Did you know . . .
Sedona has a Booming Bridal Business!
The entire Sedona wedding experience was absolutely flawless -
the weather, ceremony site, hotel and reception accommodations -
and most important, was the "wow" factor . . .
- Stacie Cooper of Hamilton, Ohio
Truth be told, perhaps the best way to appreciate Sedona is to observe it as if through a slowly rotating kaleidoscope. Into view looms a visual feast of carting cloud-scapes and landscapes, all with galaxies of interesting people to match the dazzling scenery - trades people and professionals such as artists, wilderness guides and entrepreneurs; retired tycoons, realtors and preservationists; New Agers, cowboys and Indians - and even a few retired secret agents.
In recent times, a resourceful new profession has mushroomed - one that's still a well-kept secret to many locals, bur that has created an interesting buzz in the travel business: Sedona now ranks in the company of Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Niagara Falls as one of the most desired sites for wedding in the country. Char Beltran, Sedona Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, proclaimed: "As a premier wedding destination, the past several years have seen tremendous growth in this city's popularity, as well as an increase in the products and services it offers. This is so important to Sedona's economic vitality."
Also significant is the fact that numerous Sedonans have found lucrative work from home, thus creating a billowing, wedding-related workforce. Although less than a decade ago Sedona offered a mere handful of fulltime wedding planners, today these experts have their own trade organization, Sedona Wedding Professional Association, with some 70 members - and also in the game is Sedona Chamber of Commerce Tourism Bureau and many freelancers skilled in the ways of weddings. All together, it is this thriving web of workers that has made Sedona a popular wedding destination. We have caterers, photographers, florists, baker, officiants, videographers, musicians and wilderness guides, as well as resorts, balloon companies, hair salons, fine restaurants and many other facilities. In this web, the workers have learned to count on one another and to support each other as planning teams are assembled. It is a collaborative process bolstered by a sense of common purpose: to construct an amazing wedding.
Popular wedding planner Karen Lynn has learned about this economic vitality firsthand. "Fifty people lodging and dining in town for three nights, a jeep tour, a helicopter ride, a massage, horseback riding, plus the rehearsal dinner and the reception, hair salons and makeup - now that's what I call economic impact" she exclaimed.
Understandably, this economic impact is both wide-reaching and rapidly growing. Tuxedo rental magnate Joan LoParco observed: "Every year is busier and better. It's getting so that for weddings with more than 50 people, it is best to book reservations and arrangements a year in advance."
Sedona now ranks in the company of Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Niagara Falls as
one of the most desired sites for weddings in the country.
Obviously, that ironic saying cuts no ice in Sedona. The race is on as prospective newlyweds from all over the world, attracted by elegant magazine layouts and TV programs filmed here, such as "The Bachelorette," rush to make reservations for a year or more in advance. For their money, they receive all the trimmings - glamorous gowns, enchanting reception sites, memorable music, elegant banquets, fine wines and fascinating new friends. What's more, these lovers can choose to be married in a balloon or be dropped by helicopter into a hidden canyon where champagne and silver goblets await. Potential wedding sites are seemingly endless - a fancy resort, Red Rock Crossing, one of Oak Creek's beaches, in a niche canyon on the Mogollon Rim, on the banks of the Verde River, at a 1,500-year-old Indian pueblo, or even in a church.
"Its all about the experience" confided Chris Cooper, an Ohio-based accountant, who married his lovely Stacie in Sedona more than a year ago. Together, they planned their wedding with the help of Pink Jeep Tours. In a telephone interview, Chris recalled that he'd been to Sedona twice before, but it wasn't until he walked into the Pink Jeep office that the idea of a Sedona wedding took shape in his mind. "I love the way Sedona lies near various canyons. All in all, it's a prettier place than the Grand Cayon. Pink Jeep arranged for a ceremony at Chicken Point and suggested that we get the Cowboy Club to cater. Pink Jeep also found us a minister. Everything was perfect - flawless., in fact.
My folks are from Vermont, we live in Ohio, and it was hard to get everybody together, but in the end it was seamless. Jeeps picked us up at the Hilton. We had four jeeps rolling to the remote location, a great ceremony and a great private room at the Cowboy Club. We'll never forget a moment of it - ever."
More and more of the time, it seems that would-be brides and grooms need professional help planning their most exciting day. "It has become a phenomenon unto itself," observed the Rev. Bobbie Moore - possibly Sedona's first wedding professional wedding planner - who has presided over hundreds of weddings during the past 15 years. "Life has become busier, people work longer hours, women have gone on the fast track and people have no time to plan their own weddings."
Similarly Karen Lynn described a phone call she received from a would-be bride who sprinkled her words with sobs: "I need your help! I'm across the country in Boston. I thought I could handle my wedding plans by myself, but I am overwhelmed! There are too many decisions and I'm too far away. Please save my special day."
Karen Lynn, who gets calls like that frequently, recounted: I told her to calm down and assured her everything would be fine and she would have the fairy-tale wedding she always wished for. I let her know the planning would be as stress-free as possible - maybe even fun!"
Sometimes relations between brides and wedding planners become quite friendly and they stay in touch after the great event. Karen Lynn received the following email from one of her former clients, Sara Towse: "I want to thank you again for everything. Your touches made our moment extra special. I was so busy with work. making arrangements for family and planning our honeymoon, that it was so nice to be able to trust you to handle almost all of the wedding plans. The time you spent getting to know me and figuring out what it was that I wanted - to make my wedding what I pictured - was fun. I am so glad I found you."
Old-fashioned, cookie-cutter weddings are fast becoming a thing of the past, according to many workers in the wedding business. The new fad is extravagant productions - shows in the midst of vacations that include weddings with many family members, sometimes with four sets of parents present. These are families who wish to do things together, to get back in touch. Another huge boost to the Sedona wedding boom is the Internet.
"The secret is two key words to be found in search engines, Google and Yahoo. All one has to do is type in 'Sedona weddings,' " reported Robert Emerson, a celebrated videographer. "Business is coming to me because I'm approaching weddings as documentaries that just happen to be weddings. The point is to tell the facts, so I interview the bride, the groom and their friends. For the rest of their lives they have something precious."
Memories of their Sedona wedding are very precious to Californians Kristine Diaz and David Schmillen, who were married in a secret place below Mogollon Rim last May. This is what they said in an interview: "We wanted to marry in the desert. Some people don't 'get' the desert. We do. And we both wanted to do something a little unconventional - and outdoors. So we looked everywhere for the perfect spot to get married, including Mexico, New Mexico and California. Literally, the priority for us was wher we stand adn what we would see when we took our vows.
We should have visited Sedona first because when we arrived, we knew this was the ideal place. The ceremony? I can't describe it, and words can't do it justice. But I can tell you that my mother originally wanted me to get married in a church. I objected, and I don't think my mother understood why until the wedding ceremony. That day, that spot, that moment - it was all perfect. That day, you could look toward the horizon and see God."
All photos on this website are from actual Sedona Weddings.
Sedona Wedding Planner - P.O. Box 4061 - Sedona, AZ 86340
©2004-2009 Sedona Wedding Planner, All Rights Reserved