Annual Day of The Dead Celebration

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is quickly becoming America’s newest holiday.  This fun holiday celebrates the lives of the dearly departed.

Loved ones create alters called ofrendas and honor their deceased loved ones by displaying their photos, favorite foods, objects and possessions that they enjoyed in life.  Even the lives of our furry friends are celebrated with thier favorite toys, treats and photos.

The holiday occurs on November 1st when it is believed that the deceased come back to visit their loved ones.  Various Katrina’s, playful skeleton people made of paper mache, wood or ceramics, decorate homes and doorways along with flowers, candy and lots of candles.  Traditional flowers include orange marigolds, white fever few, red cockscomb, roses and purple status.  Here are some great images of last years’s day of the dead event at Tlaquepaque by Sedona Bride Photography.

The huge fountain in Tlaquepaque’s Patio del Norte is decorated for dia de los muertos with pumpkins, squash, cactus, persimmons and berries.  Fun katrinas sit around the edge of the fountain with tons of candles and fruit.

Here is an overhead shot of the fountain.  The backdrops were painted by Show Stopper’s own, Tracey Downes, and are inspired by the old sideshow banner art typically seen along the midways at State fairs and circuses.

Here is one of the ofrendas showing the alter decorated with katrina’s, fruit, cake, candy skulls, candles, flowers and a dia de los muertos backdrop.

Paper mache katrinas

This is a great image of a niche in Tlaquepaque’s Patio del Norte decorated with fresh flower ristras, candles, rose petals, katrinas and fruit.  Don’t miss this very special and colorful event.  Be sure to bring your own ofrenda, candles, flowers, photos etc. to honor those you love and contribute to the dia de los muertos display at Tlaquepaque on the evening of November 1 beginning at dusk.

Tlaquepaque Chapel

By Sedona Bride Photography and Events By Show Stoppers

Events By Show Stoppers has made another magazine cover!  This absolutely gorgeous image of the charming Chapel at Tlaquepaque was taken by Sedona’s own Katrina Wallace of SedonaBride.Com and will be published on the cover of Arizona’s Finest Wedding Sites and Services September issue!

The magazine is one of Arizona’s most comprehensive sources for brides planning their weddings anywhere in the state. Show Stoppers designed another one of our popular rose petal carpets for the aisle.  Old rusted candelabra, wax luminaries, tons of candles and a fabulous old alter piece were used in the shoot.  Terra cotta cherubs holding cornucopias filled with autumn flowers flank the sides of the alter.

The Chapel at Tlaquepaque is one of Show Stoppers very favorite ceremony sites.  Show Stoppers can provide service or brides can use Show Stoppers second store, Nectar Designs, to provide flowers.  Nectar Design is located at Tlaquepaque in Suite A. 114.  Nectar offers discounted packages exclusively for Tlaquepaque brides and is Tlaquepaque’s “in house” floral service. Visit Nectar Designs here: Nectar Designs:  928-203-4749  / Tlaquepaque Chapel:  928-282-4838 /  Show Stoppers:  928-203-9096

More Images Of The Tlaquepaque Chapel

One of Sedona’s best known and most popular officiants is Reverend Andrew Murphy, M. Div. Show Stoppers has worked alongside Andrew many, many times.  His popularity stems from the fact that his ceremonies are both touching and sentimental.  He is well-liked and respected in the Sedona wedding professional’s community making him simply one of the best officiants available in Sedona.  He books very fast.  Our best advise is to secure his services as soon as you can.  A huge plus is that Andrew is fluent in Spanish.  In fact, every year he spends time in Mexico for his many clients who fly him there just for their special wedding days.

Andrew’s company, Heart of Sedona Weddings, provides valuable information and advise through his gorgeous website, HeartOfSedonaWeddings.com Show Stoppers gives our highest recommendation to Reverend Andrew and urge you to visit his website and then speak with him before making any final decisions.  Andrew is a regular at Tlaquepaque, L’Auberge and all the major venues.  He is also a valued member of The Sedona Wedding Studio.

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.    

Nectar Design…

Tlaquepaque’s Official 

Wedding Florist

For those of you who may not know, Ken and I also own Nectar Design in Tlaquepaque.  Our store is located in Suite A.114.

Nectar offers competitively priced wedding packages that are custom designed for brides being married at Tlaquepaque.  (Show Stoppers also has great packages for brides being married at other venues in Sedona. )

To keep prices reasonable,  Nectar’s floral packages are designed to streamline wedding services by eliminating time consuming personal appointments and replacing them with phone and/ or on-line conferencing.  This saves everyone time including the brides and eliminates the need to travel to Sedona just to make simple flower choices.  No personal appointments are scheduled for brides wanting our exclusive packages.  Phone conferencing with designers is of course available anytime with pre-arranged scheduling.  Photos, price lists, booking information and reservation forms are available at Nectar Design or via e-mail.  Sales associates will be happy to provide this material but will not be available for lengthy discussions.  All information is provided in the information they provide.

