+OUR ALMOST WEDDING VENUE: Montelucia Resort, Scottsdale, Arizona

When Justin and I first got engaged, we decided that getting married in the town we live in was not an option. We both have large families, but Justin has an even larger friend base. Seriously. His cousin (who is one of his best friends) got married a few years ago and had around 500 people at their wedding. Hello no! So we knew from the get go that going out of town for our wedding was ideal to cut numbers down.

I wanted to get married in Dallas. That's where I'm from and I love it there and it would mean so much to be able to marry there. But unfortunately that was too far for the inlaws to travel too, so we decided to look closer to home. Insert Phoenix and San Diego.







I scoured the internet and magazines for venues. I've checked out and gotten pricing for almost every venue in the Phoenix area and we probably went and saw about 6 of them. Nothing felt quite right until we accidentally ran into the Montelucia. We were actually on our way to another venue and we saw this place and just decided to go in without an appointment. Hello amazingness. It is so gorgeous and totally our style. It's a gorgeous Moroccan/European inspired resort. Super sexy and well decorated, its the ideal wedding venue for us. Small problem though. The minimum for food and beverage on a Saturday night is $25K. Holy shit.





That's hella expensive for us. We're hoping to stay around $20K total for our wedding. Not $25K just for food and beverage. Nope. The only problem was, that we both fell head over heels in love with the place. It was just perfect. We both felt it and knew that we loved it and we wanted to marry there. It was definitely disappointing when we got the price sheet and realized it was out of our budget. I mean on top of the minimum $25K you still have photo, video, dj, flowers, cake, planner, attire, gifts, lodging, and the list goes on. You'd be spending easily over $30K for one night.







I mean if we had the money we would totally do it there. But we don't. So we had to start looking elsewhere. We decided that we would try to come stay at the Montelucia on our anniversary just so we can experience it. If you're in the Phoenix area and you have the budget to support it, I highly recommend you look into the Montelucia.

PROS: Stunning surroundings at the base of Camelback Mountain. 251 guest rooms, 40 luxury suites, and 2 presidential suites to choose from for accommodations. Mediterranean and Moroccan décor. 31,000 square foot award winning spa. Gorgeous swimming pools, bars, and restaurants. 6 dining options including a 4 diamond restaurant "Prado". The only ordained chapel in Phoenix area resorts, Castillo Lucena. You can actually have a priest come in and do your ceremony there if you want.

CONS: For us, pricing for the ceremony and reception, as well as guest suites was an issue for us. More than one wedding could be happening at the same time as yours. i.e. one in Castillo Lucena while another is going on in the Alhambra ballroom.

General Information:

Wedding Ceremony: $3,500 ceremony site fee for all venues. White folding chairs and house linens, setup and tear down, two microphones with sound system, citrus infused water services, altar/unity + guestbook tables, and honeymoon accommodations included.
*You are required to hire a Hotel approved wedding coordinator

Reception: Standard in-house linens provided for all tables, dance floor, round tables, banquet chairs, resort bar, china, flatware, and stemware included. Amplified music outdoors must conclude by 10:00pm. Saturday night minimum for food and beverage is $25K.

Fees: Valet is $5 per car, self parking is free. $150 per bartender, 1 needed for every 75 guests, $150 per cashier, $200 per chef attendant for up to three hours, need 1 per every 75 guests. 24% service charge to be added to all food and beverage costs, plus current Arizona sales tax.

Venue Options:
Castillo Lucena- Up to 100 guests. My absolute favorite. This is the chapel I was talking about. So stunning and totally my style. Exposed beams, cathedral ceilings, dark wood floors, chandeliers, and lots of charm.





Camelback Villa and Lawn- Up to 150 guests. So this is a beautiful suite you can book and then have the ceremony on the lawn and reception somewhere else or on the lawn as well. Your choice.







Valencia Lawn and Ballroom- Up to 225 guests. Also a beautiful choice. The lawn and terrace area are ideal for ceremony and cocktail reception. The ballroom is a standard ballroom, but with the addition of the indoor outdoor feel it makes it more special.







Alhambra Ballroom- Up to 500 guests. We didn't even look at this because we knew we didn't want that many guests, but it looks like it's just as beautiful as the rest.




All photos found at: www.Montelucia.com

Here are some personal iPhone photos I snapped while we toured the venue. Also, I got this pricing back in 2012, so their rates may have inflated since then.

Stunning landscaping

The doors leading into the Castillo Lucena

Castillo Lucena

One of their bars

Another view of the bar

Gorgeous interior in the spa

 

Makes me want to book this venue now as I re-look at all these photos. Such a lovely place. I have the menu pricing if anyone is interested. Just shoot me an email at JetBlackBlog@gmail.com and I'll send it over to you.