when east meets west

Downtown Phoenix, via ReflectionsOfLife which has some great Phoenix shots!

It's time to introduce myself, and My Guy. We are downtown city dwellers at the moment, due to grad and medical school. There is something to be said for urban living: public transportation clearly rocks, the downtown art scene is fantastic, the pro sports stadiums abound, as do lots of local eateries and one hell of an awesome farmer's market. Life is great here in Phoenix! Yet, we would rather be up in Flagstaff. Or Colorado. Or Vermont. We are mountain folk in our souls.

My homestate, Arizona - flikr photo via MatthewPHX.

A beautiful image of My Guy's homestate, Rhode Island. Photo found here.

When it came time to selecting a location for a wedding, it was tricky. Embarrassingly enough, it kept me up many a night. You see, My Guy is an East Coaster, and I am from Out West. His family is strict New England, and mine are scattered like the wind. Where could we celebrate our union that would have the highest attendance? Embrace our whimsy? Be cost effective? As internal wars raged in my bridal brain over Vegas, Providence, and Phoenix (all places, btw that I was not thrilled about - but for the sake of attendence I was willing to go with) My Guy picked the place. Flagstaff. We spent our first summer together here, it's my old college town, and it's one of our favorite places in the world.

Fantastic Flagstaff flikr image via bukfvr

However, as I began my Google searches and bridal blog subscriptions, I realized the huge void in finding mountain/forest/outdoor specific ideas. Expecially on a very conservative budget. Or when I did find them, they were almost always pine cone themed. Does a mountain wedding have to embrace a rugged rustic theme? Does a wedding actually have to have a theme? If there is no theme, does everything appear a matrimonial mess? Or would that be considered eclectic? Can a mountain wedding be classy and comfortable? Can a mountain bride be chic? (to that last question, I say hell yes!)

Traditional wedding rules can be broken and tweeked. I want our special day to be a personalized authentic experience, free from fuss and performance. It will be me, in a white dress, standing before my love, in a forest, on a mountain, surrounded by friends, family, birds, critters and trees (don't forget the glorious trees). I smile just thinking about it.

This blog space will give me the freedom to catalog the inspirational goodies I find while scowering the web. I'm excited about this journey! Join me!