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Troon North Wedding Photography: Derek + Alicia

March 5, 2014

Derek and Alicia are some of our favorites… we may or may not say that about every couple we get to work with but seriously, Derek and Alicia are family now. Emily Jade and Alicia developed an amazing relationship as soon as they met and we immediately knew this wedding was going to be special. Not only were we excited to share in their joy, but this wedding was special to my wife as she took a 3 1/2 month break from shooting weddings to finish out her pregnancy with Rocky, give birth, and then give him extra care during that time. Derek + Alicia’s wedding was her first wedding back in several months and we knew this marked the start of a new season of our lives. A new normalcy. All exciting things. Whether or not my wife was ready to be back to work (which she was!), she could not miss out on Alicia’s wedding! Over the last year I cannot even count the number of times I have seen Emily texting and asked her who it was, only to see her beaming face look up and show me a picture of Alicia in the wedding gown she had chosen, or Alicia’s new shoes, or the way Alicia planned to wear her hair on her wedding day. Those of you who know my wife know that she was probably destined to be a wedding planner but got pulled into an awesome photography business with me (wink wink!) so all things “wedding” excite her to the core. We love brides who are willing to share every aspect of their wedding day with us (not just the photography stuff), so Alicia holds a very special place in our lives. Not to mention the way she adores Derek. Everything he does and says… she just smiles. She managed to find the most patient, the most loving, and just about the coolest guy around to marry. We love Derek and we especially love how he loves Alicia. I don’t know if I have every seen two personalities compliment each other the way Derek + Alicia’s do. They were definitely made for each other…

After reading all that you may be thinking that you are about to view the most perfect wedding day story ever… hang on tight as you scroll through this story! I guarantee you will be surprised, emotional, and overwhelmed with joy all at the same time. Enjoy! 😉
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We were beyond excited about how beautiful the clear tent looked for their ceremony!  It was gorgeous, and so unique for a Troon North wedding.  None of us knew that the ceremony was NOT going to happen here so we took detail shots like normal.
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I was standing right outside the tent with Rev. Lee talking about the weather when we looked up to see THIS.  I kid you not, I have never seen a storm look like this in the Phoenix valley; it was a violent looking thundercloud that was visibly rotating at a rapid pace.  I was mesmerized!  I had to get a better look so I climbed up on a huge boulder and captured all these shots.
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Then, all of a sudden, the storm started rushing down the mountain with amazing speed.  Weather reports said there were gusts up to 60 mph.  And another thing was dreadfully obvious to me at that moment; it was heading straight for us.  I jumped off the boulder and ran towards the building as it started pouring rain.  I quickly headed to the reception room just in time to see the storm blow over all the space heaters and high tops on the patio.  Then came the hail!  I ran to where the golf caddies were huddled under the building as they talked about how the wedding would most certainly be canceled and I piped in and said that was NOT the case. No one needed a rumor like that spreading.  Then I heard the unthinkable… one of the caddies came over and told all of us that the tent was ripped in half and was completely destroyed.  That was the worst news that could have hit me at that moment and I was crushed for Derek and Alicia. (Unfortunately, I did not get a photo of the tent after the storm.)
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The storm went as fast as it came.  In a matter of minutes, the rain had stopped and Alicia, being the AMAZING bride that she is, was out looking for a new place to have their ceremony. She did not seem phased by the destruction and a smile never left her face. She knew what was most important that day and that was marrying the love of her life… whether they said their vows under a gorgeous tent or in the parking lot. We, along with Ania and Molly from Troon (who are both BEYOND INCREDIBLE!), came up with a new plan to have the ceremony under the covering of the front of the building where the valet station was; it was not their beautiful tent and for that I was sad because of all the work they put into their wedding day, but I could not help but feel the excitement as everyone came together to make it happen for Derek and Alicia.  It was amazing how supportive all their friends and family were and I don’t know how their wedding would have gone without everyone having a good attitude and the staff at Troon making the transition in record time!
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My wife snapped this of me and the Troon ladies setting up the new ceremony spot as fast as we could!
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This is Ania, the coordinator at Troon. She is the one responsible for making sure their day went as perfect as it did. 🙂 She could not have been more fantastic to work with. I also want to give a HUGE kudos to Ania and the Troon staff who, without hesitation, opened the bar up for all 200 guests for the rest of the evening free of charge. Only a seriously quality venue would think to be so accommodating!
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To Derek and Alicia, we would not have asked for your day to be any different. As Alicia said before we left for the night, the entire day made their wedding so unique and she wouldn’t have changed a thing. We love you both and wish you all the blessings that come with a marriage built on friendship, as yours truly is. You are both so inspiring and we couldn’t be happier for you! 🙂
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A BIG thank you to all the vendors who made this day so perfect!

VENUE: TROON NORTH// COORDINATOR: ANIA ZWOLINSKI with TROON NORTH// OFFICIANT: REVEREND MICHAEL LEE// PHOTOBOOTH: Fun In A Flash// FLORIST: FLOWERS BY JODI// DJ: DESERT HOUSE PRODUCTIONS// CAKE: PIECE OF CAKE// LINENS: SOUTHWICK LINENS// MAKEUP: MAKEUP BY AMANDA// HAIR: RUCA WITH HATTIE ROUGE//

comments +

  1. Holy smokes you guys!!! WAY TO GO! This wedding was fabulous and you photographed it flawlessly!!! Way to serve your clients! 🙂

    • Andrew says:

      Thank you Jennifer! It was a crazy wedding for sure and we LOVED every minute of it… well, maybe not the minute we found out the tent had ripped in half, but other than that 🙂

  2. Jackie Lamas says:

    we don’t get many storms like that in california where i’m originally from (now living in mexico)! and what is truly great about this wedding, aside from your amazing photos!, is that they made it work and were happy. and the fact that something unusual happened just makes it that much more memorable. amazing wedding!

  3. Wow!! Absolutely amazing and stunning photos!!! Even with all the craziness you did an amazing job!!

  4. Brenda Visser says:

    The photos are stunning! What an incredibly beautiful wedding – so fitting for the couple who are wonderful!

  5. Shannon Bunton says:

    Wow had I not have seen the photos of the storm I would have assumed this was the perfect day. Im so happy to hear the wedding continued despite the tent being torn. And WOW is all I cam say about the photos spectacular job!!!

  6. Jennifer Eileen Lacey says:

    Absolutely stunning work.

  7. Ashley Durance says:

    Wow, incredible photos! Well done under such pressure!

  8. Minde Burton says:

    BREATH TAKING… everything was beautiful! all the photos were perfect… and it looked like everybody was having a good time 🙂

  9. Jenn Tessier Berelowitz says:

    Captured to perfection.

  10. Sergey Shirinkin says:

    Amazing Photos! Thanks You!
    My blog “How to Make Unique Wedding” http://www.allamade.com/make-your-wedding-unique/.

  11. Amy Demos says:

    You guys handled these crazy conditions like champs! So proud of you guys! You totally rocked it out!

  12. Candice Gregory says:

    Beautiful ♡

  13. Natalie Lester says:

    Flawless!

  14. Peggy Laymond Powers says:

    Just beautiful!

  15. Wedding Belles Bridal Boutique says:

    I adore Alicia! A beautiful bride with an even more beautiful spirit! xoxo

  16. Linda Geringer says:

    Thanks for sharing your wedding pictures with me, We hope your life is as beautiful as these pictures are. We are thrilled for you both!

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