My Tucson Wedding

Gael Brooks and Christina Detaranto were wed at Saguaro Buttes on June 26th, 2008. It was an international affair with wedding guests in attendance from Sweden, Germany, France, and several different states in America. (Indiana, Arkansas and California)

It rained on the day of the wedding which made for a beautiful sunset. Saguaro Buttes has 360 degree views which provides the perfect setting for fantastic sunset pictures. The rain also cooled the evening to a very comfortable 73 degrees.

Tom and Phaedra were married on June 7, 2008 at Saguaro Buttes in a beautiful ceremony with their children present. Tom and Phaedra met a year and a half ago through mutual friends at a Halloween party. Tom is a mechanic while Phaedra works as a Pharmacy Tech. They love each other greatly and enjoyed a wonderful evening with family and friends.

It has been my experience, that children can be a nightmare at weddings, they can tear up the place, annoy the parents, and make the evening less enjoyable, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Children can have fun at a wedding and it doesn’t have to be boring for them or a headache for the parents. We offer a kids menu of mac and cheese and chicken fingers which is less expensive than the normal menu and the kids love it.  Providing child care to set up some activities and to watch them helps greatly.  At Saguaro Buttes we typically use the Grooms Quarters as a nice place for the children as it has cable TV with Disney channel for movies, a restroom, and an area for games, activities, crafts, etc. The kids are safe, will make new friends and it is an enjoyable evening for everyone.

Rivers Edge Catering is our preferred vendor for providing great service and a wonderful mouth watering menu with various dishes to choose from. Every three months, Rivers Edge Catering provides a “Taste Testing” for all upcoming Brides and Grooms, to assist them in making the selected menu for their upcoming day. On a beautiful June evening at Saguaro Buttes, over 100 upcoming brides and grooms attended this taste testing. The menu that evening was:

• Grilled Breast of Chicken with Tomato Basil Relish
• Pineapple Coconut Chicken Breast
• Grilled Prickly Pear Breast of Chicken
• Lemon Butter Chicken Breast
• Oven Roasted Pork Loin with Ancho Honey Glaze
• Italian Sausage with Caramelized Onion and Peppers
• Garlic rubbed Bristro Filet with Pepper Corn Jus Lie

• Bristro Filet with Red Wine Reduction
• Italian Sausage Lasagna
• Seafood Macaroni and white Cheddar Cheese
• Garlic and Chive Whipped New Patatoes
• Potatoes Au Gratin
• Sauted Zucchini, Red Bell Peppers, Green Beans, and Yellow Squash
• Brown Sugar Buttered Carrots
• Assorted Dinner Rolls and Butter
• Hard Crusted Breads
• Italian Bread Sticks
• Field of Baby Greens

The Catering staff and Jason Hartenbach, owner of River’s Edge since 1998, meets and greets each table and answers any questions concerning menu selection and food choices.

Mariachi are a popular musical group, originally from Cocula, Jalisco, Mexico. The original Mariachi were Mexican street musicians or buskers. As to the name “mariachi” standard Spanish dictionary’s name the French word mariage (meaning wedding or marriage) as a possible origin, and date it back to the 1860’s. Mariachis are hired to play at events such as weddings and other formal occasions, such as a quinceanera. Recently at a Saguaro Buttes wedding, Mariachis were hired to play for a hour or two before the dinner hour.  Mariachis can vary in numbers, this group had five.   This wedding used round lanterns hung from the ceiling which made for a nice touch, especially when it was time for dancing, the colored lights reflecting off these lanterns made for a very colorful atmosphere.

Holly and Marcos had a beautiful and balmy evening with a wonderful sunset for their June 5, 2008 wedding at Saguaro Buttes. The bridesmaids carried yellow umbrellas against black gowns for a splash of color. The umbrella also made a wonderful picture to silhouette the bride and groom against the evening sunset.

Holly and Morcos plan on a honeymoon at Disneyland following the wedding.