Sarah + Steve’s reception at Desert Mountain has officially won my heart. The newlyweds chose to play up the natural Arizona vibe with shades of burnt orange, rustic florals and warm lighting. The desert theme was brought over the the couple’s wedding cake, which was topped with succulent plants and embellished with their initials. The two chose to keep the cake small, like their wedding, so that they could include fun mini desserts (Emily approves). We even spotted some mini creme brulee tarts (I definitely approve)! Guests celebrated into the night and were treated to a farewell brunch before heading home. Thank you again to Sarah Rhoads Photographers for sharing this desert beauty with us!

See all the photos from Sarah + Steve’s wedding in their Real Wedding Gallery!

What Southern details or traditions did you include in your celebration? What was Southern about your wedding? The night before the wedding, after rehearsal dinner, we had a big party at the Buffalo Chip Saloon, which is an authentic Western saloon in Cave Creek, Arizona with live music, dancing and live bull riding!
Describe your wedding flowers: The flowers were very natural. They were a mix of succulents and florals in shades of burnt orange, eggplant and greens, with pops of yellow. My mom helped a lot with the flowers since she lives in Arizona and I absolutely loved how they turned out. They went with the rustic Arizona vibe of the wedding perfectly.
Describe your wedding cake: We had a three-tiered square cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, decorated by the florist with succulents to match the rest of the floral arrangements. We had a smaller wedding cake so that we could do lots of other fun “mini” desserts as well.
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome while planning your wedding? Keeping it small. It was important to me to keep the wedding small and intimate, which proved to be a lot harder than you would imagine!
What range did your wedding budget fall into? $25,000 – $50,000
What is the one thing you are most happy you splurged on? The invitations. I absolutely loved how they turned out and felt like they set the stage for our wedding weekend celebration.
What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day? My grandfather’s impromptu speech during the reception (after winning the “anniversary dance” with my grandmother) on the secrets to a lasting marriage.

Photographer: Sarah Rhoads Photographers // Venue: Desert Mountain // Florist: Table Tops Etc. // Wedding Cake Baker: Desert Mountain // Caterer: Desert Mountain // Paper Products: Celebrations In Paper // Bride’s Dress: Vera Wang // Bride’s Hair Accessories/Veil: Marcella’s La Boutique // Bride’s Shoes: BHLDN // Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J. Crew