Jenna + Christian by Eunice Beck

We knew pretty immediately that it was the place we wanted to get married.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

We’re both born and raised in Arizona and currently living in Phoenix with our two doggies, Frannie and Blue. Christian is a writer and musician, working on his first novel and a new record. Jenna is a designer, working to make nonprofit software cute. We share a mutual love of art, books, gardening and cooking.

Our creativity takes a lot of different shapes, but there’s nothing we love more than creating things from the ground up. So as soon as we got engaged, we knew a typical sort of ceremonial wedding wasn’t going to be our thing. And no matter how we kept rearranging the pieces, it felt like too many compromises had to be made. Instead, we planned the private, intimate elopement of our dreams (as pictured here) and will be hosting a separate family dinner and friend reception party this fall. It’s allowed us to focus on all the individual details without making the whole thing stressful, and actually centre each event around what matters most in that moment to that group.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

We met seven years ago in a classic sort of way – at the neighbourhood bar, through friends. We just kept bumping into each other and making each other laugh and quickly became a pair. Christian thought Jenna was smart and a little bit shy. Jenna thought Christian was the sweetest man she had ever met. We both told our respective friend groups that we would marry the other one day. And then we were just… together, and have been since.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

This one feels pretty obvious in that the venue itself was incredible. We just had to show up. Frank Lloyd Wright was a master, and the design of the space was a perfect representation of the things we’re already interested in, so we knew pretty immediately that it was the place we wanted to get married. Our outfits and overall styling meshed really well with the space. Fun fact: the blue roof of the Civic Centre was Jenna’s “something blue”.

Muir Beach is also a very special place to us, and it added a nice contrast to the reds and golds of the Civic Centre.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

We both enjoy having an idea and following it through to its final form, so the planning process as a whole was pleasant. We reeeeally didn’t want it to be stressful and ultimately joy-sucking, so we intentionally took it slow. A lot of our time in the beginning was spent just talking about how the entire thing would look and feel. Leading up to the elopement, we created some moodboards for florals, photo direction, and our outfits. That helped us set a tone. We would save planning for date night dinner or go out for coffee with a laptop in tow, but it was a nice way of keeping planning fun.

The advice we kept coming back to was that the whole thing was by us and for us, and not anybody else. If either of us would start to spiral, we’d gently remind the other that we were doing this because we love each other and want to celebrate that. The best part was how everything just seemed to fall into place once we started to lock in the first few details, and then it felt like our wedding.

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

Oh, everyone was so wonderful. Our florist, Eugenia, lives in the area and created our pieces from seasonal flowers and locally grown / wild foraged ingredients. She happened to include wild blackberries without knowing that Christian has a small blackberry tattoo, so it felt like the perfect lil kiss from the universe. Fiona, our hair and MUA, was the ultimate hypewoman. She took extra care making sure all the products she brought and used were “clean” and hypoallergenic (even reviewing specific sensitivities with Jenna ahead of time). And her hairstyles held for like, two days afterwards. Amazing. Saundra was such a bright personality, and we were so grateful that she was the one to calmly and warmly perform our ceremony.

The extra bright spot of the day was Eunice. Not only did she capture our day with the vision we hoped for and then some, but she scouted the locations multiple times in advance, literally zipped up Jenna’s dress, arranged the first look, helped load our luggage into the car, hyped us up, hung out with us and made us feel comfortable all day (!) and was our witness. She got us our preview photos back very quickly, and the entire gallery was sent to us before I even thought to ask. We adored working with her.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

Jenna’s necklace was the “something old”. It is a family heirloom, first presented a few months before the elopement by her nana, in a tender moment while Jenna and her mom were visiting. In the most dramatic-but-lovable Nan fashion, she refused to part ways with the necklace on that visit. (Perhaps a bribe, to guarantee the soon-to-be-wed couple would see her during our elopement trip.) We weren’t sure she would ever release the necklace. But she did, and Jenna finally got to try it on with the dress the night before the wedding.

For Christian’s suit, he was really interested in a casual but classic expression of his style. He wanted a timeless look that felt easy but still elevated. He chose the brown suit as a staple that could be worn over and over again, a tonal linen shirt, and added accent colours through his accessories. A longtime advocate of hats with suits, ending the day with his favourite Suns hat proved his point.

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Christian proposed to Jenna in the Lyndale Rose Garden in Minneapolis, where we’ve spent the past few summers as reverse-snowbirds to escape the Phoenix heat. Jenna insisted on custom designing a ring (she let Christian know this in advance because designers are annoying about this kind of thing), so we worked with Brent at Knox Jewellers, a family-owned local jeweller. We spent a good amount of time looking at different stones, and decided on a champagne diamond in a 14k gold setting. The wedding band was actually what Christian used to propose and was swapped out once we got the engagement ring, now combined as a set. Christian chose a Cartier ring that is simple but refined.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

For Jenna, it was photography. We were going to be in a beautiful space looking hot, on one of the most significant days of our lives. Particularly because we eloped without friends and family present, it was very important to her that we could still share the day with our loved ones.

Christian has worked in the restaurant industry for 20 years, so food was the big one for him. He set up reservations for us all over the Bay Area. A few of our favourites on the trip were Valley, El Molino, Rich Table, Breadbelly, and of course, the all-time classic Pelican Inn at Muir Beach. We had some incredible dining experiences throughout our trip, and it was very much a highlight.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

Staying on Muir Beach was really nice. It’s very tucked away and quiet, and we had a wonderful Airbnb that overlooked the ocean. We loved falling asleep and waking up to the sound of the waves. We also got matching tattoos in the city as another way to mark the occasion, and those have been extra sweet to look at since and remember our trip. But the most all-out thing we did was an insane shopping day in SF proper. We had a list of boutique stores we wanted to visit, and we made it to most of them! Often, it was the owner(s) tending the shop, so we had a nice chat each time too. Shoutout to A/B Fits, Rising Star Laundry, Presidio Post, and Soochie.

Even though it seems like a totally cheesy cop-out answer, the entire elopement trip was a treasured memory. We really had the best trip of our lives.

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?

We view it as a promise to do our best and step up in ways that may be difficult at times, and to not view things through a selfish lens but through the lens of our new family. It is, in some ways, a sacred bond and something that every person should cherish in their own little special way.

Christian’s favourite ritual is “feeding the girls” breakfast every day (smoothie for Jenna, kibble for Fran and Blue). Jenna’s favourite ritual is preparing our sleepytime tea every night, with an extra dollop of honey for Christian.