wedding and reception venues
By Charlotte McCluskey
Arizona is graced with a bounty of stunning sites for weddings. The state’s five unique climate zones, each magnificently decorated by nature, provide unparalleled natural settings that uplift the spirit and calm the soul. Many of the areas, like Sedona in the north, and Tucson and Tubac in the south, provide four-season options for amazing outdoor celebrations.
Once your wedding party arrives at L'Auberge de Sedona, for example, they may never want to leave. A quick visit to their website's photo gallery and you can almost hear the water of Oak Creek, and smell the scent of the lush gardens under the shady canopy of hundred-year old Sycamore trees. Privacy by design is evident in the placement of the individual cottages, suites and lodge accommodations, each room offering an inviting outdoor patio or balcony that celebrates the location. L'Auberge wedding and reception sites are framed by Sedona's red rock grandeur or the cool lushness of manicured lawns next to the flowing Oak Creek. On-site spa services are available, and the wedding concierge services coordinated by the resort’s Certified Wedding Specialist put your every wish at your fingertips. Yoga classes at dawn, professional star-gazing at night, and world class receptions for groups or intimate meals for two are but a few of the opportunities to experience the extraordinary service that distinguishes L'Auberge.
The selection of L'Auberge for your destination wedding puts guests within day-trip distance to the Grand Canyon, fabled gold and silver mining boomtowns, prehistoric Native American cliff dwellings and hundreds of miles of walking and hiking trails through the world famous red rock country. Just steps from the resort, the quaint town of Sedona is known for its four-season moderate climate, world-class shopping, scenery, golf, wine tasting and recreational options for all ages, including hot air balloon or helicopter rides over the red rock country. But many guests never find a reason to leave the resort...secluded spaces calm the spirit for those contemplative times, and gathering places, both indoors and out, add memories that last a lifetime to the sharing of your special day.
Few resorts in the world have been recognized for their excellent service, setting and amenities more often than L'Auberge de Sedona. Conde Nast Traveler has awarded this romantic destination its Gold List designation for decades. Travel + Leisure named L'Auberge to its "World's Best" Hotels in 2011, and the creekside L'Auberge Restaurant has received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 19 years in a row. But it might be the Arizona Republic's selection of L'Auberge as "The most romantic hotel in Arizona" that signifies why so many couples choose this iconic Sedona resort for their destination wedding to share with those they hold in their hearts.
Many times couples choose destination wedding sites because the natural beauty of the area appeals to the senses and sets the mood. Dancing Apache Lodge in Page Springs is the kind of location that delights all the senses. Lush vineyards, towering trees and sweeping grassy meadows surround the family-friendly lodge. The calm pond and stream set the mood for an intimate ceremony, and the vineyards provide a lush backdrop for the seating area that can accommodate as many as 300 guests.
The contemporary log lodge is the perfect accommodation for the bridal party, with 4,000-square-feet of roomy hospitality, and sleeping space for 15. The wrap-around veranda, game rooms and comfortable living spaces provide plenty of opportunities to visit with each of the special people who have come to share your wedding experience. Whether you plan an intimate ceremony, or a reception for as many as 300, your wedding party will have exclusive use of the entire property, ensuring total privacy. Nearby guest accommodations in Sedona and Cottonwood range from 5-star to moderate, and the surrounding area, sometimes known as "NapaZona," is home to more than a dozen scenic vineyards. The weather in the area is dependably sunny during the day and cool in the twilight and evening, making it the perfect outdoor venue for a destination wedding experience.
Historic Locations Add Timeless Quality to Weddings
When you cross under the arches into the Tubac Golf Resort, you enter a private world of unpretentious luxury. Nestled on 500 acres in the lush grasslands of Southern Arizona, Tubac attracted settlement by the Spanish in the 1700s, and it has retained the elegance of the early Andalusian influence. A thoughtful blend of historic and modern, Tubac Golf Resort courses are famous for their lush fairways with scenic views from each hole. The Spa invites relaxation with a stunning stone and copper water feature and soothing scents. Cobblestone courtyards connect historic buildings of handmade brick and adobe, creating indoor and outdoor entertaining space for gatherings large and small.
