A Rustic Desert Wedding at the Stardance Event Center in Tucson, Arizona

Kyle Meehan (30 and a family medicine physician) and Niall Murphy (32 and in marketing) used to practice field hockey and go to dances together in high school, but parted ways once Niall joined the U.S. Men’s National Field Hockey Team and Kyle moved to Virginia for college. Kyle loves to write letters, so she and Niall kept in touch by writing each other for years before reconnecting in person once she moved back to Connecticut to prepare for medical school. Niall asked Kyle to go on a hike in the New England woods, and several months later, during a break from medical school applications, she accepted. After an entire evening of conversation and laughter, Kyle promised never to take so long to say yes to a date with Niall again. Niall proposed in San Francisco by bringing Kyle to a beach overlook where he surprised her with a giant mural in the sand—an original work of art designed specially for Kyle. The first time Kyle and Niall visited Sanctuary Cove together, they knew it was where they wanted to get married someday. Years later, they made that dream come true, and had their ceremony in the intimate outdoor amphitheater surrounded by the desert landscape. To show off the rustic beauty of the area, the reception took place across the dirt road at Stardance Event Center, which offered a panoramic view of the Santa Catalina mountain range. Kyle and Niall’s Arizona wedding was a destination for many, so in order to spend the most time with their guests and allow them to interact with one another, the couple organized a New Year’s Eve party, a New Year’s Day hike and a trip with 50 guests to the National Observatory at Kitt Peak.