Desert wildlife spot

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.

Camelback summit shot

Hike Echo Canyon Trail to the summit of Camelback. The view at the top covers the entire Phoenix valley. Take a group photo with the team at the summit cairn, valley spread out behind.

Checkpoint: Camelback Mountain

Drive west to the Echo Canyon trailhead at Camelback Mountain and check in by the trail register.

Checkpoint: McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Drive north to the Gateway Trailhead of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and check in at the entrance plaza.

Checkpoint: Old Town Scottsdale

Navigate to Old Town Scottsdale and check in around the Civic Center fountain on Main Street and Brown Avenue.

Checkpoint: Taliesin West

Drive northeast to Taliesin West on Cactus Road and check in at the visitor pavilion.

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.

Cowboy hat shop browse

Old Town has dozens of Western shops (Saba's Western Wear is the classic). Walk into a shop, try on a cowboy hat per teammate and take a group photo with everyone tipping their brim.

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.

Local Scottsdalian tip

Convince a local Scottsdale resident to share a tip about the city. Take a photo with your impromptu guide and remember the tip.

Old Town gallery hop

Scottsdale's Arts District has more than 100 galleries on Main Street and Marshall Way. Pop into one (Western art, contemporary, glassblowing) and take a group photo with the team posed by a striking piece (ask permission if it is inside).

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.

Saguaro selfie

The Sonoran is the only desert in the world where saguaros grow. Find a tall saguaro (some are over 200 years old), take a group photo with the team standing under the arms.

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!

Scottsdale finale

Final challenge. Find a beautiful Scottsdale spot (a saguaro in golden light, an Old Town bronze at dusk, Camelback under the stars) and take an amazing closing group photo. Cheers from the West's Most Western Town!

Scottsdale kick-off

The hunt begins! Find a classic Scottsdale backdrop (a saguaro, a turquoise storefront, a horse-drawn carriage in Old Town) and take a group photo with the whole team in 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.

Sonoran sunset shot

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 silhouettes of cacti and the sunset behind the team.

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.

Southwestern plate

Order a Southwest classic (a Sonoran hot dog wrapped in bacon, carne asada tacos, chile rellenos) and take a group photo with everyone taking the first bite at the same time.

Sunset margarita toast

Find a patio with a desert view (the Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch, the Mission, El Chorro) and order a round of margaritas. Take a group photo with everyone toasting the saguaros, the prickly-pear margarita earns bonus points.

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.

Taliesin West facade

Taliesin West was Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home, studio 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 architecture behind you.

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: Camelback height

Camelback Mountain is the tallest peak in central Phoenix. How tall is the summit in feet (within 50)?

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.

Western bronze 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 team mirrors the bronze's pose.

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.