Scottsdale couple dodges a rainy wedding disaster

PHOENIX — It’s every bride’s worst nightmare to have it rain on their wedding day, especially if the wedding is planned for outside.

That’s exactly what happened to Emily and Cole Caldwell of Scottsdale.

“All of last week we just kept checking the weather and it kept changing,” Cole said. “Thursday morning came around, and the weather for Saturday got worse and worse with projections for rain.”

They started calling hotels and restaurants across the Valley trying to see if any venue was available for a wedding of more than 150 guests.

They also called tent companies to see if there were any tents that they could rent. But with various events over the weekend — the Arizona Taco Festival and Four Peaks Oktoberfest — there were none left.

“We probably made 50 or more calls trying to figure out a way to save the day,” he said.

Meanwhile, Emily said she had “a few panic attacks” leading up to Saturday.

“I was very upset that we couldn’t have our wedding at the venue that I originally wanted,” she said.

They initially planned to have the wedding at a private residence in Paradise Valley.

With just three days before the wedding, the Orange Tree Golf Club and Resort in Scottsdale stepped in to save the big day.

Cole said his father, who spent a lot of time golfing at the resort, contacted them on Thursday and explained the situation.

Thomas Futch, the resort’s general manager, offered to help the couple and provided an indoor wedding venue free of cost. He also allowed the couple to bring in their vendors.

“Usually we have about 12 months to plan a wedding,” Futch said, adding that they host about 50 weddings a year. “We did it in three days, so it was a stretch. But we got it taken care of.”

Looking back, Emily said her wedding day was everything she envisioned and more.

“From completely outside to completely inside, it was gorgeous,” she said. “It turned out, honestly, probably better than it originally could have.”

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