Backyard Palm Springs Destination Wedding
If you ask me, this couple had the right idea. With guests traveling from all over Canada and England they opted for a destination "I do" in sunny Palm Springs. Playing up their desert setting they stuck to a light, neutral palette with blooms by Arrangements Floral, and made certain there was good tunes and dancing all through the night. See the day through all Candice Benjamin's captures right this way.
From The Bride...We knew we wanted our wedding to be a fun celebration focused on our love, with all our friends and family! Our friends and family were excited about the idea of heading to La Quinta for a mini-destination- we had friends coming from all over Canada, and a group of family traveling from England. We decided on La Quinta because its a really special place for us, and the date was too perfect to pass up! We have gone to the Coachella Music Festival for many years, and we got engaged while in California for the festival last year. The day before the Coachella festival this year happened to fall on the day of our 10 year anniversary, April 17, and we loved the idea of getting married on that day surrounded by family and friends, where we got engaged, and then continuing the celebration at the festival for the weekend with many of the guests!
When looking for a venue in La Quinta, there was only one that we had our heart set on - Jeff's parents house, in the PGA West community. From the beginning, I could picture walking down the aisle that wouldlead through the entrance archway, across the courtyard and down towards the pool edge where the ceremony would take place. We got our wish when we found a caterer, New Leaf Catering, and a florist, Luna of Arrangements Floral and Party Design, who confirmed we could make our wedding happen there, and who were willing to take on the challenge of planning a wedding at private residence with a couple who lived in Canada!
We were not set on any particular color scheme, and instead wanted to make sure that our decor fit the beautiful desert setting. That lead us towards flowers in creams, blush, peach and succulent greens, with additional accents in the decor of gold and turquoise. The bridesmaids picked mismatched blush colored dresses to blend with the desert feel, and groomsmen matched Jeff in light grey suits. It was important for us to incorporate elements of our home on the west coast of Canada into the wedding. We made candle holders from driftwood collected from beaches at home for each table, and gifted each guest with a jar of spicy red pepper jelly from Hornby Island, where my family has a cabin. Luna's team did a wonderful job on the day bringing all the elements together, to make a day filled with love feel magical.
Music was also a really important aspect of our wedding, as we are such music lovers - with input from friends, we made playlists for cocktail hour, dinner, and 6 hours of dancing. Parents and the bridal party walked down the aisle to 'Falling' by the Lumineers, and I was walked down the aisle by my Dad to an acoustic version of 'Yellow' by Coldplay - a longtime favorite song of Jeff and mine. One of our best friends from home officiated the wedding ceremony, which took place by the pool with a view of the mountains, and included personal vows and a reading by my Mum, Claire. After the ceremony, cocktail hour in the courtyard lead into dinner, again in the backyard space, which had been transformed during cocktail hour. Guests sipped on our favorite wines and a signature lavender French 75 cocktail, New Leaf Catering provided a fantastic meal with a variety of food stations. For our dessert, my Dad made my all time favorite, his famous cheesecake, as our wedding cake for all our guests, in the form of a cake for the head table and a cheesecake cupcake for each guest.
Two of the best MCs we could ask for entertained us for the evening, and heartfelt and hilarious speeches were followed by our first dance, which was such a special moment for us - we danced to an Eric Clapton song as our friends and family surrounded the dance floor holding sparklers. Dancing, sing alongs, lounging on the outdoor furniture in the courtyard, and photos in the photo booth ran very late into the night, which concluded with a whole group of guys including Jeff jumping in the pool for a late night swim! A day after get together with all the guests at my parents the next day lead right into a weekend of fun and music at the Coachella Valley Music Festival. We could not have asked for a more perfect weekend!
When looking for a venue in La Quinta, there was only one that we had our heart set on - Jeff's parents house, in the PGA West community. From the beginning, I could picture walking down the aisle that wouldlead through the entrance archway, across the courtyard and down towards the pool edge where the ceremony would take place. We got our wish when we found a caterer, New Leaf Catering, and a florist, Luna of Arrangements Floral and Party Design, who confirmed we could make our wedding happen there, and who were willing to take on the challenge of planning a wedding at private residence with a couple who lived in Canada!
We were not set on any particular color scheme, and instead wanted to make sure that our decor fit the beautiful desert setting. That lead us towards flowers in creams, blush, peach and succulent greens, with additional accents in the decor of gold and turquoise. The bridesmaids picked mismatched blush colored dresses to blend with the desert feel, and groomsmen matched Jeff in light grey suits. It was important for us to incorporate elements of our home on the west coast of Canada into the wedding. We made candle holders from driftwood collected from beaches at home for each table, and gifted each guest with a jar of spicy red pepper jelly from Hornby Island, where my family has a cabin. Luna's team did a wonderful job on the day bringing all the elements together, to make a day filled with love feel magical.
Music was also a really important aspect of our wedding, as we are such music lovers - with input from friends, we made playlists for cocktail hour, dinner, and 6 hours of dancing. Parents and the bridal party walked down the aisle to 'Falling' by the Lumineers, and I was walked down the aisle by my Dad to an acoustic version of 'Yellow' by Coldplay - a longtime favorite song of Jeff and mine. One of our best friends from home officiated the wedding ceremony, which took place by the pool with a view of the mountains, and included personal vows and a reading by my Mum, Claire. After the ceremony, cocktail hour in the courtyard lead into dinner, again in the backyard space, which had been transformed during cocktail hour. Guests sipped on our favorite wines and a signature lavender French 75 cocktail, New Leaf Catering provided a fantastic meal with a variety of food stations. For our dessert, my Dad made my all time favorite, his famous cheesecake, as our wedding cake for all our guests, in the form of a cake for the head table and a cheesecake cupcake for each guest.
Two of the best MCs we could ask for entertained us for the evening, and heartfelt and hilarious speeches were followed by our first dance, which was such a special moment for us - we danced to an Eric Clapton song as our friends and family surrounded the dance floor holding sparklers. Dancing, sing alongs, lounging on the outdoor furniture in the courtyard, and photos in the photo booth ran very late into the night, which concluded with a whole group of guys including Jeff jumping in the pool for a late night swim! A day after get together with all the guests at my parents the next day lead right into a weekend of fun and music at the Coachella Valley Music Festival. We could not have asked for a more perfect weekend!