A Tucson Wedding Photographer’s Reflections at the Buttes

When you make your living as a portrait and wedding photographer in Tucson, it is nice to have your headquarters in close proximity to popular wedding venues like Reflections at the Buttes.

Sometimes, I have to travel hours to the outer reaches of Arizona to get to my wedding destination. I have even flown across the country to photograph them. So, whenever you only have to drive five scenic miles to your next job, it is not quite like working from home, but it comes close.

Reflections at the Buttes is set up perfectly for weddings. A gazebo serves as the alter area for the ceremony site, with the Santa Catalina Mountains, providing a beautiful backdrop. Inside, Reflections provides a luxurious bridal room for the bride and her girls to get ready in, before the ceremony. There is also an area designated for the groom and his party to fumble around with their bow ties. The dining room and dance area provides plenty of wedding ambiance and can hold a maximum of about *145 people. (*You will have to check with Reflections for the exact number.) The staff at Reflections is a proactive one. They see to it, your wedding day will flow smoothly and efficiently and, by the way, I am not too shabby at that either. Should a problem arise, I have seen the people at Reflections come to a bride’s aid in a moments notice. Add to all that, the fact their facility is easily accessed from Oracle Road in Oro Valley; it should not surprise anyone that they happen to book a ton of weddings there.

Sarah and Derek’s wedding is one of two weddings I photographed at Reflections this past March. Prior to those weddings, the last wedding I had there was more than two years ago. I suppose it is easy to get lost in the shuffle these days, when there are so many more wedding photographers in Tucson, from which brides and grooms can choose.  In my short twenty years of photographing weddings, I have seen these things come and go, like the tide. With another wedding scheduled there this year, maybe this time the tide has come in to stay. It is always nice when you do not have to travel very far!

Derek takes time for a few casual photos, just before his wedding ceremony at Reflections at the Buttes.
Derek takes time for a few casual photos, just before his wedding ceremony at Reflections at the Buttes.
Sarah and her dad, exit the main building at Reflections to join with her soon to be husband, waiting at the alter.
Here She Comes
The First See
The First See
The Exchange - Reflections at the Buttes Wedding Photography
The Exchange 
Derek and Sarah hold hands, while waiting to exchange vows, at Reflections at the Buttes.
The Hand Hold 
The image to the left is a good illustration of the isle that leads from the building at Reflections at the Buttes to the ceremony site.
Ceremony Site and First Kiss
Sarah is hugged and congratulated by her recently crowned mother-in-law, at Reflections at the Buttes.
After being introduced as husband and wife for the first time, Sarah and Derek are congratulated by friends and family on the lawn at Reflections at the Buttes. 
Sarah and Derek - Kiss
Sarah and Derek – Kiss

Before I became a wedding photographer, I worked as an assistant to a wedding photographer. One of the first things I learned how to do was to set up a brides wedding dress for photos.  After more than two decades, I still get a lot of very surprised wedding guest, when they see me set up a brides wedding dress in virtually one quick motion. (Wedding photographers are supposed to know how to do that.)

Here are a couple poses I took of Sarah and Derek, just minutes before they were introduced into the reception.
Sarah and Derek 
Sarah and Derek begin their life long dance together, at Reflections at the Buttes in Tucson.
The Dance Begins
Ever After
Ever After

I would like to wish Derek and Sarah a very blessed life together. May your loving cups flow like a river to the sea that never ends!

You can see more wedding photography taken at this venue, at the Reflections at the Buttes pages of my website.

Check out my first and only YouTube video, so far. It includes one of the photos in this post.

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Author: Paul Van Helden

Paul Van Helden is a professional headshot, portraits, event, nature, still life and landscape photographer, based in Tucson Arizona. Some of his published credits include The Valley Wedding Pages and Sierra Club. Paul has worked professionally for over thirty years. Biologist and nature photographer Fred Dodd Jr. first introduced him to photography in 1982. Later, Paul studied photography at Dean College and began to photograph weddings under the tutelage of Craig Roberts of Franklin, Massachusetts. After working as a freelance wedding specialist for five years, he started his own photography business in Bellingham, Massachusetts in 1995. In December of 2004, he moved to the American Southwest, a part of the country he fell in love with, when he first visited the region in 1984.