Arizona Elopement | Jenna and Paul

We’ve had the honor of knowing Jenna since she was in a Sunday School class Wil used to teach. We photographed her senior portraits, and her and Paul’s college graduation portraits. We’ve been so lucky to know her and now to photograph her wedding at The Scott Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“I don’t even know how I picked my dress. It just happened, it wasn’t even the vision I had in mind but when I tried it on I was like ohhh yeah this is it. It’s really unique which is something important to me because I don’t want to look back and think my dress was just a popular trend that is out of style. I think that’s what made me decide to do something simple and classic instead of what everyone is doing right now. My dress is also cool because it’s separate pieces so I could wear them again in a different way which I like, instead of having a dress I will never wear again.”  

“Paul’s suit is also pretty classic but the color is more unique. We decided to go with a blueish grey but dark enough to contrast against the red rocks. We debated if he should wear a tie because we don’t want it to be super fancy, and like I said the vibes are pretty laid back. We wanted to look casual but not too casual and I think we nailed it.”

“Every time I think about our wedding day, I start at the beginning. I picture myself getting ready and trying to play it cool while being so nervous for all the attention that’s going to be on me. I’m going to try to soak it all in, because I know it’s going to be gone in the blink of an eye. Then I fast forward to walking down the aisle which I’m so sure I will think I’m walking slowly but I’ll really be sprinting down to get to Paul.”

“So I have always wanted a destination wedding, and a small one. Paul has never wanted either of those things, but once Covid came around he warmed up to the idea of an elopement style wedding. And so the journey began of me obsessively looking at different locations, resorts, experiences, etc. We both love tropical destinations, but we also both love mountains and cooler weather. At first I was pretty convinced I wanted a beach or waterfront location but as I continued my search I found some breathtaking views in the California/ Arizona area. So once I had found a few different resorts I decided to start showing Paul to get his input on the places. The VERY first resort I show him is called The Scott Resort in Scottsdale. He looks at it for a minute, and asks what the address is. I’m like, I don’t know? So we scroll to the bottom and he said to me “I work with this resort! My company just loaned them millions of dollars for a renovation!” (He works for a commercial real estate company) We both knew right then and there that if that wasn’t fate, nothing was. I mean seriously I had looked at upwards of 50 places and the one place I show him is a place he works with. We didn’t even bother looking at the rest of my list. That was the one.“

“Going up into the red rocks for portraits is something I know we will never forget. I can’t freaking wait to take in the amazing views with my brand new husband“