An Otherworldly Wedding at Amangiri

Dissolving into Utah’s otherworldly desert, Amangiri made for an awe-inspiring intimate wedding location for Keira & Ahmed.   Inspired by the dreamscape that enveloped them, every styling detail felt like a natural extension of their surroundings. For their intimate ceremony, floral clusters in earthen palettes flower from mirrored pillars, reflecting the sparse, arid terrain.

Within the winding contours of desert sandstone, a magical reception dinner unfolded for 12 guests. Framing the tablescape lined with organic blooms and candlelight, a tunnel of flowing chiffon draped above. 

The ethereal wedding was planned & styled by Mae&Co Creative, and captured by photographer Anni Graham..

Our Story

Names / Keira & Ahmed

Wedding Date / September 4th, 2022

Guest Numbers / 12

Budget / $400,000+

How We Met

We met on Instagram in early 2017. We talked for a while through DMs and texts and formed a friendship. I loved his sense of humor. We decided to meet in person at a local hookah bar in Chicago. We hit it off instantly and throughout the summer we fell slowly, madly in love.

Our Engagement Story

In January 2019 we were on a cozy Winter trip to Manhattan. On the last day of our trip, we took a walk through Central Park. Since it was chilly and raining, there were very few other people around us and it felt like we had the park to ourselves. Ahmed led me to a rock formation with a beautiful view, got down on one knee, and proposed.

Marriage To Us Means…

Intentionally choosing to embrace every part of the person who loves you most – agreeing to stick together through all of life’s obstacles. It means never losing sight of why you love each other so much and appreciating the joy you bring to each other’s lives every day.

The Setting

Wedding Location

We originally planned on having a much larger and more traditional wedding in our hometown of Chicago. But Covid delayed our plans and things were left up in the air. We went on a short vacation to Amangiri Resort in Utah when things started opening back up and we fell in love with the stunning scenery. We had never been anywhere that brought us so much peace. We immediately knew it was the perfect location for such a special day.

Aesthetic

We wanted our wedding to feel cozy and romantic to reflect our relationship, while also highlighting the serenity of the beautiful location.

Preparation

The morning of the wedding was so peaceful and perfect. Ahmed and I had breakfast together in our suite then we headed to the spa to get massages. After, I went horseback riding with my mom which was unforgettable on Amangiri’s property.

“We went on a short vacation to Amangiri Resort in Utah when things started opening back up and we fell in love with the stunning scenery. We had never been anywhere that brought us so much peace. We immediately knew it was the perfect location for such a special day.”

Photography

Our wedding photographer was Anni Graham. We were introduced to her through our wedding planner and we fell in love with her romantic, ethereal style. Our photos turned out even better than we imagined. She captured so many special intimate moments while also highlighting the beautiful styling details of the day.

Videography

Our wedding videographer was Films by Stanton. We were also introduced to him by our wedding planner and we loved his high-quality, cinematic films. We knew he would be perfect to capture the beauty and magnitude of our venue.

Style Notes

Ceremony Décor

Mae&Co Creative planned, designed and styled this wedding at Amangiri, and their ceremony design paired ethereal elegance with organic minimalism. With a small, intimate guest count we trusted Mae&Co to amplify the vast feeling of the surrounding desert by making every detail feel as if it was growing out of Amangiri’s natural landscape. Mae&Co created our ceremony design atop the desert lounge ledge with a backdrop of mirrored pillars to reflect the surrounding desert landscape, and Siren Floral Co. created monochromatic floral clusters that cascaded effortlessly through the space.

Reception Décor

Mae&Co designed the reception in one of Amangiri’s most remote and exclusive sites. Set in the private Raven’s Nest space overlooking Amangiri, we wanted this beautiful location to speak for itself. Hidden within the curves of desert sandstone, Mae&Co designed an overhead, tunnel-like structure with draped chiffon to create an ethereal, romantic space in the cliffs. The layering texture on texture, lush florals swirled around clusters of organic rocks, and dramatic taper candles. Mae&Co designed a luxury tablescape design with neutral sand linens to complement the colors of Amangiri, and they elevated the natural, desert vibes by incorporating hand-dyed linens and bone-colored ceramics. A luxury and earthly reception set up for 15 guests, every detail made this intentional space romantic and intimate.After the reception, Mae&Co styled a hookah lounge under the starry sky as a romantic nod to our first date. It was so special to incorporate that experience for our guests!

Wedding Planner & Stylist

We hired Mae&Co Creative for our wedding, and they took care of every touch. They handled every detail from sourcing materials for styling to hand-selecting the best of the best vendors, from designing everything for our rehearsal dinner and our post-reception hookah lounge while making sure the day felt like a reflection of us.