Not all brides will want a wedding package. Those brides may choose to have custom bouquets with more involved services and discuss their needs with one of our designers.  Budgets, as always, depend on flower choices, season and availability.

The big bonus is that Tlaquepaque brides have the convenience and confidence of an “on property” wedding floral service that focuses on them.  By having an “in house” service that provides flowers exclusively for Tlaquepaque brides, prices can be kept reasonable and the wedding day worry free.

More involved weddings needing services not provided by Nectar Design will be directed to Events By Show Stoppers.  While Nectar Design is a different company, flowers will never the less be filled by the same superb designers that have earned Show Stoppers the reputation we enjoy.

This is a great opportunity for Tlaquepaque brides who want to choose from our different packages to have gorgeous flowers at substantial savings without compromising the quality of the flowers.  Please call Show Stoppers at 928-203-9096 for information or stop by Nectar Design in Tlaquepaque Suite A.114.

  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:   

Eventsbyshowstoppers.com

When we learned that Remi was of Japanese heritage and John was English, we immediately thought this wedding would be an interesting project.  The ceremony was held at The Sedona Heritage Society with the reception immediately following at Tlaquepaque, Tlaq.com.  The reception was in the Calle Independencia which is a very popular venue because of the romantic Spanish architecture, trickling fountains, glowing carriage lanterns and charming overhead string lighting.  The wedding was planned by Karen Lynn, Sedonaweddingplanner.com, who did a superb job.  Again, Katrina Wallace, Sedonabride.com, captured the wedding beautifully.  We enjoyed designing this wedding because of the Japanese elements we were able to incorporate.  You may click to enlarge any of the photos to see more detail.

Here is a great shot of the traditional Japanese Torii which is considered a gateway to a holy site.  We made it of giant timber bamboo held together by traditional wooden dowels.  It was beautiful against the red cliffs of Sedona.

Remi and John were charming and conscious of every detail.  Ken did an exceptional job of designing her bouquet in a contemporary Japanese style.

Orchids, antique hydrangeas, equisetum and cockscomb were used in the designs.

Here are some close ups of the Bride’s Maid’s bouquets.  The combination of colors and textures were very effective.

This is the custom handle of Remi’s bouquet made of equisetum.  Ken chose this type of reed because it mimics bamboo and went perfectly with the theme.

The head table was really lush.  We used manzanita branches, hydranges, orchids and equisetum.

Smaller square glass cubes, some with candles and some with equisetum were used randomly down the table.  Small origami cranes symbolizing faithfulness dangled everywhere from branches of manzanita.  We were very pleased with the overall look of this wedding.

Return to Show Stopper’s website HERE:

Tlaquepaque has to be one of the most charming venues in all of Arizona much less Sedona.  It is one of Show Stopper’s favorites for weddings and events.  Many brides choose Tlaquepaque as the location for their Sedona wedding because of the lovely Chapel and the courtyards where beautiful weddings and receptions take place.

Huge sycamore trees surround Tlaquepaque and provide cool peaceful shade while shoppers stroll through the stylish shops and restaurants.  The architecture is reminiscent of an old world village in Mexico.   All the courtyards have lovely fountains with the centerpiece being the grand fountain in Patio Del Norte.

The huge fountain is a Show Stopper favorite every Thanksgiving and Christmas when we fill it with lavish seasonal floral displays.  Here we have used gourds, pumpkins. red pyracantha berries, fruited persimmon branches, sunflowers, marigolds, chrysanthemums, squash, cattails and hops.  When finished, we turn on the water and let it spill through the display.  Click the photo to see more detail.

Tlaquepaque at Christmas is one of the best times of the year to visit.  We love to decorate the Chapel’s arched entry and try something new each year.  It is a big bonus for the December bride who chooses Tlaquepaque for her Sedona wedding.

Last year in 2007, Show Stoppers designed the Chapel arch with granny smith apples, lemons, giant sugar cones, lichen covered branches, gourds, fir boughs and copper ribbon.  One of the best things about installing Tlaquepaque decorations is the audience that gathers around and watches us work.   Be sure to click on the photo to enlarge the details.

In 2006, we decorated the chapel with stark white winter branches, red apples, giant sugar cones and blue spruce.

Evening wedding receptions at Tlaquepaque are magical.  Guests are always thrilled with the ambiance and brides never forget their really special wedding that would not have been the same at any other venue.

You can see why Sedona brides line up to reserve this gorgeous property.  Its about the ambiance and romantic settings that cannot be found anywhere else.

Check back often for more show stopping photos of recent weddings and events we have created at this exceptional property.

Tlaquepaque books quickly.  For more information and more great photos, go to Tlaq.com.  Jill Kryiakopulous will be happy to speak with you.  Be sure to mention we sent you!

While you are visiting Tlaquepaque, please visit our sister store, NECTAR Suite A.114.  We carry fabulous turquoise and silver jewelry by important Native American artists.  The store also carries imported decorative items, religious items, folk art, home furnishings, textiles, and much more. You can even shop at NECTAR by going to the online store on the Tlaquepaque web site, Tlaq.com

                           Return to Show Stopper’s HERE: