Palm Springs. The land of the crazy crazy beautiful. Beautiful people, beautiful spaces…and definitely some beautiful weddings. Case in point? This next stunner photographed to utter perfection by Candice Benjamin. It’s edgy and yet lush. It’s whimsical and yet classic. It’s everything a wedding should be and you need look no further than the pure, unabashed joy on the bride and groom’s faces to see just that. Oh and there is so much more right here.
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From the Bride… We picked the Viceroy Palm Springs because we are big fans of mid-century design and wanted a truly intimate wedding filled with personal details. We asked one of our closest friends to get ordained for the day and marry us, which he did with love, humor and grace. Our table numbers were vintage postcards of cities we had traveled to together, and Tim had the genius idea of using an original Frank Sinatra album that we scored on eBay for the guestbook. One of my good friends, the shoe designer Dana Davis, created a custom pair of glittering silver shoes for me. They were so comfortable I wore them for almost nine hours!
The ceremony, cocktail hour and dinner were all outdoors, featuring a dramatic landscape of mountains and palm trees, and later, the moon and stars. It was truly magical, and I remember looking out onto the lawn during dinner and just taking it all in. Tim and I are passionate about music and curated each part of the wedding with our amazing DJ Chris Paul. We danced to Sinatra’s “All the Way” and since my dad is a huge Elvis fan, he and I danced to “Hawaiian Wedding Song.” The reception featured a late night snack of sliders and truffle fries, plenty of dancing, a dessert table, lots of fun in the Lucky Photo Booth and cigars on the patio. The evening ended with my cousin, Oakland-based hip-hop artist J.Lately, performing two songs.
I think we had the dream team of wedding vendors. Our photographer, Candice Benjamin, has an unrivaled passion for what she does, and her team captured each and every special moment of the day. Kiera and Josh from Jakfoto created an incredible cinematic video that we will cherish forever. I’m kind of obsessed with our floral designer Maggie Jensen, who understood our vision and executed it flawlessly. Having day-of coordinators, Cathy and Dorry from Celebrations of Joy, made the wedding so stress-free and fun for us. When you’re dancing with your vendors at the end of the night, it means you picked the right people.
Wedding Photography: Candice Benjamin Photography / Wedding Venue: Presidio Lawn at the Viceroy Palm Springs Hotel in Palm Springs, California / Wedding Coordination: Cathy O’Connell of Celebrations of Joy! / Floral Design: Maggie Jensen Floral Event Design / Wedding Cinematography: Kiera + Josh of Jakfoto Films / Wedding Invitations: Ellisa DiRenzo / Wedding Calligraphy: Calligraphy Katrina / Photo Booth: Lucky Photo Booth / DJ: Chris Paul / Wedding Dress: Carolina Herrera / Bride’s Shoes: Dana Davis / Bride’s Lips Clutch: Lulu Guinness / Bride’s Floral Cuff: Oscar de la Renta / Hair: Christina of Spectrum Salon & Spa / Makeup: Neeraja Lockart / Maid of Honor’s Dress: Monique Lhuillier / Groom’s Suit: Thick as Thieves / Groom’s Shirt + Tie: Brooks Brothers / Groom’s Shoes: Cole Haan