Camelback bridal summit
Hike Echo Canyon Trail (or sunrise option) to the Camelback summit. Take a group photo at the top with the bride centred, the valley spread out behind. The before-bachelorette sunrise hike is a Scottsdale rite.
Cowboy hat for the bride
Old Town has dozens of Western shops (Saba's Western Wear is the classic). Walk in, find a cowboy hat for the bride and matching hats for the team. Take a group photo with everyone tipping their brim.
Desert wildlife spot
Spot any desert creature on your route (a Gambel's quail, a roadrunner, a hawk on a saguaro, a lizard on a wall) and take a group photo with the bride pointing the creature out for the camera.
Local Scottsdalian bridal tip
Convince a local Scottsdale resident to share one favourite patio, taqueria or bachelorette tip. Take a photo with your impromptu guide and the bride, remember the tip.
Old Town night dance
Old Town turns into a nightlife strip after dark. Find a dance floor or a patio with live music (Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row, Maya, Casa Amigos), put the bride in the centre and take a group photo with everyone mid-dance move.
Prickly-pear margarita toast
Find a patio with a desert view (the Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch, the Mission, El Chorro) and order a round of prickly-pear margaritas. Take a group photo with the bride leading the toast, every glass in shot.
Recreate the bride's wildest moment (Scottsdale)
Everyone knows that one legendary night out. Imitate the bride at her most wild moment ever. One person plays her, the rest directs, capture it in a photo or short video. Best impression wins.
Saguaro for the bride
The Sonoran is the only desert where saguaros grow. Find a tall saguaro (some are over 200 years old) and take a group photo with the bride standing under the saguaro arms, the team around her.
Scottsdale bride lift
The party begins! Take a group photo where the bride is triumphantly lifted up by the team with a Scottsdale backdrop (a saguaro, an adobe wall, a Western mural). Higher and louder, this is your opening shot!
Sonoran sunset bridal silhouette
Sonoran sunsets light up the saguaros in orange and purple. Find a west-facing viewpoint (Pinnacle Peak Park has the best) and take a group photo with the bride silhouetted against the cacti and the sunset.
Southwestern bridal plate
Order a Southwest classic (Sonoran hot dog wrapped in bacon, carne asada tacos, chile rellenos) with the team. Take a group photo with everyone, including the bride, taking the first bite at the same time.
Taliesin desert wall portrait
Taliesin West was Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and school in the Sonoran desert. Find a flattering angle on the desert-stone walls and red square logo and take a group photo with the bride centred and the architecture behind her.
To Camelback Mountain (bride)
Drive west to the Echo Canyon trailhead at Camelback Mountain and check in by the trail register.
To Old Town Scottsdale (bride)
Navigate to Old Town Scottsdale and check in around the Civic Center fountain on Main Street and Brown Avenue with the bride and team.
To Taliesin West (bride)
Drive northeast to Taliesin West on Cactus Road and check in at the visitor pavilion with the bride.
Trivia: Scottsdale incorporated
Scottsdale was incorporated as a town in what year (it was founded by Army chaplain Winfield Scott in 1888)?
Trivia: Taliesin West built
Frank Lloyd Wright began construction of Taliesin West in what year?
West's Most Western finale for the bride
This is the final challenge! Take an amazing closing group photo where the bride wears a full bachelorette accessory set (sash, veil, cowboy hat, the works) with a Scottsdale backdrop (a saguaro in golden light, an adobe wall at dusk, Camelback under the stars). A photo for the wedding slideshow, well done everyone!
Western bronze bridal pose
Old Town is dotted with bronze cowboy and cowgirl sculptures. Find one (Robert Glen's "Jack Knife" rearing horse is iconic) and take a group photo where the bride poses with the bronze, the team mirroring the stance.
White for the bride in Scottsdale
The bride is the star today. Make sure everyone in the team wears or holds something white, find a Western shop, an adobe wall or a desert overlook, and take a group photo where the bride stands out in the centre.