Justine Miller- Arizona Wedding Photography talks about: Sedona Anniversary Trip

Well, my husband and I celebrated our one year anniversary Monday! Yes, we made it.., LOL. It was an eventful week, as I had two Arizona Weddings to shoot and then we took off and drove up to Sedona Early Saturday morning for a relaxing getaway. Sedona is a wonderful Anniversary, Honeymoon or Destination Wedding location! First on our itinerary was a Pink Jeep Tour. We opted for the Broken Arrow and Scenic Rim Tour. To be honest the Broken Arrow Tour was AWESOME!!!! I could have done without the Scenic Rim tour. If I had children with us, the scenic rim tour would have been fine, but definitely no where as adrenaline filled as the Broken Arrow Tour. Our Tour Guide was very knowledgeable and even was nice enough to take some pictures of us.. none of which I will share here though.. I just don't think my over-sized sweater and beanie will do me justice... You know I look fabulous!

There was another photographer out on the trail taking an engagement couple out for some shots... I don't know how he convinced them to go on this tour with him.. he must have been one awesome photographer... at one point we were on e 45 degree decline. I almost abandoned jeep!.
We stayed at an absolutely amazing resort called Amara Resort . The rooms were cozy and the whirlpool tubs made for a romantic and relaxing time with my husband. They were even so kind as to send us a bottle of sparkling wine and truffles to congratulate us on our anniversary. The truffles were so cute.. they had the cutest heart shaped detail on them. I had to try and get a picture of them.. in my slightly tipsy state.. I managed to document one before my husband and I ate them all up! Thanks again for the treat guys it was super tasty and the perfect addition to our long bubble bath!
The next stop on our trip was the Gallery on Oak Creek for dinner. Let me tell you, this is one of the best dining experiences I have ever had! Chef Ivan Flowers really knows his stuff! We had a seven course meal with wine pairings and the menu was amazing.
We started off with e Deconstructed Nicoise'- which was a Ahi Tuna Shahimi paired with Olive Tapenade, Hard boiled egg mousse amongst other things. The chef paired this with a 2007 Seifried Gewurztraminer, which was surprisingly not as sweet as one may expect.
Next we were off to my absolute favorite, the Lobster Bisque paired with a 2006 Twisted Oak Viognier. The two paired together were so sweet and melted like butterscotch in my mouth. My husband and I could have walked away after that portion of the meal alone and been entirely satisfied in terms of taste. But onward we ate! The blood orange encrusted Sturgeon was next paired with a bean cassoulet and a 2006 Bodegas Agapito Rico Monastrell. The Sturgeon was Superb and the Bean Cassoulet was an amazing pairing with this meal. I loved this one!
In between courses we were served a Mandarin and goat cheese sorbet.. which was absolutely delicious. Ahh pallet cleansed for the nest item on the menu, Rack of Lamb served with a 2004 Kinton Syrah. The rack of lamb was tender and juicy, and although I was at my capacity, I managed to get half of this serving down.. the other half my husband so graciously finished for me :) We topped off the evening with a creme brulee and bottle of Opus One.. it was absolutely FABULOUS! Thanks again to Drew, Scott and Ivan for making a wonderful dining experience. Now off to drag our drunk butts to bed!
Ahhh Morning time.. where's the Advil?
Once we got the hangover situation under control, we ordered room service.. are we kidding, we weren't ready to see sunlight yet! About 11, I ventured outside to discover it was MIGHTY COLD!. I put on my sweater and went behind the resort where there was a creek. I shot some pictures down there and my loving husband came down to offer his modeling skills to me... again we wont show those here! But they were pretty funny.. too bad the guy on the balcony was secretly watching him the whole time.. and he was embarrassed. back to the room, time to get a massage! We went over to the Amara Spa and had a couples massage.. it was super relaxing, although my husband always gets the better masseuse... or maybe I am just overly picky! When we came out of the Spa we were surprised to see that the entire place was covered in white SNOW!!! Yes we were surprised with a lovely blanket of snow. unfortunately we had to check out and head back home to get our little girls. So that was it.. our trip was over.. back to Phoenix and reality. I sure did have a blast while it lasted, and can't wait to go back. If you stop by Sedona, be sure to check out Amara and say hi to Chef Ivan from the Millers!