The Royal Palms staff could not have been nicer and more wonderful to Ken and I and our staff.   One after the next, staff members commented to us how rarely they ever see anything like this wedding.  Many were taking pictures. What a nice compliment!  Ken and I and our staff want to thank Jessica and all the great people we met and worked with at the Royal Palms.  It is a fabulous property only surpassed by the wonderful people who work there.

Scottsdale’s own Amy Mancuso brought Ken and I into this project.  Amy’s skills at producing some of the most gorgeous weddings and events are legendary.  Our first project with Amy was not only lots of fun but the chemistry was almost like we had been friends forever.  The entire experience was just great.  Thank you Amy!!  Be sure to visit Amy Mancuso here:

We will begin by introducing the stunningly beautiful bride, Carina, in this lovely portrait by Phyllis Lane

This is Drew, the handsome groom.  What a lovely couple.

Ken made a splendid bouquet of pinks and white.  Carina requested a pale pink and white color palette.  Pink and white peonies, white David Austin roses, pink and white sweet peas, lisianthus, delicate white allium, pink roses and ivory spray roses were incorporated into the design.  Touches of rhinestones were used to complement the lace and trim from her gown which was furnished for the handle wrap.

There were four lovely bride’s maids.  Each girl carried a bouquet similar to the bride’s.   There were peonies, roses, lisianthus, and various shades of pink and white sweet peas that were tied with a simple ribbon.

The Ceremony

The ceremony was held in the charming Allegro Garden.  This arch is one of the most impressive Show Stoppers has ever created.  It took 6 designers to complete.  We began at 9:00 am and finished about 3:30.   Thousands of blown ivory roses in various shades were used in the design, along with dozens of Casablanca lilies, blush dendrobium orchids, pink jasmine vines and  hundreds of white hydrangeas.  English Ivy was attached to the stucco behind the arch to appear as if it was growing on the wall. Even more ivory roses were used for the rose petal carpet below the arch along with hundreds more pale pink roses for the steps.

Four gorgeous cascading floral displays were placed on the balustrade on each side of the arch.

These designs incorporated hundreds of ivory roses, with genestra, pussy willow, snap dragons, blooming cherry branches, white wax flower, blush dendrobium orchids, pink jasmine vines and pink campanula arranged in antique wrought iron planters.

Here is a detail shot of one of the displays.  You may click on any image in this feature to enlarge.

This is a great detail shot of one of the legs of the arch.  This piece just kept devouring roses and got more beautiful as every bloom was attached.  In all, more that 2000 water tubes were used to design this piece.  Just filling the tubes took an entire day.  We used a custom, reinforced steel frame to support the weight.  Constant misting was required to keep the display comfortable.

Finally, this detail shot gives a front row seat as to how the top of the arch was designed.  Now for the aisle leading up to the the arch.

The aisle was a beautiful path that complemented the arch perfectly.  Several shades of ivory roses were used to created this 25 foot carpet.  A slightly darker pink was used to mimic a detail we found in the invitation.  It is always such fun to see guest’s reaction when they see one of Show Stopper’s carpets.  Even more fun is when they see the bride as she steps into the lush carpet and makes her way to the alter.  Even though the design is mussed and swirled as her dress glides across the petals, the effect is breathtaking and exciting to watch.  Forty of the chairs had cones that we fashioned of hand-made paper.  We trimmed each cone with pink tulle and ribbon, then filled them with rose petals for guests to toss.

As chair markers, pomanders were designed for every chair along the aisle. The melon sized pomanders were make of white carnations garnished with two blush cymbidium orchids at the top.  To finish, we used pink jasmine vine wound around the pomander.  This is a great image of one of the 12 pomanders with the aisle ribbon tossed around the chair.

As the newly married couple were introduced, Phyllis Lane captured this extraordinary black and white image of the pair just before they headed down the aisle towards the cocktail party and reception.  This is a great image, as it shows the scale of the arch with the lovely bride and groom as a point of reference.

As the bride and groom headed down the aisle to make their exit, Phyllis Lane captured this image of the back of Carina’s incredible gown.

