Destination Wedding Videos

Nesli+JR // Villa Siena

9/10/2024

Gilbert Arizona. The location for today's wedding. My day started down the street from the venue at an amazing VRBO built for entertainment equipped with a pool, outdoor kitchen, and full-scale arcade. As I walked onto the property, I was greeted with a member of the bridal party who showed me inside and directed me to where our bride, Nesli, was getting ready. After a formal introduction, Nesli directed me to her detail setup, and my work began. I grabbed some shots of the invitations and rings before moving onto rearranging the room for the dress shots. In the other room, Nesli and her bridal party were busy practicing a line dance they would later perform in the reception. I love capturing these organic moments. Nesli had planned to move over to the bridal suite at the venue to put her dress on, so I wrapped up my coverage and moved over to the venue. As I walked through the gates at Villa Siena, I was instantly transported to the Italian country side. No detail was spared in the theming process of the property. You will see classical elements such as rounded arches, classical columns, acanthus leaves, colonnades, and symmetrical composition throughout the spaces of the property. Nesli soon arrived, and so did our photography sister duo led by Laci Windgate. These two were so much fun to work with, I would definitely recommend considering them for your big day. Nesli began to get ready with her mom, Susan, handling the buttoning of the dress, and there were a lot of buttons. This, of course, is great for me. It gives me plenty of time to build a complete scene. Both Susan and Nesli were so much fun to work with through these moments, taking a very lighthearted approach to what can be a stressful process. Once ready, we ushered the bridal party into the suite for a reveal. I always love first looks in any form. Down the hall, our groom, JR, had arrived and was ready for his getting-ready process. With the help of his comic relief/best men, we got JR into his wedding attire and ushered him out to the front of the property for the first look with Nesli. The gates to Villa Siena served as the perfect backdrop as the two shared their first glances at their wedding attire and soaked in the magnitude of the moment. We snapped some pictures of the couple and their wedding party before hiding everyone away in anticipation of the guests arrival. The ceremony was to take place in the courtyard in the middle of the property, so I made my way over to get some last-minute detail shots. Enchanted Meadow's had transformed the space with flowers while we were taking portraits out front. Guests soon started to trickle in and take their seats as me and Laci set up at the front of the aisle. One by one, the bridal party made their way down the aisle, including the flower girls, who decided to put their own "spin" on the moment. Everyone then rose to their feet as our bride entered the courtyard and made her way down the aisle. Their ceremony went off without a hitch, and the two shared their personal vows, I do's, rings, and a kiss. The reception kicked off with a grand entrance, followed by the couple's first dance. The couple added a bit of extra flair to your typical slow dance, which I always appreciate. Dinner was served, some toasts were shared, and the two shared a dance with their respective parents. Before transitioning to dancing, however, the DJ, AJ, had a fun game of scavenger planned. With ten participants and only nine chairs available, the players had to collect specific items from other guests and return to a chair. One by one, players were eliminated, and the stakes rose. With only two participants remaining, AJ decided the last item would take the two out of the ballroom, adding suspense: who would return first? The first player returned with the item in hand, holding it high above his head casually while walking around the dance floor. He seemed to have forgotten the rules of the game: to be the last one in the chair, not standing with the item. Seeing an opportunity, the second player soon arrived and sprinted for the chair. Only after her intentions were recognized did player one realize his mistake and also dash for the chair. Unfortunately for him, however, player two beat him to the seat and won the game. This was such a fun way to kick off the party. Dancing followed, and the night came to a close with a bubble exit. Until next time!