Exclusive: Go Inside Former Cincinnati Bengal Sam Hubbard's Unique Arizona Wedding, Which Featured a Statement Dance Floor

Retired NFL star Sam Hubbard and Jessica Koehler first met as undergrad students at Ohio State in 2015. "I was having a slower morning after a fun Halloween night out the night before, sitting in the living room, playing music for the party, and Sam came and sat down on the couch next to me," Jessica remembers. The rest, as they say, was history. Nearly a decade later, in May of 2024, Sam got down on one knee in their own backyard in Phoenix, Arizona, which had been decorated with flower petals and candles.

Sam and Jessica set the date for April 12, 2025, and chose El Chorro Lodge in Paradise Valley, Arizona, as their venue. "The venue is also nestled in between the beautiful mountains in Phoenix, making you feel like you are in a beautiful valley in the middle," Jessica says. "Everywhere you look, there is gorgeous view, desert agriculture, and beautiful landscaping. We wanted all of our guests who made the trip to experience this beauty and what makes us love Phoenix the way we do."

Their goal was to plan "an intentional ceremony" which would be followed by a "a fabulous party that is so authentically Sam and me," the bride says. To do that, they hired BTS Event Management to help with all of the logistics. The first decision they need to make? What the wedding would actually look and feel like. "When it came to design, we both love color but I lean more into cozy, romantic looks where Sam leans more modern," Jessica notes. "We each love aspects about all of these styles, so we really just wanted that to come out in the feel of everything, and [we wanted] our guests to feel like they were at a 'Sam and Jess' celebration."

To that end, their planning team helped design a unique, colorful event that melded the groom's modern preferences with the bride's cozier style. Here, see how the entire celebration came together in the photos by Jaimee Morse Photography.

The couple worked with the team at Amorette on their invitation suite, which utilized a bold orange color palette and included an insert card highlighting their pre-wedding event, a welcome party that would take place the evening before their wedding.

Keeping guests busy over the course of the wedding weekend was important to Sam and Jessica, and their planning team helped keep everything on track. "There are a lot of decisions to be made, especially with a destination wedding when wanting your guests to all be well accommodated and have an amazing time," Jessica says. "We worked together amazingly but still faced some decision fatigue and changed our mind on a few things throughout. Our planners were incredible and so helpful, allowing us to offset this."

The wedding weekend began with a laid-back welcome party on April 11, 2025, which was held at Andaz Scottsdale Resort. "It was the first time we saw extended family and friends who traveled in for this weekend," the bride remembers. "It was so surreal to start making the core memories we did with all of our people alongside of us."

Though there was no specific theme for the event, the couple requested that guests arrive in casual attire for the party, where they'd enjoy Mexican cuisine in the form of a full taqueria station and signature prickly pear margaritas made with the prickly pear grown on the venue's own grounds. Long, communal tables and neutral-colored lounge vignettes were arranged for seating, allowing guests to mix and mingle throughout the evening. Jessica wore a bold orange dress from Cult Gaia (which inspired some of the evening's bright color palette) while Sam donned a tan linen suit from Tommy Bahama and a pair of white leather sneakers.

A highlight of the evening? A heartfelt speech given by Sam's dad, Jim, during dinner.

Jessica wanted a natural, glowing beauty look, and her hair and makeup team delivered. Her makeup was soft and glowy, and her hair was gently waved then pulled into a half-up hairstyle that helped keep her flowing veil in place.

After trying on a number of different wedding dresses, many of which the bride describes as "trendy," she ultimately decided she wanted to wear something a bit more classic on her wedding day. In the end, she melded tradition with modernity in the form of her strapless satin wedding dress from Watters, which featured a lace-lined thigh-high slit. "I wanted to my wedding dress to feel timeless," she notes. "When I tried it on, I felt so feminine and thought of Sam, too. It was a dress i knew he would also think is very 'me.'"

She finished her look with a classic tulle veil. "I wanted a simple veil that wouldn’t overbear the beautiful lace and silk of the dress," Jessica says. "It felt like another timeless piece for me that brides have been wearing for many years and will continue to wear for many years to come. In old photos and new, I find them to be so elegant."

Jessica's bridesmaids wore mismatched gowns in shades of chocolate brown, yellow, rust, gold and orange. Her sister, Mia, stood by her side as maid of honor and donned a rust-hued gown.

The bride carried an all-white bouquet of orchids, roses, and ranunculus. In a break with tradition, Jessica chose not to have her bridesmaids carry bouquets at all.

Sam wore a classic black tuxedo from Gents Playbook and accessorized with a white boutonnière. He also wore a Rolex "Deep Sea" watch and cuff links with the couple's wedding date and initials that he received as a gift from his bride's aunt.

His groomsmen, including his brother, Jake, who served as best man, also wore classic black tuxedos.

Sam and Jessica chose to see each other during a first look ahead of the ceremony, and it ended up being one of their favorite moments of the day. "We knew that moment would be filled with emotion and happiness and thought it would be so special to share between just us two without the adrenaline factor that comes into play when you walk down the aisle," Jessica says. "We were more happy and excited in that moment than anything! It was so great to come together and get ready to make it official."

