Phoenix Desert Engagement Session

When you’re flying all your wedding guests in from Illinois to see the desert for the first time, you may as well give them a little sneak peek of the beauty to come in your Save The Dates. This is exactly why these soon-to-be newlyweds decided the Desert Botanical Gardens was the perfect location for their engagement session and I am so thrilled with their decision!

You see, this moment has been a long time coming for Amanda and Brandon who met in high school over a decade ago. Living in Illinois, they often found themselves at the same parties and hanging out with mutual friends, so it was only a matter of time until they recognized a spark between them. After they graduated high school, they started dating and moved to Arizona for Brandon’s job as a jr. high science teacher.

When they arrived here in the valley, they immersed themselves in all things Arizona –including the rising food scene which their wedding guests will get to enjoy as they’re bringing a taste of Arizona to their wedding with local eats – but also in the landscape. They fell in love with Desert Botanical Gardens and during our session, they were able to tell me all about the history and even show me where the oldest cactus in the whole gardens were!

On December 22, 2018, they were packing up their bags to travel home for Christmas and Brandon decided he just couldn’t wait any longer. He got down on his knee in their bedroom and told Amanda that he wanted to go back home as an engaged couple. She said yes and they made it official with a gorgeous diamond ring.

When I asked Amanda & Brandon what they were most excited about for their wedding, they were brimming with excitement to tell me that most of their guests have never seen anything like Arizona before. The desert and mountains we have here are different than anywhere else and they can’t wait for the experience each guest will have. What thoughtful hosts, right?!

Amanda and Brandon, I’m so excited for you to be back here at the DBG in just a few months, wearing white and celebrating your marriage! It will be an incredible day surrounded by family and friends and I know it will be everything you’ve been dreaming of!