Flowers

We loved working with Siren Floral Co to bring our edgy and earthy design to life! Siren Floral perfectly captured the idea that flowers have an inexplicable draw and power to elevate the beauty and texture of a natural landscape, and every bloom choice from the explosion grass to the butterfly ranunculus was a perfect choice.

Stationery

We used Wildhouse Ink for all our wedding invitations and printed signage. Wildhouse Ink designed everything from custom menus from the wedding day to the hookah lounge to guest itineraries – every detail exuding ethereal beauty.

Cake

We went through Amangiri for our wedding cake. So many different pieces of the day were inspired by the landscape at Amangiri, and this cake was no exception. Inspired by the textures of the silk wedding dress and the layers of Amangiri’s canyons, this cake was designed to complement Mae&Co’s designs that emerged so naturally from the space.

Fashion & Beauty Notes

Bride’s Dress

I wore Ines Di Santo’s ‘Paola’ dress – a simple fit and flare gown with a square neckline. I didn’t want my dress to be too distracting from the backdrop of our ceremony location. It was comfortable and lightweight too – perfect for the 100-degree desert day!

Bride’s Shoes

My shoes were by Jimmy Choo. They were the ‘Rosie’ platform sandals in ivory.

Wedding Rings

My engagement ring is a classic Tiffany & Co. tiffany setting ring. My wedding band is a beautiful band covered in tiny diamonds from Cartier. Ahmed’s wedding band is a more rugged style from David Yurman.

Jewelry / Accessories

My bracelet was lent to me by my mom and my earrings were a pair that I’ve had in my closet for years – I’m pretty sure I found them on Etsy.

Hair & Makeup

My hair stylist was ATHINAXHAIR & my makeup artist was Alyssa Cruz. I knew I wanted long, loose waves and I wanted my makeup to be a slightly more glamorous version of what I look like every day. I wanted to feel like an enhanced version of myself and I think they nailed it.

The Details

Transport

Amangiri handled the transport for us.

Honeymoon

We’re planning on going somewhere warm and sunny to get a break from the Chicago cold soon!

Wedding Songs

Entrance song: Ahmed walked out to “By Your Side” by Kanye West & I walked out to “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Kina Grannis

After ceremony song: “As” by Stevie Wonder

First Dance: “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar & H.E.R.

Entertainment

We had beautiful live guitar music by Spencer Kilpatrick during dinner. For the ceremony and hookah bar after dinner, we had DJ Bella Fiasco perform. Music is really important to us, so we wanted our DJ to be as far away from a “wedding DJ” as possible. Bella Fiasco was amazing, played all of our favorite music, and kept our guests dancing until the second we had to wrap up the night.

Celebrant

Our wedding planner introduced us to Let’s Get Married by Marie and we loved her energy – even over a zoom call. She was an amazing choice for our ceremony. We loved how detailed, personal, and heartfelt her words were.

Readings

We both wrote our own wedding vows and they were written extremely last-minute! We both spent time finishing them up the morning of our wedding, but you would never know. Thinking about Ahmed’s vows still gives me goosebumps.

Our Advice

A memorable moment…

After we took photos, we had a few moments to ourselves before our guests arrived at our dinner location. The location was elevated above Amangiri. We had tons of candles decorating the table, there was gorgeous draped fabric above us, the sun was setting and the view was incredible. We both soaked in the first moments of married bliss.

One thing I wish I knew before I started my wedding plans…

As fun as all the details are, they really don’t matter. You’re marrying the love of your life and that’s the only thing that matters. Nothing is worth stressing over, just have fun!

Sources of inspiration…

Amangiri itself inspired our overall vision and, honestly, Pinterest was a huge source of inspiration, too! Also, our wedding planner helped put the abstract ideas in my head into motion. 

Our Contacts

Wedding Venue / Amangiri

Wedding Stylist & Planner / Mae&Co Creative

Photography / Anni Graham

Videography / Stanton Giles

Bride’s Dress / Ines Di Santo

Bride’s Shoes / Jimmy Choo

Wedding Rings / Tiffany & Co & David Yurman

Hair / ATHINAXHAIR

Makeup / Alyssa Cruz

Stationery / Wildhouse Ink

Florist / Siren Floral Co.

Cake / Amangiri

Catering / Amangiri

Celebrant / Let’s Get Married by Marie

Entertainment / DJ: Bella Fiasco & Hookah: Hookaholics Mobile Catering

Transport / Amangiri