The Cocktail hour And Reception

The patio outside the Palmera Salon was turned into a fun cocktail lounge. White leather furniture and illuminated plexiglass tables were brought in for furnishings by Creative Event Rentals.  Show Stoppers designed sheer white drapes with large pink tassel tie backs.  Fabric draping was also swaged across the existing overhead beams, then up-lighted with pink.  We appreciated the assistance of Quest Drape with the installation of the fabrics. The area was detailed with pink florals.

The Reception

Nearly every surface of the room was transformed.  First, the existing floor was covered with white carpet.  All the walls were draped with hundreds of yards of sheer fabrics.  Each 10 foot section required 42 yards of fabric to get the fullness we wanted!  The ceiling was draped with even more fabric.  The existing iron chandeliers were replaced with 3 giant sparkling ones. More free standing drapes were layered in front of the walls and tied back with gorgeous custom pink tassels.  Service entrances and unneeded doorways were screened with yet more fabrics.  In all, fabric lengths equivalent to over 6 football fields were used!  We have included this gallery without captions. Phyllis Lane’s exquisite images say it all!

Please take the time to see a time lapse video of the entire transformation in the next post down, along with credits of everyone involved in this exceptional wedding by Amy Mancuso

Our sincerest congratulations to Carina and Drew!

Sedona Wedding Planners,

Venues, Vendors and Services

The Sedona Wedding Studio

Over 75 Leading Sedona wedding professionals, including wedding planners and venues have joined to become the unsurpassed, SEDONA WEDDING STUDIO. HERE, brides can find fantastic information and links to an elite, “invitation only” membership of the best Sedona wedding professionals available today, all represented under one roof in a beautiful West Sedona studio and showroom.  Brides can save time and money, avoid worry and have the confidence of knowing that they have found the ultimate source for the best Sedona wedding services.  The SWS membership list reads as a who’s who in the Sedona wedding industry.  The SEDONA WEDDING STUDIO is Northern Arizona’s most comprehensive wedding professionals network with the largest membership represented in 20 great categories.

The most stringent stipulations and standards are required before being invited to join this exclusive group of award winning experts and wedding planners.  Members are pre-screened for excellence in their field.  S.W.S. members are consistently the busiest, simply because they are among the most popular, trusted and referred experts in Sedona.

Among the many qualifications considered are at least 5 years of experience. Peer and industry recognition is extremely important. Exquisite talent, dependability and value of services is mandatory.  Publication in recognized industry magazines is also taken into account.

The standards required of members involve much more than simply paying dues to be on a listing.  The Sedona Wedding Studio does not restrict membership to only those vendors who live in or around Sedona.  The S.W.S is a private membership and is not modeled after any other organization.  Quality is priority at The Sedona Wedding Studio.

By selecting Sedona Wedding Studio vendors, Sedona brides can go straight to the best and avoid long, unreliable, confusing lists.  A Sedona Wedding Studio bride can plan her wedding in an unbelievably appointed showroom.  Brides can arrange meetings and discussions in lovely conferencing areas and meet vendors in person.

Helpful resources are everywhere in the SWS.  Video, slide shows  and photography showcase the talent of all the SWS members.  Brides can listen to music selections by talented Sedona Wedding Studio musicians and even have make-up trials by studio make-up and hair artists.  Catalogues, fabulous displays, merchandise, samples and more complete the Sedona Wedding Studio experience.

Sedona’s Top 75

Wedding Professionals

With this exciting group of talented Sedona artists and professionals, The Sedona Wedding Studio has become the hub of the Sedona wedding community!  The SWS is much more than just an on line resources guide.

The SWS has an actual location as well. Stop by and see why no wedding will be complete without a visit to The Sedona Wedding Studio, located in beautiful West Sedona at 1710 West State Route 89A. Suite # 2. Brides now have the convenience of having the most celebrated Sedona vendors coming to them in pre-arranged consecutive appointments instead of spending their limited time traveling all over town seeking meetings and information.

the Palmera Salon

The following video shows what Events By Show Stoppers is all about.  This incredible video by Serendipity Videography captures all the fun and shows just what goes into one of our installations.  This wedding was held on March 26th, 2010 at the gorgeous Royal Palms Resort in Phoenix Arizona.

Installation commenced at 8:00 am and finished at 5:30.  You see it all in about 2.5 minutes.    We love the Royal Palms and all the wonderful people who were so great to work with.  We will post  fantastic photography by Phyllis Lane in the days to come.  You will not believe the images of the ceremony.  Thousands upon thousands of roses were used in the total production along with thousands of spring flowers.

Ken and I had the most incredible team.  We are so grateful to Amy Mancuso for bringing us in on this project.  It was really a blast and we enjoyed everyone involved.  Ordinarily Show Stoppers provides all the decor.  In this case, because of the extremely limited timeline, we are so appreciative that Creative Event Rentals provided additional labor to install our draping and lighting just as we required in our renderings.  They did a perfect job. Thank you Brianna.  Quest Drape was so great and draped the ceilings just as we drew it on the plans.

For best results, let the video fully load before viewing and play it full screen!!! Fasten your seat belts!!  This is a fast ride!!

Credit Links

Wedding Coordination / Planning: Amy Mancuso

Draping: Show Stoppers ( installation by Creative Event Rentals )

Venue: Royal Palms Resort and Spa

Ceiling draping for Show Stoppers: Quest Drape

Linens: Southwick Linens

Floral design / Conceptual Drawings / Floor Plans / Design and Direction: Events By Show Stoppers

Show Stoppers Design Team:  Ken Heflin / Jim Bullock / Samyo Shannon / Marla Fay / Brent Harvey / Andre’ Barron /  Rosie Palomino / Sherri Werner / Richard Tizanitl

Rentals: Creative Event Rentals

Special Thanks to Mayesh Floral:  Su  / Amy / Tony / Francisco / Jacob and Claire

Still Photography: Phyllis Lane Photography (  future post coming soon! )

Time Lapse Videography: Serendipity Videography

Alyssa+Michael’s wedding at the exclusive Seven Canyons – Private Residence Club

Sedona Wedding Professionals

Create Magic

  Ken and I are thrilled that Events By Show Stoppers has made the cover of Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine!  Our dear friends Katrina and Andrew, SedonaBride.com captured this intimate moment through the sensitive eyes of their exceptional photography.  This charming image embodied everything the magazine wanted to say about romance, innocence and style. Congratulations Katrina and Andrew, you are true artists and the best kinds of friends to have.  Congratulations to Ken for designing such a fashion forward and colorful centerpiece and bouquet.  What a team!  See the incredibly gorgeous SLIDE SHOW HERE:

Phoenix Bride

And Groom Magazine

  Be sure to get a copy or visit PhoenixBrideandGroom.com and see the lovely 10th Anniversary issue.  Congratulations to Fran, Stephanie, Jennifer, Renea and the entire Phoenix Bride and Groom staff.  This edition is stunning and we are so honored to be so well represented in this historical issue.  The Show Stopper’s team wishes the Phoenix Bride and Groom staff continued success and kudos for consistently bringing fashionable images and valuable information to the forefront of the bridal industry through this important publication.

     Here is a cover to whet any appetite.  More of these fabulous images can be found in the Sedona Section where the floral work of Events By Show Stoppers and the photography of Sedona bride is featured in a lavish two-page spread.  Don’t stop there!  

   In still another section, readers will find an exotic Moroccan style wedding where every detail was overseen by Show Stoppers and photographed by Katrina and Andrew at L’Auberge de Sedona.  Visit L’Auberge HERE:

  Don’t miss Show Stopper’s ad featuring another stunning rose petal carpet inspired by Navajo weavings.  Here are some other wonderful images.

Ken’s centerpiece is jaw-dropping gorgeous.  He used mounds of orange pin cushion protea, lavender stock, gold cymbidium orchids and deep red roses. If ever a floral design could be called sexy, this is it.  HOT.

L’Auberge de Sedona…..  Perfect for Rose Petal Carpets

Here is our latest rose petal carpet.  We were inspired by patterns seen in jeweled Egyptian collars.  ( An idea picked up by watching old movies.)

  Guests are always intrigued when they enter an area and come upon designs like this for the first time.  From a distance they can’t often relate to just what the design is.  When they get closer and realize it is thousands of rose petals, they are astonished.

This close up is so cool.  Katrina said it looks like a road of rose petals going around a bend.

Sedona Wedding Shoot at L’Auberge…  Fabulous Bridal Bouquet

Here is the exquisite bouquet.  Ken’s creation features gloriosa lilies, bougainvillea, pin cushion protea, heather and hypericum berries.  Ken’s signature designs spill with texture, depth and color.

We love this image.  Katrina got it all.  What color, composition and intimacy. 

    Wait until you see what’s next!  Jim was inspired while watching one of his favorite movies, “The Ten Commandments.”  He got this idea during one of the opening scenes.  Princess Nefertiti, while reclining on a balcony, plucks flowers from a lovely garland of acacia and anemones to shower her Prince as he entered the city among the adoring crowds shouting ” Moses! Moses!  This boa sports 1000 daffodils.  Outrageous.

 Katrina thought it would be fun to let the groom wear the boa too. What a sport.  Blake was eager to comply.  Everyone comments how wonderfully the golden yellow pops against the beige color of the winter grasses in Oak Creek Canyon.  

This was actually the second daffodil garland Jim has made. The first was designed years ago for a sculpture in the courtyard of the Jr. League building in Houston. He made it for a wedding reception and brunch honoring the Duchess of  Windsor the following day.

We will close with this shot of several of us on the Show Stopper’s team installing the carpet.Oh, one more thing.  People always ask what happens to all those rose petals…Phoenix Bride and Groom Magazine was so inspired by this shoot that they honored Show Stoppers by asking us to design their 10th Anniversary Gala held at the Arizona Grand Resort on June 3rd.  We were thrilled to be working along side Victoria Canada Weddings and Events who oversaw every detail to perfection.  Here is another chance to see the SLIDE SHOW HERE:     

Eventsbyshowstoppers.com

Outdoor Sedona Weddings

Are Breathtaking

One of the most memorable weddings we produced in 2008 was for Karen and Steve.  We quickly discovered we were all on the same page from day one.  The entire process was so much fun.  Karen wanted lots of purple for her wedding and she got it.  The challenge was to use varieties of purple, bring in elements of the southwest yet keep the look of a wedding, respect the style of the home and to create all of this in the heat of the summer on a windy day.  We pulled it off perfectly.  We didn’t do it alone though.

Karen Lynn, Sedonaweddingplanner.com planned every detail of this Sedona wedding until the last light went out.  It was complicated to pull this wedding off.  There were so many details to address and Karen was incredible.

No surprise who did the photography. Katrina Wallace, Sedonabride.com delivered the most beautiful photos you could ever imagine.  Katrina has a passion for her work and always makes Show Stopper’s designs look just like they did in person.  We have included some of our favorite shots.  You can see more of this wedding on Katrina’s website blog. Thank you Katrina, Andrew and Karen for making this wedding so special.  And thank you, Karen and Steve, for letting us do this for you.

Designer Bouquets Are

Unsurpassed

At Show Stoppers

Just look at this gorgeous bouquet Ken made for Karen.  He and Karen both love orchids so he used just about every orchid known to mankind.  It had such depth, texture, rich color and a subtle but sexy hypnotic fragrance.  The bouquet was the perfect complement to her fabulous Christian Dior gown.  Click on all the pictures to see more detail.  You can see color right down into the center of the design.

Professional Wedding Decor

To Tempt The Senses

The couple came out of the home strolling through the courtyard garden to greet the already seated guests.  I thought the entry gate, with antique Mexican doors, was perfect for the ceremony since it was already an arch.

We decorated the arch with manzanita branches, succulents, liatrise, stock, ocotillo, varieties of orchid sprays, larkspur and cholla cactus skeletons.

Guests were seated in the circular drive between a huge Spanish fountain and the entry gate.

The bowls of the giant fountain were designed with golden barrel cactus, agave, succulents, kale, larkspur, liatrise, orchids and cholla cactus skeletons.  There were the petals of 750 roses strewn across the top of the water.  They completely covered the surface.  It looked like some kind of exotic algae growing on top of a tropical lagoon.

The ring bearer carried one of our custom boxes with the rings inside.  The box was covered with galax leaves then decorated with succulents and orchids.  A purple ribbon finished the look.  He was so cute and so proud to be a part of the ceremony.  He was just beaming.

