Joshua Tree Elopement from Jose Villa Photography + Kristeen LaBrot Events

An elopement is a magical thing. It’s a wildly romantic and utterly intimate way to say I do. Just you and the love of your life pledging your never-ending love for each other, how can it get more storybook worthy? Well it definitely takes the romance level up a notch when you have Kristeen LaBrot ensuring everything goes off in the prettiest way possible, and Jose Villa capturing the day in a way only he can. A way that makes us all stop dead in our tracks when looking at the gallery only to look at the time and realize we’ve spent an embarrassing chunk of our day drooling over them all. So we couldn’t possibly pack the prettiness into one post, stay tuned for Part II coming up in a bit…but if you can’t wait, you can join us in the gallery, we’ll be in there all day.

From the Bride… Warren proposed at the end of the year at what felt like the end of the world. We had just moved out to spend more time in our home in Ibiza, and it was the start of a new life together. As the winter sun set behind Es Vedra, the huge mythical rock out at sea, Warren got down on one knee and completely took me by surprise with his proposal. Being a very all or nothing kind of couple we decided to either go big or very small, and after a few weeks thinking about it, opted for a planned elopement. As two creative people (I am a wedding photographer and Warren is an architect), we are used to thinking creatively and doing things a little differently, so we sat down to plan our wedding with a blank sheet of paper. We brainstormed what we wanted our celebration to feel like: we wanted it to be outdoors, in nature, to be intimate, precious and relaxed, for the ceremony and the meal to be the focus, and for it to be a big adventure, a trip that would combine a wedding and honeymoon. With the world as our oyster, it was initially a far-flung search, but when we found this beautiful private house in the desert and persuaded the owner to let us have our little wedding there, it set the style for the day. We love amazing architecture and the isolated setting in a wild landscape.

Wedding Photography: Jose Villa Photography / Wedding Venue: A Private Residence in Joshua Tree, California / Wedding Design + Planning: Kristeen LaBrot Events / Floral Design: Primary Petals / Officiant: JP Reynolds of JPR Weddings / Catering: The Paper Palate / Wedding Cake: Sweet & Saucy Shop / Calligraphy: Paul Antonio / Menu Design: Maison du Papier / Ceremony Music: Laura Keller / Linens: La Tavola / Other Rentals: The Korman Group / Transportation: Beverly Hills Rent-a-Car / Wedding Dress: Marchesa / Bride’s Earrings: Alexis Bittar / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bride’s Clutch: Anya Hindmarch / Bride’s Cardigan: J.Crew / Hair + Makeup: 10.11 Makeup / Groom’s Suit: Whistle & Flute / Wedding Ring: Neta Wolpe