Discovery Park Wedding: Ethan & Emaleah

It takes a village to raise a child and, as the Mother of the Bride kept saying, it took a village to put this Discovery Park Wedding together. When Covid changed plans for some friends and vendors, others stepped in and made things happen so Ethan and Emaleah could still have their incredible day. The day was magical, despite a few hiccups in the week leading up and the morning of the wedding. By the time Emaleah walked up the aisle, the hiccups had melted into the past, the magic was thick in the air, and everything went beautifully!

It was five years ago that I first worked a wedding with Torey and Stasha and felt connected to them instantly. They were (and still are) totally devoted to their craft and were amazing to work with. Through the years we’ve been able to team up for weddings and it is always a delight to get to work together and add our pieces to the wedding puzzles.

Through working weddings with Torey I’ve been able to connect with Emaleah and see her go from an unsure teen to a beautiful and amazing woman. She has a quite grace and strength that anyone around her can feel. I was absolutely tickled when she and her mom asked if I would photograph their wedding!

Bride and Groom Details

We met the Bride, her Bridesmaids, and her mom at their hotel to start with the details and prep photos. They had everything, including the Groom’s details, gathered together and ready so it was easy to pull everything outside in the gorgeous fall light to capture the details they’ve been gathering for months.

The lace for Emaleah’s garter and her bouquet wrap came from the lace on her mom’s wedding dress! They packed so many meaningful details into the day!

Emaleah had just about as big of an aha moment with her perfume as she did with her dress. Ethan loves scents with an undertone of coconut, so when she found this perfume with the perfect mix of floral and coconut, she knew it was her wedding scent! Now every time she wears this scent it’ll take her back to her wedding day.

When it came time to get Emaleah in her dress, the Bridesmaids left to give Torey and Emaleah the time and space together. It was sweet to see their exchanges, to feel the emotion in the air, and to capture their moments together.

Have you ever seen a dress color compliment a bride’s skin tone so well?!?! This dress was a mix between blush and champagne tinted and was the perfect peachy hue to compliment Emaleahs rosy skin. It was the perfect perfect dress for her!

We met Ethan at Discovery Park to get his final details on before getting to see his Bride for the first time.

Discovery Park Wedding First Looks

While Ethan was doing his final prep, Emaleah and her Dad were able to have their First Look together as her Mom watched on in the background. You could see the love and emotion in his face as he saw Emaleah and visited with her.

One of the neat things about a First Look is that you never know how the emotion will hit you. Ethan was sure he wasn’t going to cry when he turned around…

…but his emotions caught him totally off guard as he saw Emaleah for the first time. By the end they were both wiping tears and laughing as they stood there in each others arms.

We had the most beautiful light all day! High clouds filtered the sun enough that it wasn’t painfully bright, but still let enough sunlight through to get that golden glow. It was perfect!

Wedding Party

Discovery Park Wedding Ceremony

Stasha is the wedding planner and decor queen! Everything, as always with her, looked incredible and was perfectly in place. She does a phenomenal job and it is always a delight to work a wedding with her.

The Cake

When your mom is The Cake Lady you get the cake of your dreams. Their chocolate naked cakes came in four flavors (German Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Rocky Road, and Chocolate Cookies and Cream) and were, of course, just as scrumptious as they were beautiful!

Discovery Park Wedding Sunset Photos

We snuck out of cocktail hour to drive up the hill for sunset portraits. The view of the mountain and sunset from up top is always top notch!

One reason we chose this spot for their sunset portraits is for the view in the background here. See that water tower in the photo below? That is where they had their first date!

Reception

Finally it was time to get down to do their sparkler entrance and get the party started!

Ethan and Emaleah, thank you so much for inviting me into this season of your life! I have loved getting to be your photographer through all of this and am so excited that you two have found each other and are going through life together. You complement each other so well and have such sweet chemistry. I hope your marriage is just as beautiful, meaningful, and fun as your wedding! Love you both!

Discovery Park Gila Valley Wedding Vendors and Creative Team

PLANNER: Stasha; Jars and Lace
VENUE: Eastern Arizona College Discovery Park Campus
HAIR & MAKEUP: Riley Fuller
DJ: Dallas Slim, DJLeo
DRESS: Adore Bridal
WEDDING DRESS ALTERATIONS: Suzanne’s Sewing Service
FLORIST: Stasha; Jars and Lace
DANCE FLOOR: Forever Sweet Wedding Rentals
FARMHOUSE TABLES: Bailey Walden
TABLE AND CHAIR RENTALS: Hassle Free Party Rentals
INVITATIONS: CMI Quick Copy
CAKE DESIGN: Cakes with TLC
VIDEOGRAPHER: Van Shaar Productions
GROOM’S GIFT: Engels Gems
MEN’S VESTS AND MOB DRESS ALTERATIONS: Kendra’s Bridal Boutique
CAKE TOPPER: Tingle Treasures
PHOTOGRAPHER: Marquette LaRee
SECOND SHOOTER: Lyndsey Garber

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WANT TO SEE MORE WEDDINGS BY MARQUETTE LAREE? CLICK HERE!