Gaby & Balti | Arizona Engagement & Wedding
Gaby and Balti booked me in the springtime to be both their engagement and wedding photographer. Gaby had a crystal clear vision for her wedding day as soon as we started talking, and we worked to include as many of those elements into their engagement session as possible. This way, not only are your photos aesthetically cohesive but there are symbols of you and your fiancee’s personalities and relationship throughout both sessions.
The couple booked a wedding venue at a vineyard in Cottonwood, AZ that provided loads of beautiful desert views, rustic details, and nature elements, and Gaby knew she wanted a similar look for her and Balti’s engagement session. We decided on the Pagespring Cellars in Cornville, AZ in order to match the rustic winery vibes. I met the couple there on a gorgeous spring day and they brought their pups along, as animals aren’t allowed at their wedding venue but they still wanted their furry friends included in the festivities and immortalized as an important part of their relationship. Gaby also wanted to incorporate the wedding’s color palette into the engagement shoot, so the couple made sure to wear outfits (and dress their pups in harnesses) that complimented the colors they had planned for their wedding. As I recommended in my guide to bringing your dog to your photoshoot, the couple brought a friend with them to the engagement session that could hang out with the dogs and keep an eye on them during any portions of the shoot that they weren’t in.
The engagement session was a fantastic way for me to get to know Gaby and Balti before the day of the wedding, so I could get a better understanding of what they were like as people, their love story, and anything specific they were looking for in terms of photo coverage for their big day.
We started out at the creek-side portion of the property in order to get some shots of the couple splashing around in the water, having a fun time enjoying each other’s company, and some family photos of them with their dogs.
We then headed back up towards the vineyard area so we could incorporate some of the beautiful grapevines and natural elements that the location had to offer and that mirrored the ones that would be present at their wedding venue. Finally, we moved away from the more nature-y portions of the location and took some shots towards the front of the property where there were more buildings and architecture.
Six months later, in October, was the day of Gaby and Balti’s wedding. I met with them a few more times after the engagement session to really just nail down the logistics of the plan of action, and by the time the big day rolled around the couple was looking forwards to a wedding full of intention and truly heartfelt, sentimental details.
While Gaby was getting ready on location, I met Balti at the hotel where he was getting ready with his groomsmen and family. Gaby had arranged for a Chevy Impala to pick up Balti from the hotel to take him to the venue as a surprise. Balti had lost his grandfather in the time leading up to the wedding, as he was a huge part of Balti’s life as well as the person that ignited his passion for classic cars, as Balti’s grandfather had taken him for drives in his Impala when he was younger. She also made sure it was stocked with Coca-Cola and peanuts, Balti and his grandfather’s snack of choice on their drives. This is a perfect example of the highly emotional, personal details of Gaby and Balti’s wedding day that they put so much effort and intention into planning.
Following Balti’s departure to the hotel, I met Gaby at the venue where she was getting ready with her parents and siblings. We took some sweet getting-ready photos while we waited for everyone to get ready for the first look. Gaby and Balti wanted to have a private, intimate first look that included the reading of vows to one another, rather than doing it during the ceremony itself. We utilized the gorgeously decorated ceremony location for the first look since the guests were yet to arrive. It was an emotional and tear-filled moment that really showed me that this couple was best friends who were not only meant to be but so deeply in love and committed to one another.
After this, the ceremony commenced as the guests filed into the area and the wedding party lined up in their designated positions. Gaby’s sisters officiated the wedding together, and though it was my first time ever seeing a ceremony officiated by multiple people it went beautifully, and I thought the way her sisters split up the duties of the officiant was so well done. Gaby’s father walked her down the aisle- another emotional moment- and the couple had a wedding lasso placed around them at the start of the ceremony. This is a Catholic tradition where an infinity-symbol-shaped rope or cord is placed over the shoulders of the bride and groom. This is usually done by the officiant or a couple that the bride and groom look up to or see as a role model in marriage, and represents “their everlasting union and status as one in the eyes of the Lord.” After this came the ring exchange and then their first kiss as husband and wife! The couple was greeted afterward by a huge group of family and friends that couldn’t wait to congratulate and love on them, and then made their way to the spot where they would take group photos, which consisted of lots of different combinations of the wedding party, friends, and extended family.
The sweetheart session came next, and Balti, Gaby, and I used a golf cart provided by the venue to get to a few different locations around the property. Photos with the classic car were up first of course, as the couple wanted to remember that adorable and unique part of their wedding day. We then moved on to the vineyards themselves, though we only got a few shots as the thorns on the vines weren’t very kind to us and we didn’t want to risk Gaby’s gorgeous dress getting ripped up. After that, we went down to the vineyard’s cellars and were able to take a look at all the aged wine casks and capture some fun, moody shots of the couple down there.
Once we were all done exploring the venue and getting those final sweetheart shots, we rejoined the party. It was a perfect, warm spring evening and the sunset over the vineyard was breathtaking. I got some awesome candid shots of the bride and groom socializing during the cocktail hour, as well as some special ones of the couple with each respective table of guests which was a great way to have a photo with every single person at the wedding without having to worry about wrangling anyone up.
Dinner was followed by the first dance, another fun but emotional moment where the couple’s closest friends and family were able to witness Balti and Gaby having a sweet, intimate moment as husband and wife. The dance floor opened up after this, and the night exploded into celebration and utter elation. Everyone from grandparents to little kids was dancing and letting loose, and it was a wild but joyful moment for everyone present. I loved seeing Gaby and Balti being showered in so much love and happiness, and it was well-deserved being the complete sweethearts that they are.
The rest of the night was spent dancing, drinking, and laughing the night away. Speeches were made by the best man and Gaby’s sisters, and the party was closed-out with a celebratory champagne spray. I gave Balti a bottle of bubbly to spray, and we backlit the photos as he sprayed it over the guests like crazy and even poured it into a few people’s mouths. This was one moment where I was especially grateful we had an opportunity to do an engagement session months before: with all of the “getting to know each other” out of the way, Gaby and Balti had no hesitation letting their personalities shine on their wedding day and I was able to get so many amazing shots that really just radiate with the couple’s warm, giving, loving energy to immortalize their picture-perfect wedding day.
