A Rustic, Southwestern Wedding at The Carefree Resort in Carefree, Arizona

Alison Gaedke (30 and teacher) Matthew Christian’s (28 and an engineer) wedding was all about simple elegance with a Southwestern flair. Knowing many of their guests would be coming from out-of-state for the event, the couple set out to find a venue that truly captured the essence of Arizona’s landscape. They found it at The Carefree Resort in Carefree, Ariz., the acres of cacti, desert vegetation and warm earth tones offering a beautiful backdrop for the day’s events. The day kicked off with an outdoor ceremony under the shining Arizona sun, followed by a cocktail hour and reception in The Carefree Resort’s Opera House. “Most of the style decisions were made based off the venue, keeping in harmony with the rustic natural landscape of the resort,” says Alison. Playing up the classic Santa Fe-style architecture of the Opera House, Alison and Matthew went rustic with their centerpieces, using vintage wooden trays and crates to display Mason jars and antique tins filled with fresh bunches of pale pink tea roses, baby’s breath and wispy branches. To surprise their guests, as well as gain a little confidence for their first dance, Alison and Matthew took Arizona two-step lessons in the months leading up to the wedding. When it was time to hit the dance floor, they wowed everyone with their newly acquired moves. “Some of our favorite moments from the evening were out on the dance floor and we even ended up teaching our guests some of our two-step moves,” says Alison. Other personal touches included playful illustrated programs, live acoustic sets for the ceremony and cocktail hour, a heritage table, as well as Alison’s aunt bringing in cheese curds all the way from Wisconsin, Alison’s home state, to serve up during cocktail hour. A tip for the taking from Alison: “Luckily I started the morning off telling myself that nothing else mattered except actually getting married. Even if things didn't turn out perfect, it was still going to be the best day of my life. Well, my morning started off with my hairdresser having a family emergency and nobody available to take her place. Luckily for me, one of my best friends just happened to be a talented hairdresser and she graciously stepped in to create my wedding updo. My mother fell while taking care of wedding details, nearly breaking her wrist and nose. She put on a brave face and skipped the trip to the ER. Reassured by my mother and sister that all was well, I did my best to keep my cool and just enjoy every moment of the day.”