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Sedona Golf Resort
Exchanging vows on a golf course may not seem very romantic – until you see the view that surrounds the Sedona Golf Resort. Set atop a small hill in the Village of Oak Creek, the sweeping panorama around the Resort includes eyefuls of Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, Lee’s Mountain and pine-studded mesas. Line up a ceremony on the lush putting green facing the red rocks, then follow it with a 19th hole reception in the elegant restaurant where you can gaze through enormous windows, and you’ll feel the natural beauty without having to shake any red dirt off your white shoes.
Sedona Golf Resort can accommodate weddings of up to 200 people, but special event coordinator Janelle Sparkman says the dining room comfortably seats 136 with a handful of guests seated on the 18-by-12-foot dance floor. Janelle says buffet dining is the most popular option, but the Resort offers a wide range of sit-down meals, an hors d’oeuvres buffet, vegetarian fare, kids’ meals and even a cowboy cookout. The Resort provides all alcohol (the bride and groom can request a favorite bottle of wine or champagne in advance if it’s not on the menu) and linens, but not the cake, flowers or sound equipment.
Janelle cites May/June and September/October as the Resort’s busiest months for weddings, with the vast majority of couples coming in from Central and Southern Arizona. She already had four weddings booked for 2007 by early ’06 – sorry, 7/7/07 is taken.
The Resort has a patio with red rock and golf course views and a large fire pit. Wedding parties may use it for cocktails prior to the reception or, for 50 or fewer guests, a reception under the stars. Gas lamps can be brought in to heat the space during cooler months.
Weddings at Sedona Golf Resort range from roughly $6,000 to $16,000 depending on how elaborate your plans are. The Resort does not host receptions before 5 p.m. (the restaurant is open until 2:30 p.m. every day) but ceremonies can be held throughout the day. Call 928-284-2093 or visit www.sedonagolfresort.com.
Sedona Creative Life Center
Perhaps it’s the glass steeple visible from Uptown, the tranquility of the Peace Garden or the stained glass skylights of the Great Room, but images of blushing brides and love-struck grooms fit so naturally in the scene when we think of the Sedona Creative Life Center. Located off Schnebly Hill Rd. in the shadow of Munds Mountain, the non-denominational Center has several options for ceremonies featuring beautiful views at very attractive prices.
If your guest list is long enough to include your Great-Aunt Enid’s son’s daughter’s boyfriend, the Great Room holds 225 guests with a small stage for an altar. A brilliant blue stained-glass skylight gives the room a sense of serenity. Wedding parties may bring in flowers and decorations to personalize the space (no candles, please).
For a more intimate ceremony, the Chapel (50 guests) is pure Sedona. The couple weds in romantic natural light beneath a towering glass steeple in view of the red rocks and an enormous cottonwood tree. Paintings of angels and doves – from the home of Creative Life Center founder, Shirley Caris – brighten the walls.
