A Coastal Chic Editorial at The Abbey Phoenix — Arizona’s Newest Wedding Venue

What happens when the desert meets the sea?

This experimental wedding editorial asked that ambitious question, and the result was an exploration of natural ecosystems that led to a raw, dreamy, and remarkably unique wedding aesthetic.

“As the floral designer and host for this styled wedding, I wanted to bring unique textures and artful elements from coastal boardwalks and marsh meadows in the Florida Everglades for our Phoenix, Arizona desert community,” says Amber of Snapdragon Bloom Bar .

The choice of The Abbey Phoenix (which just became available for weddings this February!) as the backdrop for this beautiful shoot was no accident. “The historic property from 1883 embodies the ethos of adaptive reuse and community-driven development that celebrates old world charm,” says Amber, “plus rustic walls for the perfect raw atmosphere.”

From the minds of event designer Amber + planners Satin & Slate came this love letter to nature, history, and romance. One of our favorite takeaways from this shoot? Don’t stress about a destination wedding: You don’t have to host your “I do’s” on a sandy beach somewhere to have an ocean-inspired celebration.

Brittany Nemec’s beautiful photos captured the essence of this organic editorial so brilliantly. We are so excited to give you a peek.

How dreamy are these soft beachy neutral wedding invitations by Ashley Bunten Design?

Love the use of pearl hairpins to add some ocean-inspired luster to this embellished bridal updo from Beauty By Emily AZ.

A tobacco brown three-piece look from Celebrity Tux & Tails added warm neutrals to the soft ivories of the color palette.

A Ceremony in a Historic Bell Tower

“The ceremony was designed in the venue’s historic Bell Tower with gothic arch windows and unfinished walls that complemented the color story and theme,” says florist + event designer Amber of Snapdragon Bloom Bar.

“Sustainable floral designs filled the Bell Tower with marsh-like meadow grasses, Campanula florals en masse, and dried Monarda florals from my micro flower farm to create the Everglade textures,” Amber adds.

“The Bell Tower ceremony was inspired by Everglade Sawgrass meadows and mossy seagrass styled organically down the aisle and around the base of the asymmetrical floral arch. And the Bell Tower’s floral arch was designed using white bell flowers to create an impact against the unfinished walls.”

This bride stunned in a strapless column Iveary wedding gown from Vivienne Atelier.

Check out our favorite elegant wedding dresses and our favorite simple wedding dresses to explore the idea of a similar bridal silhouette.

Very into the simplicity of that gold band solitaire engagement ring from Elite Fine Jewelers.

“The bride’s cathedral veil looked ethereal walking down the aisle and contrasted against the mossy meadows,” remembers Amber.

How sweet are this bridal bouquet’s delicate pops of peach!

Veils are a sure fire way to add some WOW to your wedding day look. Explore our collection of the best wedding veil for every bridal vibe to find the right one for your aesthetic.

Loving this earthy, sophisticated wedding suit as much as we are? Check out this suit from Indochino for a similar vibe.

A Courtyard Celebration

“The reception was held in the heart of the Abbey where the courtyard is open to the stars,” says Amber of this historic, quasi-outdoor reception setup made modern + chic by table decor + furniture from Hazel Grove Rentals and linens from Reverie Social.

“Tabletop elements carried the coastal theme in every detail,” Amber recalls. “From 40+ year collected sea shells from my family to sand dollars at every place setting to ceramic shell vases to mother of pearl flatware to natural linen menus to scalloped lamps and plates to thrifted sea shell salt & pepper shakers.”

“Gold metallics, light natural wood chargers and chairs, and white linen was the perfect color theme for the timeless coastal chic design.”

“The table design,” Amber says, “was styled into a square with an open center that celebrated a fountain filled with seashells and repurposed Bell Tower ceremony meadow arrangements.” Such a cool layout. And we really do love to see weddings repurposing ceremony florals for the reception! Such a great eco-friendly wedding planning idea!

Fresh From The Kitchen was on hand with oysters + lots of other delicious ocean-inspired bites!

A Stunning Sea-Inspired Cake

A. Cakes Bakery created a textured, sculptural wedding cake masterpiece!

OBSESSED with this combo of the ambitious floating tier structure with those dangling pearly details!

Take a look through our fave beach wedding cakes for lots more seaside-worthy cake inspo.

So inspired by these coastal chic, contemporary place settings that you need your own set of fluted glassware? Shop these Fluted Wine Glass Set from West Elm for something similar!

We loved every Everglades-inspired detail of this dreamy oceanic wedding editorial in the desert. Congrats to Amber and the whole Phoenix, AZ-based vendor team! Can’t wait to see the ecosystem-blending weddings it inspired!