A Romantic Spring Wedding with Irish Flair at El Chorro Lodge in Paradise Valley, Arizona

Kathleen McCaffrey (24 and a teacher) and Aaron Flick (33 and an insurance advisor) planned a chic romantic wedding with a note of rustic flair at El Chorro Lodge in Paradise Valley, Ariz. Shades of blush, sage, ivory, gray, smoky plum and lavender captured the essence of the spring season, while bringing a feminine edge to the decor. The day started with an outdoor ceremony on El Chorro’s expansive lawn overlooking Camelback Mountain. “The views and landscape are breathtaking,” says Kathleen. “We kept the decor to a minimum because we did not want to take away from the natural beauty of the mountain and scenery,” says Kathleen. A curly willow wedding arch framed the pair as they exchanged their own vows and fresh bunches of lilacs and lavender in gilded pots greeted guests as they arrived to the ceremony. Before heading indoors for the reception, the newlyweds and their guests enjoyed signature sips, traditional Irish beers and lawn games out on the adjacent patio. The reception took place in El Chorro’s Casa Paloma venue, a blank canvas for Kathleen and Aaron to make their own. “I am both Irish and Japanese, so we wanted to honor both sides of my family with little details,” says Kathleen. “We wanted to bring part of the beauty of Ireland to our wedding, so our wedding planner had the idea of using moss throughout. We had moss in our centerpieces, table numbers and escort card display.” White geometric table clothes had a subtle Celtic feel and Guinness flutes put a fun twist on the classic champagne toast. One-thousand handmade cranes spoke to Kathleen’s Japanese heritage and delicious details like a dessert table featuring classic Buckeyes — chocolate peanut butter balls — served as a nod to Aaron’s Ohio roots. The beauty of the season also factored in to the design, from the pale purple invitation suite with floral detailing and hand-painted macarons featuring garden-inspired blooms. A tip for the taking from Kathleen: “As cliche as it is, take everything in! The whole planning process and day goes by so fast. Hiring a photographer and a videographer were two of the best decisions we made regarding our wedding. Not only are we able to forever have images from our wedding day, but we are now also able to watch the important parts of our day for the rest of our lives. If couples are able to fit both into their wedding budget, I would recommend that they spend the money on these two expenses.”