Sanctuary Camelback Mountain sits up on the mountainside in Paradise Valley, and it is one of the more dramatic settings I work anywhere in the Phoenix area. I DJ’d and MC’d Madison and Niko’s wedding there, from the ceremony outdoors to the Views Ballroom for the reception, and the mountain stays with you the whole night. One thing worth knowing about this resort is that yours is the only wedding on property that day, so nothing else is competing for the staff, the grounds or the quiet.
The Views Ballroom
The Views Ballroom is a glass enclosed room holding up to around 200 for a reception, which means the mountain and the valley lights are still with you once you have moved inside. I ran sound and lighting for Madison and Niko’s reception in there. It holds energy well once the night gets going, and because it is self contained I can build a system that fills the room evenly and leave the rest of the property peaceful. I light it to work with the glass and everything beyond it.
Ceremonies with Camelback behind you
Before the reception I set up for their ceremony outdoors, with Camelback Mountain itself as the backdrop. Open air on a mountainside asks for more thought than an indoor room does, wind and distance both play into it, and I plan for that long before I arrive. For Madison and Niko that meant a wireless system built to carry cleanly across the lawn, so their vows and the processional came through the way they should. The resort has other outdoor options depending on your guest count, from the Wedding Lawn and the Paradise Views Patio down to the Sunset Garden and the Praying Monk for a smaller list.
Through the night I stay with the resort’s events team, your planner and your photographer, so the ceremony, the light and the first dance all land where everyone is expecting them. I build the soundtrack around that.
Getting married at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain? Check your date.
Madison and Niko’s day was planned by Your Jubilee and photographed by Miranda Jean Photography, with the Sanctuary events team running the property.