Another Wedding at the Painted Pony Resort

A busy and fast paced week at the Painted Pony Resort in preparation for another wedding.  A front moved through while cleaning the grounds, courtyards, and outdoor furniture which required a second re-cleaning after the front passed but fortunately the cleaning was finished in time for the bride and grooms arrival from Maine.  The family began gathering with the wedding scheduled for Saturday afternoon.  Saturday morning began with a hike for family members in Cave Creek Canyon and an Elegant Trogon hunt.  The group covered 4.5 miles along the riparian habitat in Cave Creek canyon, built some balancing stone sculptures, and walked up to the bridge in South Fork hoping for a Trogon siting.  The presence of several vehicles at the bridge indicated others were also hoping for a Trogon sighting.  Unfortunately, no evidence of the Trogon was found and the group hiked back down canyon and headed back to the resort to finish preparations for the wedding.

The photographer arrived from Las Cruces and the ceremony got underway about 5:00 PM.  The bride and bridesmaids used the large mirrored bath in the bungalow for their preparations and the brides parents escorted her to the courtyard for the ceremony.  Held under the cabana in the courtyard of the main house under the deep blue New Mexican sky the officiant was a Quaker pastor, a family member.  The wedding banquet which followed was also held in the courtyard with a scrumptious southwestern buffet after the photography session.

After dinner it was time for fireworks in the front parking area followed by a pickup game of basketball at the instigation of a bridesmaid who played in college.  The festivities continued late into the night but I retired for sleep.  Sunday morning was quiet as one might expect after a long day.  In all another successful event at the Painted Pony Resort with happy newlyweds.

The bride and parents at the Painted Pony Resort

ceremony under the cabana in the courtyard

The happy couple in Cave Creek Canyon

Wedding at the Painted Pony Resort

The Painted Pony Resort just finished hosting its third wedding.  Two weddings last year and one this year.  With 70 guests, 20 staying on the property and the rest staying at guest residences around the valley, it was the biggest wedding yet at the facility.  The ceremony was held in the courtyard with seating for 80 while the reception and dinner was held in the hanger.  Debbie and Rob of the Rodeo Tavern catered the wedding dinner and tables and chairs came from Romantic Realities in Douglas.  Angelina's Photography, also in Douglas, provided the photographer.  The DJ, Mario Garcia, was from Silver City and provided music for an evening of dancing under the bright New Mexican sky.

All in all the event came off very well and the new couple along with their guests had a wonderful time.

Ceremony in the courtyard

Processional

Reception, dinner, and dancing in the hanger

Dancing under the stars

Another Wedding at the Painted Pony Resort

Two weddings in 2 weeks, things have been very busy at the Painted Pony Resort.   With our extensive local contacts a cleaning crew was recruited to reduce the turn around time and prepare the facility after the last wedding party departed.  This compares with a couple of weeks it takes a single person to completely clean and prepare the facility.  Even the gravel driveway into to facility was raked and prepped.

The new guests arrived and they also planned an outdoor wedding ceremony. These guests combined the wedding with a world wide family reunion.  The couple were originally married in Europe but family members from the states were unable to attend the ceremony, so plans were made to have a duplicate ceremony here in the U.S.  The place was full with both sides of the family and had an international air with French and English being spoken.

During their stay the guests have enjoyed some birding in the Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge,  a trip to Bisbee, and morning walks which turn into archeological surveys of the property.  So far a nice bifacial scrapper, a stone bell, and a 2 cm chert arrowhead have been recorded from the property.  A petangue  tournament was also organized and the past several evenings have involved heated matches between half a dozen teams.  A game of French origin, petanque appears easy but tossing the metal balls and having them stop closest to the cochonnet (the piglet) proves difficult.  A petanque court was set up next to the runway with easy access to the main house and bungalow.

Courtyard wedding preparations

Outdoor wedding in front of the Peloncillo Mountains

Wedding at the Painted Pony Resort

The 3 buildings with 9 bedrooms on the 80 acre estate is ideal for weddings as evidenced by recent events.  A couple from out of town chose the Painted Pony Resort as their wedding destination and the estate was host to approximately 40-50 wedding guests.  With views of the Chiricahua Mountains to the west and the Peloncillo Mountains to the east the setting is ideal for an outdoor wedding.

The bungalow served the as the honeymoon suite and staging area for the evening wedding held on the east side of complex with the Peloncillo Mountains lit by the evening sun as a backdrop.  Family and friends occupied the main house and guest house, and several chose to camp out around the buildings rather than stay inside.  Additional guests were lodged at the Case Adobe Bed and Breakfast, Mountain Valley lodge, and Portal Peak lodge.  The Chiricahua Desert Museum provided tables and chairs for the wedding dinner, which was catered by La Buena Vida Farm.  All the food was locally grown and the meat was raised specifically for this event creating a very special wedding dinner.  Guests were also hosted to an evening at the Lost Arcade in its' new location in Rodeo.  Of course the heated pool and hot tub saw lots of action as well as the pool table and ping pong table and one couple, geologists, lead guests on a geology hike in the National Monument several days before the wedding.

Below are 2 photographs from the wedding.  Preparations in the courtyard for the wedding dinner which was followed by an evening of dancing under the stars and the guests assembled on the east side of the property.  The party after the wedding went till 4 A.M with dancing and swimming.

Wedding preparations at the Painted Pony Resort

Awaiting the arrival of the wedding couple