The open floor plan and Southwestern style of Carolyn’s parents’ Arizona home proved to be the perfect location for the special occasion. Built by Carolyn’s father, it has played host to weddings of both Carolyn’s older brother and younger sister, and was the natural venue choice for the couple. “I am a family girl and loved the idea of having the ceremony at a place that had an intimate tie to us and a familiarity that resonated with the love and light which embodies our relationship,” says Carolyn. “Despite the state’s take on gay marriage we wanted to have the ceremony in Arizona where all of our friends and family were.”

To infuse the spirit of her parents who had passed, Nicki included gardenias in her hair (they were her mother’s favorite) and lilacs in the bridal bouquets. “My dad planted a lilac for me every year on my birthday. Since my parents passed away a few years ago, this was the way for me to bring them into the wedding and have them there with me.” Judy from The Tulip Tree, a small mom-and-pop floral shop, plucked bright orange, purple and jade roses, purple stocks and lilacs for the bridal bouquets. “The Tulip Tree is not your run-of-the-mill flower shop—it’s so much more and we were beyond satisfied.”

Nicki wore a flowing White by Vera Wang gown purchased at David’s Bridal, sensuously layered in charmeuse, chiffon and soft net. The delicately draped bodice was accented with illusion straps and a sweetheart neckline.

For her loose French side braid, Nicki enlisted in the help of her best friend Alisha, who is conveniently a hairstylist, “We all need a best friend who does hair!” she grins. “We talked about what to do over a bottle of wine and some Pinterest pictures, and voila! I did my own makeup using a combination of Bellapierre and Urban Decay products.” Meanwhile, Carolyn styled her own freshly cut coif herself. “I am a DIY girl and really didn’t want anyone doing my hair or makeup for me. I did my own hair and, to my wife’s surprise, my own makeup!” she exclaims. Her typical edgy Mohawk had recently been softened for the wedding. “My inclination was to ‘hawk’ my hair but Nicki really pleaded with me to wear it down because she loves that look. Turns out she was right, and I was impressed with my ability to re-create the style from the salon a few days before.”

The faith-based ceremony was carefully scripted by the two brides. “If we scrutinized one thing, this was the area. We spent a lot of energy going over the words, our vows and what we wanted to convey to each other and to our audience,” says Nicki. Carolyn shared her vows with Copilot, which was a heartfelt moment for all. “I wanted to really present Ariel with a gift and a commitment from me to her that I would always be there to support, love and encourage her along her journey,” says Carolyn. “She is a great kid and I adore her, and it was very important for me to let her know that not only was I marrying her mother but I was making a lifetime commitment to her, as well.”

Aided with Nicki’s hints, Carolyn had proposed with a handpicked 1.5-carat diamond from Diamond House, a local loose diamond dealer. She then had them create a four-prong setting on a simple white gold band. Nicki had more of a challenge finding the perfect ring for her soon-to-be wife. “I had no clue what she wanted!” she exclaims. “We hadn’t talked about it aside from her saying she didn’t want anything as flashy as my ring, and not a solitaire, but she wanted diamonds.” After hunting the Internet and various jewelers, she found the perfect carat eternity band with a combination of round and baguette diamonds encrusted in white gold.

Immediately following the ceremony, their 115 guests were whisked away to a cocktail hour where they enjoyed mouthwatering passed hors d’oeuvres of shaved beef tenderloin crostini with mascarpone and truffle oil essence, artichoke cake with tomato, olives, arugula and Parmesan aioli, and sausage bruschetta with diced mozzarella, spicy Italian sausage and tomato sauce. “If you’ve ever met a member of our family then you know what a family photo means—chaos!” laughs Nicki. “Trying to coordinate all of the people was ridiculous so we abandoned the plan and just did couple’s photos.”

Tables were lined with copper- and khaki-colored tablecloths, channeling the magical desert backdrop. On half of the tables stood tall manzanita branches draped with tea-light candles, mini pomanders in burnt orange and crimson flowers, and pearls. The other half was decorated with platters of lush moss greenery with an oversize purple pomander and strands of pearls cascading down. Around each centerpiece, beautiful rustic orange candles, heavenly scented with a luxurious combination of lavender, gardenia and wisteria, burned bright. Each was custom-made by Carolyn’s sister through her natural candle company Glow Me Candles. A moon ball light rose above the entire reception, casting a beautiful glow in the Arizona evening sky as guests danced the night away. “We wanted our guests to come join us in a night to remember that wasn’t about the decorations or the clothing, but about love, friendship and joining together to celebrate something incredible. I think we really accomplished that,” says Nicki.

Gleaming Oriental lanterns kissed the branches above the dance floor, where their close friend DJ Drea Strickler of Desert House Productions introduced Carolyn and Nicki as wife and wife. As the crowd applauded, Carolyn led her bride onto the courtyard platform and began swaying to their song Keep on Loving You by Steel Magnolias. Throughout the night, DJ Drea expertly spun a mix of country, hip-hop, oldies and remixes of classic songs. “Nicki and I and a lot of our friends go out two-stepping to a local country lesbian bar, so it was important for us to get the country music in there which everybody absolutely loved! We had guests two-stepping, jumping to hip-hop, and grooving to Drea’s remixed classics,” exclaims Carolyn.

Carolyn and her father had a heartwarming father-daughter dance which made an emotional impact on everyone looking on. “My father has a terminal lung disease and I was so grateful that he was well enough to pack on what I call his ‘Superman pack’ (portable oxygen backpack) and get out there on the dance floor with me,” reminisces Carolyn. “That is a memory I will cherish forever.”

Between dancing, guests feasted on chef-carved, salt-crusted prime rib of beef with rosemary au jus and horseradish aioli, and enjoyed pasta choices of penne with marinara, Italian sausage and ricotta, and fusilli pasta with roast chicken, red peppers, feta cheese and sliced garlic with pine nut pesto, catered by Carolyn’s talented younger brother who is the general manager for the award-winning M Catering by Michael’s. The three-tier cake was designed by local cottage baker Shawnda from Sugar Mamas Bakery, who never freezes cake but bakes it the day prior to the ceremony—“one of the major deciding factors for us,” adds Nicki. The bottom layer was traditional white cake filled with fresh strawberry filling (Nicki’s favorite), the middle was decadent red velvet with cream cheese filling (Carolyn’s favorite), and the top they left up to Shawndra. “We told her to make it chocolate and put whatever she wanted as the filling. Risky I know, but the mystery was fitting for us. If memory serves me right, it was vanilla,” she says. It was frosted with frothy white butter cream and adorned with fresh red and orange spray roses left over from the florist. The topper, which Nicki found on Etsy.com, was a glass cutout of two girls holding hands. “The topper of our cake is one of my favorite details,” she says. “I felt that it was clever and elegant and we just really loved it.”

“Getting to stare into her eyes, and promise her through sorrow and success for all the days of my life, that moment right there was everything that I hoped for,” smiles Nicki.

“It’s really hard to explain how it feels to get married, but it is a day I will never forget. The feeling afterwards was really a deep feeling of joy and ‘Wow, we did it!’” exclaims Carolyn. “Everything from that moment forward for the evening felt very special and joyful. I don’t think I stopped smiling the whole night. Knowing that Nicki was my wifey for lifey, best friend and lover for the journey was a blessing that I felt deeply.”