It wasn't the only intimate moment they shared on the wedding day, though. Earlier that day, Sam joined Jessica in her hotel room, where they shared coffee and read the vows they'd share later that day. "It was so special and so us," the bride remembers. "We wanted that private moment together before doing it again in the presence of all of our family and friends."

The ceremony was held on the venue's lawn, where crossback chairs were arranged for guests. In place of a traditional altar, the couple's planning team worked with their florist, Bloom and Blueprint, to design asymmetrical arrangements of ceramic flower pots filled with white flowers and greenery. "They included heavy greenery and white garden floral with minimal pops of lighter colors," the bride says. Additional floral arrangements were placed at intervals down the aisle.

The couple loved that they were able to utilize a variety of different spaces for each part of their wedding. "It was an open canvas that allowed us to be creative with the design and flow of our entire wedding day," Jessica says. "It had multiple spaces on the grounds, which allowed us to have each aspect of our wedding day in a different location."

Live musicians, including a violinist, performed during the ceremony. Musical selections included "Sunrise" by Bob Leon, "Maestro" from The Holiday (which was the bride's entrance song), and "Fast Cars and Freedom" by Rascal Flatts for the couple's recessional.

Jessica's dad and stepdad walked her down the aisle together. Then, the couple exchanged vows they wrote themselves. "This was an incredible special and emotional process that we are forever thankful for, and we're proud we elected to read them in front of all of our guests," the bride says.

After being pronounced husband and wife, Sam dipped Jessica for a dramatic kiss in the middle of the ceremony aisle.

After the ceremony, guests moved to the cocktail hour space, where the violinist was joined by a saxophonist to keep everyone's energy up. Attendees relaxed in lounge areas and sipped the newlyweds' signature cocktails (Jessica chose Whispering Angel rosé while Sam selected Titos and soda with lemon). Passed appetizers included ceviche, tomato and basil bruschetta, mac and cheese balls, chili lime chicken brochettes, and a chef's hand-crafted cheese display.

Guests, including the groom's former teammate Joe Burrow, also found their seating assignments during cocktail hour. "Our seating chart wall had photos of each our parents' and grandparents' on their wedding days," Jessica notes. It also featured childhood photos of the couple and their siblings. Creating the seating chart was a DIY project the couple took on in the months leading up to the wedding.

The reception was held in a unique take on an open-air tent that had been built specifically for the wedding by the team at Divinity Event Productions. "The biggest and most important design piece of the wedding was the custom structure built in the desert," the bride notes. There, a mix of round and long tables were topped in velvet linens and arranged around a green-and-black checkered dance floor.

"The best part was that we utilized their 'desert space' on the backside of the venue for our reception, which was not visible from the ceremony or cocktail hour space," Jessica says. "We loved hearing our guests ask, 'Where will the reception be?' and not telling them, leaving it a surprise until the moment they were ushered over to the space. We only hoped they felt some of what Sam and I did when we did our grand reveal. "

Guests were seated at black kings tables or round dinner tables topped with chartreuse velvet linens. A 30-foot-long serpentine head table tucked beneath a greenery chandelier anchored the space, creating a unique and focal point for the reception. Cluster centerpieces of orange, yellow, and blue flowers topped each table, and each place setting included a black charger, a floral print statement plate, a velvet chartreuse napkin, a black matte flatware set, and pleated gold-rimmed glassware. Each seat was marked with a custom menu booklet that featured the guest's name.

"Lighting was very important as this custom structure was built in the middle of the desert with no other sources of light," the bride notes, so bringing in the right amount of warmth via carefully arranged lighting was key.

For dinner, everyone enjoyed their choice of filet mignon or Chilean sea bass.

Signature drinks and other bar offerings flowed throughout the night. During the reception, the newlyweds clinked flutes of Champagne during the touching toasts. " he speeches given by my stepfather, Kevin, my sister, Mia, Sam’s brother, Jake, and my mom closing it out were all captivating," the bride remembers. "I didn’t hear one peep during any of them. They were wonderfully written and so authentic."

Dessert came in the form of a three-tiered wedding cake by A Bake Shop. The confection was covered in vintage-inspired fondant with flower and dragonfly motifs. Inside, layers of lemon cake with strawberry cream cheese awaited.

The bride and groom shared a choreographed first dance to a mashup of "All Again" by Charles Wesley Godwin and "Is This Love" by Bob Marley. After, guests were ready to hit the dance floor.

Jessica changed into a off-the-shoulder mini dress from De La Vali for the reception, which gave her more freedom to dance as their DJ from Spags Music performed. "The music was really important to us and we loved working strategically with Spags," the bride says. "Their MC was wonderful and hilarious and the musicians and DJ were so talented. People were already asking for their contact the next day."

Guests were invited to stop by the couple's candy bar during the reception, which featured a variety of sweets hand-selected by the couple. Even Jessica stopped dancing for a quick snack.

The dance floor was packed until the end of the night. It was important to the couple that they plan a "fabulous party" for their guests, and the results spoke for themselves.

Jessica's best advice for couples in the thick of wedding planning is to ask for help. "Hire a wedding planner who feels like they care as much about the details you care about!" she says. Another tip? "Get as much done as possible before the last one or two weeks before your wedding so you can have quality time with your partner, leaning into how special of a weekend you are about to experience."