Weddings Sedona Style!

The centerpieces were made of fresh manzanita branches anchored in a base of polished alligator juniper.  Manzinita grows all around the home and looks stark and fabulous in silhouette against the twilight.  Quartz crystal specimens were drilled out to house a votive candle that created a mystical glow.  They served a duel purpose by weighting down the centerpieces.  Wire votives were hung from the branches surrounding a core of spilling orchid sprays, liatrise, stock and larkspur.

I love this photo that Katrina set up with the centerpiece against the aqua colored pool.  We hung small quartz crystal points to finish the look.  More tiny crystals were tossed around on the top of the table for the guests to take.

This great photo shows what can be achieved with good lighting.  We used small pin spots with pale pink gels on every centerpiece.

The evening concluded with dancing under the almost full moon.  Our lanterns looked great along the edge of the yard.  Howling coyotes sang a celebratory song just for Steve and Karen as the sun sank behind the formations of red rock.

Thank you Karen and Steve. You made this an experience we will never forget.  Jim and Ken

Return to Show Stopper’s website HERE:

Tlaquepaque Weddings Are So Romantic 

Patio Campanas is one of the most popular patios for wedding ceremonies in Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village. This summer, Show Stoppers created one of our popular rose petal carpets for the first time in Tlaquepaque. We used lemon yellow roses with a contrasting rusty orange border.Corner details were made of sunflowers, one of the bride’s favorites.

Petals from 700 roses were used in this colorful carpet. Our friend Wendy, who is the resident partner and manager of Tlaquepaque, and her husband Max wanted something very special as their gift to Alan and Jessica.  The early morning wedding was lovely with the warm and sunny summer colors.

 The nuptials were held in the beautiful arched walkway that divides the patio.  It serves as a perfect place for lovely ceremonies.  A gorgeous custom garland was attached to the arch.  We used whole and sliced lemons, yellow roses, sunflowers, gourds, rain tree seed pods, curly willow and assorted foliages.  Chocolate brown fabrics were draped in the arch to prevent guests from seeing into the patio beyond.

Tlaquepaque…  Perfect for outdoor Sedona Weddings

Everyone always has such a good time scooping up the thousands of rose petals and showering the newly weds in sheets of celebratory “rain.”  Pam really captured the moment in these wonderful images. 

  You can see more of Pam’s work  HERE

 Tlaquepaque Weddings for special Brides

Jessica was a lovely as well as charming bride.  This image is particularly effective with the Mexican tile picking up the colors of Jessica’s bouquet perfectly.  You can see why Tlaquepaque is one of our favorite wedding venues in Sedona.  Our second store, Nectar Design, is located in Tlaquepaque and offers a special package exclusively for Tlaquepaque brides. Being located at Tlaquepaque, our brides have the convenience and confidence of knowing their wedding will be perfect.    

The wedding of Heather and Matt was truly a special one.  Heather gave us the colors and literally said, “do whatever you want.  I trust you.”  Now that’s the way to get an artist’s attention.  Don’t miss this feature on TBC.  It’s worth a moment of your time.  

Hope you enjoy what we did.  Visit the Bride’s Cafe HERE:  

Oh, after you see the images, just take a look at the wonderful comments about Katrina and Andrew’s photography and our design work.  There are a lot of nice people out there.  Thank you all for your interest and for visiting Show Stoppers.  You can return to Show Stoppers website HERE: Jim and Ken 

  All of us are really pleased that InStyle Magazine has selected a Sedona wedding to publish in this important wedding industry publication that is distributed nationally and seen by thousands of readers.  There will be another image in the next issue of InStyle Magazine.  

Katrina and Andrew of Sedona Bride, did the wonderful photography and submitted the feature for consideration.  Visit Katrina and Andrew HERE:  Our friend, Andrea Blaut, did the colorful cup-cake tower which are always a hit and unsurpassed in their quality and charm.  Visit Andrea here:  The reception was held at Tlaquepaque, one of the most popular wedding venues in Sedona, making this another recognized wedding produced entirely by Sedona Wedding Studio vendors!  (  See previous post about the Sedona Wedding Studio ) Visit beautiful Tlaquepaque HERE: