Brooke and Eric had their Villa Siena wedding in my hometown Gilbert, Arizona. Eric proposed in Italy, so it was only fitting that they chose Villa Siena for their venue due to its romantic Italian aesthetics. Back in 2019 I shot Brooke and Eric’s engagements. You could say we are best friends by now – I instantly clicked with them and knew I just made some lifelong friends. They are seriously so fun to be around, couples like Brooke and Eric really remind me why I absolutely LOVEEEE my job.

I know you are all on the edge of suspense so I will tell you the proposal story from Brookes words exactly, “On September 12th we took a vacation to Italy and on September 17th, 2018 Eric proposed to me at the most beautiful spot in Florence, Italy. Eric and I have an infectious, passionate, loving, caring, fun, spontaneous, incredible relationship that I truly never thought could exist. Eric is my best friend, he is my happiness, my level headedness, someone who can make me laugh until it hurts but someone who also knows how to show me he cares. He listens to literally everything (and I talk a lot), he is patient, caring, romantic, kind, handsome as can be, and I just can’t wait to wake up next to him for the rest of my life. He makes me look forward to even our darkest of days.” On that note I am now crying and cannot wait for my own soul mate.

This was Brooke + Eric’s inspiration behind their wedding day “ Since Eric and I got engaged in Italy, we were really inspired by the timeless, romantic style that were surrounded by while we were there. The venue that we picked was actually the first venue we had toured and we fell in love immediately. Villa Siena was actually the perfect wedding venue because it reminded us of the charm we fell in love with when we were in Italy. Once we picked our venue, the colors and the style just really fell into place on their own. We trusted our vendors and they helped bring our vision to life. As you can imagine I have worked with many of couples, and I just have to put it out there….Brooke has to be one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen. Her dress was timeless, and gorgeous on her. Her train and veil were both extra-long and elegant, there was lots of lace and I loved her cap shoulders. I was about to be PISSED if Eric didn’t tear up seeing her for their first look. Luckily, he did not piss me off, and he was feeling all the emotions the second he saw his soon to be wife. “

I asked them what their favorite part of their wedding day was & this is what they said “ Looking back on our wedding, there are so many moments about our day that made it so special. One moment that really stuck out to the both of us was our first look. This was such an intimate and special moment and is something that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. Being surrounded by our closest family and friends was definitely our favorite part of our wedding day. We had such a blast dancing and coming together as one big family that day.”

I also asked Brooke to share some advice to future brides & this is what she shared “ My biggest piece of advice for new brides would be to slow down and take it all in. As cliché as it sounds, the day really does go by so fast. Hold on to every moment and just be present that day. Forget about anything else and remember what that day truly means. Try not to get too caught up in the things you can’t control. Take a deep breath and have fun, this is your day and you get to marry your best friend!”

All their friends and family were so incredibly happy for the two of them, it made me emotional being the by-standard. There was so much love and support for Brooke and Eric I cannot wait to see where their marriage takes them.

Vendors that made this day possible

Photographer: Kali M Photos

Videographer: Outland Stories (video at bottom)

Venue: Villa Siena

Flowers: LUX florist

Dress: Mariee Bridal Scottsdale

Dress designer: Martina Liana

DJ: Ray the DJ

Want to contact me about your own wedding here? Let’s chat!