NAU, as so many great Flagstaff love stories seem to start, in a historical geology class. As Laney puts it, they “shared a passion for being outside and looking at rocks!” The couple also shares a side hustle project where they head into the forest and break down appropriate fallen trees into firewood that they sell to the community. I thought this was a great example of how hardworking and nature-loving this couple is, choosing to be together doing fun, team-building activities even in their downtime. I met up with this awesome couple a few times over pizza and beer to nail down some wedding and day-of timeline details and just generally get to know them both better, so on the day of their wedding it was even more touching to see them so dressed up and excited to be there!
When I arrived at the venue on the day of the wedding, Laney was chilling in the bridal suite and just seemed so happy and content. She had her sisters and mom there to keep her company and help her get ready, so I was able to get some beautiful shots of the girls exchanging gifts and helping one another get ready before they finally helped Laney into her gown. Despite it being her big day Laney maintained such a calm and elegant demeanor throughout the entire wedding and prep, providing a grounding energy for those around her who were more emotional or stressed. Meanwhile, Daniel was dressed and greeting guests outside with the help of the couple's two pups. Laney and Daniel’s dogs are a super important part of their family and outdoor exploration, and thanks to their chosen venue allowing dogs they were able to be part of the wedding day!
As the ceremony began, Laney and Daniel each walked down the aisle with both their parents escorting them. I loved that it was important to the couple that all four of their parents were included in the ceremony, instead of just the bride’s as it tends to happen traditionally. From the moment that Laney and her parents joined Daniel and his at the altar, it was clear that because this couple had been together for a long time, their families were already very intertwined, and had fully embraced each other and it was very symbolic and emotional for everyone involved. The ceremony was very intimate and personalized, and the officiant did a fantastic job of telling their love story up to this point and illustrating the life and family that they had already begun to build together in Flagstaff! After this they exchanged rings and then the couple performed a tree watering ceremony, paying an homage to the nature and great Arizona outdoors that they love so much.
After the ceremony, the couple was received by a long line of family and friends excited to congratulate them, and then we jumped right into group photos and close family shots. Once those wrapped up, I took Lainey, Daniel, and their pups to the garden for the sweetheart session. Their venue, Violas, is absolutely great as they let you use any flowers or plants on location as decorations but they also allow you to use their gardens as a photo spot! The gorgeous florals in the garden provided a vibrant backdrop to the photos. Laney and Daniel also had plenty of great ideas for the shots, including one in front of a thank you banner that they wanted to be able to use when they sent out thank you cards.
We later returned to the ceremony site so that Laney and Daniel could make their grand entrance to the reception before their first dance. Neither Laney nor Daniel are very big formal dancers, so it was a short, sweet, and goofy moment they shared surrounded by all their closest friends and family. All of this was followed by a beautiful reception dinner featuring toasts from all their closest loved ones, and I personally loved the pizza bar that was part of their dinner!
After dinner, everyone made their way outside for bride and groom parent dances and these were just as lighthearted and fun as the first dance was. It was easy to see that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree for either side of the family as both Laney’s dad and Daniel’s mom were more than happy to hop onto the dance floor and celebrate with their kids! Once the dance floor opened up, the fun-loving disposition of the entire wedding party really shone. Everyone was having so much fun dancing their absolute hearts out, and Laney and Daniel broke it down like the true millennials they are and really thrived as the life of the party! The entire wedding partied and danced long into the night, and we closed everything out with the bouquet toss, a dessert bar by Baked with Altitude, and a celebratory champagne spray. The entire day was so fun, lighthearted, and Laney and Daniel were definitely dream clients of mine that also became fast friends!
