Arizona Wedding Photographer – Ryan & Heather

Posted By Chris Wilson on Jun 23, 2011 | 2 comments

When I first met Heather I was waiting for a Bride at Balboa Park in San Diego, CA.  We had arrived a little early and were soaking up the cool southern California weather when I got a call from a Nebraska phone number.  I had to answer because anyone from Nebraska who was calling me just had to be cool!  Maybe I’d won the publisher’s clearing house and they were at my door while I was away?  I was on the edge of my seat.  When I answered the phone I was greeted by a very pleasant voice and she introduced herself as Heather.  Little did I know that this singular phone call would then become a life changing experience.  Come to find out.. she and I actually had graduated from high school near the same time and were both from the White Mountains.  We were “country folks” and we had so much fun talking about her home town… Pinetop, AZ.   We chatted a little about her big day and then made an appointment to go over all the details… the rest, as they say, is history!

Ryan and Heather have been in Nebraska for some time but they were headed back to AZ for the holidays and wanted to do some engagement photos.  I thought I would try to get them to do a shoot with a bunch of old farm equipment and after some coaxing they agreed it would be a fun idea.  It was a COLD day (yes, we have those in Phoenix) and I remember how well they both did, you would never have guessed they had read cheeks and frozen hands by the end of their session (See it HERE).  After looking through their photos I was SO excited for the wedding.  These two not only blew me away, they did it with such ease and their personalities shown through with such vibrancy that it is still an engagement shoot I look at all the time when I need inspiration.  I wondered what the wedding would bring?!

When I arrived, I had the opportunity to shoot Heather’s sister’s engagements with her fiance Michael (see it here) at 7 AM the next day.  This was already turning out to be an extraordinary wedding because I felt like we had a rare chance to get to know so many of the friends and family members as we worked with them and had fun in the days leading up to the wedding.  My wife was away at girls camp when I arrived at the Whispering Pines Resort nestled next to highway 260 in Pinetop.   So while I was relaxing in my quaint private cabin she was out “roughing” it with the girls from our church.  Boy, I felt guilty, but she’d be joining me on Saturday morning before the wedding, so I set off to make Kellen and Michael’s slideshow while taking in the pine air on the porch of the main lodge (that’s where I could get some WiFi). See it here.  Paul and Linda were great hosts and I would recommend Whispering Pines to anyone who wants to get away from it all but still be close enough to civilization to get a sandwich or watch a movie.  Their new set up for weddings was superb… you’ll see the shots below.

Heather and Ryan’s wedding was so fun and elegant, set in the Ponderosa Pines of the White Mountains and their family church just a few miles down the road.  My wife and I had such a great time and we escaped the smoke from the forrest fire just in time… it didn’t even roll in until the next day…whew!  I had to laugh when people would describe how to arrive at the various locations for the rehearsal dinner and chapel. “Well, it’s just past this old barn, then you curve to the right and make another right….”  It felt like home!

This wedding was life changing for me because it was the first time my photography would be the only way for a mother to experience the wedding of her son.  Ryan’s mother could not be at the wedding for health concerns and when I discovered this, it gave a whole new meaning to the story I was about to tell.  I wanted her to feel as if she had really been there, laughing and crying with all of the guests.  So this blog post goes out to you Mrs. Knight.  I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed creating them for you!

My personal favorite part of the entire day was Heather and Ryan’s first look.  Heather had gotten ready in the resort’s Victorian home and the setting was just perfect.  The shots leading up to it were priceless as everyone helped Heather into her gorgeous wedding gown.  The moment that stands out in my mind was when Ryan first got a look at Heather and the only thing he could say was “Wow” over and over.  They were so cute as they hugged and he spun her around to get a look at her hair and dress.  It’s at those moments I wish I would have had someone there to capture the instant when I saw my wife for the first time.  You two were so cute together!

During the reception, Ryan and Heather had decided to opt out of throwing the bouquet and instituted a new tradition.  Instead of throwing it to single ladies ready and willing to pounce on each other at the shot of catching the coveted stick of flowers, they had an anniversary dance.  At the end of the dance, they presented the bouquet to the couple who had been married the longest.  The look on the face of the couple is priceless…they had no idea it was coming!

This wedding was, by far, the most entertaining I’ve been to in quite awhile.  Between the ASU fans and Nebraska fans talking trash to each other and the miniature brawl that broke out during the scavenger hunt, I had so much fun watching everyone as they enjoyed what would be a totally unique and memorable evening.  Check out the last few photos at the bottom of the post.  Yes, that’s Kellen, the Bride’s sister taking down her new Brother-in-Law.  Priceless!

Congrats to Heather and Ryan.  From my wife and I, we wish you the very best and can’t wait to see you again in a few months!

I had to put in this close up of the image a few lines above - so funny!