The lush green of Tubac Resort's golf courses surrounds the Hacienda, Casita and Posada guest accommodations. The scent of the lush gardens borne on the year-round light breeze, makes this jewel of Arizona's Sonoran Desert feel like the storied Posadas of Spain and Portugal. The Mission-style Wedding Chapel will seat 225 guests in air-conditioned comfort, with well-appointed preparation rooms for the bride and groom. Reception options abound for both formal and informal celebrations under the stars, on the grassy banks of the lake, or dancing the night away in the spacious ballroom.
Like many great destination wedding choices, Tubac Golf Resort & Spa is close enough to Phoenix and Tucson to be easily accessible. The resort is an oasis of quiet and serenity... not a whisper of traffic noise. The experienced Tubac Resort staff and Certified Wedding Specialist anticipate the needs of wedding parties, providing a relaxing, elegant and intimate start to the story of your life together.
The destination wedding experience at the Arizona Inn in Tucson lets you and your entire wedding party totally escape the everyday world for a brief time. This historic resort is both refined and relaxed. The private compound covers 14 secluded acres, so it is easy to forget you are minutes from an international airport in the heart of one of the Southwest’s major cities. Each of the dozens of garden areas is more colorful and fragrant than the next. Outdoor ceremony sites have wide lawns, fountains and brick terraces in the European estate tradition. The reception areas surrounding the pool are beautifully landscaped and soothing, a far cry from the noisy, brash splash parks in so many resorts. The casita-style rooms are furnished with elegant antiques, and have restful outdoor patios for relaxing and enjoying an evening breeze. The indoor and outdoor common spaces...formal library, elegant reading and sitting spaces... are truly representative of the finest in world-class resort elegance.
The graciousness at the Arizona Inn yields an impressive following of returning guests, and it is that dedication to detail that underlies the resort’s delight in hosting destination weddings. Hosted tea service each afternoon is an absolute joy. Croquet and other lawn and table games give guests of all ages the opportunity to share a special intimacy that will define your wedding celebration. Four-star dining is the standard fare, but the Chef takes weddings to a whole new level. Intimate cocktails can be hosted on your private patio, and receptions for groups as large as 150 are elegantly staged in a garden or vintage dining room.
Arizona Golf Destinations are Perfect Wedding Sites
`
The Clubhouse at Tonto Verde, located in Rio Verde, is a wedding destination that celebrates the best of the Sonoran Desert foothills. Every glance takes in a stunning view of the Mazatzal Mountains, and it is evident why the lush green valleys of the Lower Verde River have been home to Native American communities for thousands of years. The natural beauty of Tonto Verde uplifts the spirit. The glassy surface of still water reflects the startling blue sky over-arching the wedding sites. A Tonto Verde wedding has the sense of freedom and outdoor majesty that is the key element of stunning weddings in Arizona. Tonto Verde is in all ways scenically stunning; quietly elegant but never pretentious.
The floor-to-ceiling windows of the contemporary-styled Clubhouse bring the airy views inside as you share your wedding celebration with those you hold most dear. Native stone and copper architectural highlights echo the rugged mountains gracing every view from within the Clubhouse. Offering everything from brunch to luncheons to custom-designed dinner and reception menus, the experienced staff at Tonto Verde strives to anticipate your needs and takes joy in implementing your heart's desire. Golf-themed mini-tournaments are a specialty, and the course has an 18-hole professional putting course available for sharing time together with golfers and "wannabees" of all ages. Just 40 minutes from Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport, Tonto Verde provides easy access from across the globe or across town, yet it has a total sense of seclusion and privacy that is essential to the selection of a destination wedding venue. Accommodations, spa facilities and salon services for the bridal party are available and lodging for groups up to 150 is a convenient 15 minute drive away in nearby Fountain Hills. Limousine service is readily available.
Weddings are one of the most joyous events in the life of a couple and those they hold dear. Thoughtful planning for an intimate destination wedding brings those who have helped shape who you are as individuals together to share the beginning of who you will become as a couple.
