We speak a lot about the party. The pretty. The unique ways to make this day your own. But we never forget that this is the day that you and the love of your life will become one. We never forget that the moments leading up to ‘we do’ are some of the most precious moments of your life. Moments you will cherish your whole life long …
photography by Rebecca of Docuvitae LLC
Can you imagine NOT capturing those moments? Can you imagine Taleene and Spencer NOT having these photographs to live and re-live this incredible day in their lives? Thank goodness there are people out there like Rebecca Rotenberg at Docuvitae who have made it their life’s work to capture the depth of emotion, the slight nuances in that special look between lovers, and the overwhelming joy when the kiss … seals the deal!
From the delightful bride, Taleene … We decided on a traditional Armenian wedding ceremony, complete with the beautiful silver crowns that my mom picked out for us. I loved my St. Pucchi dress as it was so unique and intricate, yet still simple in it’s shape and cut. All my jewelry was vintage. I borrowed my earrings and one of my hair brooches from my mom. My veil was also borrowed from a close friend. My beautiful bridesmaids wore hydrangea dresses by Amsale. The peaceful serenity of our ceremony was followed by the wedding party entering to the song “Footlose”! Our vision for our wedding reception was a PARTY. We had Armenian dancing, which got EVERYONE on the dance floor.
After getting engaged in July 2009, we settled right away on the idea of a Palm Springs wedding. My family owns a home in Indian Wells, and we’ve enjoyed so many wonderful memories there around the pool as a couple and as a family. The desert has a wonderful sense of peace that I thought would be the perfect juxtaposition to the big bash we wanted to throw. It also allowed us to have a destination style weekend wedding without putting the burden of a plane ticket on the majority of our guests, since so many would be traveling from Southern California. We were recommended to Cathy and Dorry (Celebrations of Joy) through mutual friends, and Cathy joined us as we toured 5 venues on a 105 degree day in August– true dedication! We knew right away that Celebrations of Joy was the right match for us, bringing an organic, loving approach to the wedding planning process.
The La Quinta Resort, located in the Greater Palm Springs area, was actually the spot where Spencer and I had taken one of our first vacations together when we started dating almost 4 years earlier. So, it was only fitting that we share this gorgeous venue that we had fallen in love with years ago with all our family and friends. The La Quinta Resort staff (especially Jessica Tanner) and the ability to do our entire wedding (ceremony to send-off) outdoors at the wonderful La Casa venue were the icing on the cake.
The next most important step was the photographer. Spencer and I expressed to Cathy that we were looking for a loose, artistic approach. Cathy forwarded us along to Rebecca at Docuvitae. I knew Rebecca was perfect when I asked her if Spencer and I should see each other before the ceremony– she answered no… that the emotion that she’d be able to capture during the ceremony and immediately after would be more genuine if we didn’t. Cathy also introduced us to Luna at Arrangements Floral Design, who really helped in pulling together the “look” of the centerpieces, as well as did the beautiful gauze covering over our ceremony.
We can’t say thank you enough to the wonderful team who helped pull our wedding together. It was the best day of our lives — by far!
photography: Rebecca Rotenberg for Docuvitae LLC
planning & design: Cathy O’Connell & Dorry Wynham, Celebrations of Joy
flowers: Luna at Arrangements Design
venue: La Quinta Resort and Spa