Flamingos for the Win at This Palm Springs Wedding
One word: flamingos. Yes, this Palm Springs wedding is as fabulous as it sounds. With the help of Artisan Event. Floral. Decor.'s styling talents, the couple created a fun day inspired by the different textures and colors found in the desert and that incorporated the signature kitschy vibe of Palm Springs. Vitae Weddings was there to capture the brilliance, from the unforgettable escort card display to the sweet flamingos-in-love cake topper. The only problem is we can't decide which detail we love most!
From the Bride... Benjamin and I were set up by our good friends. My childhood friend was, at the time, engaged to a very close friend of Ben’s, and they thought we would just hit it off. It took a little bit of encouragement, but Benjamin finally got the nerve to ask me out, and we totally hit it off. Ben recalls me being 40 minutes late to our first date, but when I showed up, he had a smile and a drink waiting for me, and I just knew we would be great together! We truly enjoyed spending time together and moved in together shortly after we started dating.
Of all the things we enjoyed most, we loved spending our weekends out at wineries or traveling for a short getaway. As our relationship progressed, a few of our longer vacations were out to Palm Springs, where I have family. One of our first trips out to the desert was for my birthday. Benjamin had coordinated with my aunt to ship out my favorite cake – Birthday Cake from Momofuku’s Milk Bar, of course! I was totally surprised when we went out for dinner to celebrate, and they brought out the cake. It was such a romantic gesture and so telling of Ben’s love for me. I don’t know how many other women can say that a cake was flown 3000 miles across the country for their birthday.
When Benjamin was planning to propose, he suggested that we take a day trip out to some of our favorite wineries. Apparently, he claims, the atmosphere and scenery wasn’t good enough, and he decided after our day of wine tasting to surprise me with a romantic sunset overlooking all of downtown DC from one of the nearby memorials. He started his proposal by pointing out all the places we had gone on dates, and I thought it was so sweet that he remembered all of these little details. Of course, once I realized he was proposing, I started crying and obviously said "Yes!" right away.
We knew that we really wanted to have our wedding out in Palm Springs. We had already had so many wonderful memories in Palm Springs, and we wanted to include our wedding with those other memories. After so many vacations in the desert, we knew it would be the perfect location for us. Plus, I think it was a great excuse to fly out a few more times before our wedding!
We love the outdoors and wanted to incorporate natural elements, so we were highly inspired by different textures and colors found in the desert; the pink sunsets and the warm effects of lighting on the desert sand contrasted with the palm trees and greenery. We chose our venue due to its luxurious, natural setting right against the San Jacinto mountains. To add elegance and warmth, we included hints of ivory and rose gold, featuring the beautiful lighting from the sun setting behind the mountain during our ceremony to the string of lights over the dinner tables for the outdoor reception on the lawn.
We also love the kitschy, fun vibe that Palm Springs has and that certainly inspired incorporating flamingos! As an interior designer, I’m constantly sourcing materials, and when I came across the fabulous flamingos wallpaper from Albany Wow!, I knew we had to incorporate it somehow. Our wedding planner, Joey Lizotte from Artisan, was totally on board when I asked about using it as the backdrop for our escort display. We worked with Tasha Rae Designs to establish a font and selected the blush cardstock for all our wedding guests' names. Joey made the display extra flashy with some fun marquee letters with our initials to light up the escort board. We also tied in the flamingos with two fabulous, rose gold oversized pool floats that greeted people as they entered the venue as well as entertained our guests at cocktail hour around the pool. And lastly, we had a pair of elegant and delicate flamingos in love made by Ann Wood from hand dyed paper in the soft blush color we used throughout wedding color scheme.
So many things made our day amazing. It started with waking up in the beautiful L’Horizon Hotel. Our room looked out over the mountains and in to the beautifully manicured courtyard. It was a great backdrop to get ready for our big day. The hotel was also an awesome back drop for our first look and early photos.
Having 80+ of our closest friends and family at our wedding was also an incredible feeling and made our wedding that much more special. All of our guests were from out of town, and a majority of them flew over from the east coast. It really surprised us how many people came to support us on our a special day.
Our photographers, Stacie and Callie, were incredible and made our day so special. From capturing all of our intimate moments to making the trek out to the desert and having a fun time at the wind turbines, we couldn’t think of spending our day with any one else. Not only are our photographs insanely beautiful, but they also capture the feelings behind each moment.
I would say the most memorable moment was our first look – when I came around the corner and saw Benjamin for the first time. His face lit up, and he was seemed so wowed to see me in my wedding dress with my hair and makeup done. I asked him what his most memorable moment was, and unprompted, he said the first look as well.
I also really loved having one of my childhood friends read aloud a love sonnet by Pablo Neruda during our ceremony. It really gives a taste of love as an elusive concept that is always felt and experienced but never truly captured as a tangible thing.
I guess I can’t leave out the fact that Benjamin’s father broke out in song at our reception dinner during his speech with "God Bless America." Ben and I just looked at each other and started laughing, while the rest of our wedding guests chimed in and started singing along. I’m sure no one else has sang this at their wedding reception!
Of all the things we enjoyed most, we loved spending our weekends out at wineries or traveling for a short getaway. As our relationship progressed, a few of our longer vacations were out to Palm Springs, where I have family. One of our first trips out to the desert was for my birthday. Benjamin had coordinated with my aunt to ship out my favorite cake – Birthday Cake from Momofuku’s Milk Bar, of course! I was totally surprised when we went out for dinner to celebrate, and they brought out the cake. It was such a romantic gesture and so telling of Ben’s love for me. I don’t know how many other women can say that a cake was flown 3000 miles across the country for their birthday.
When Benjamin was planning to propose, he suggested that we take a day trip out to some of our favorite wineries. Apparently, he claims, the atmosphere and scenery wasn’t good enough, and he decided after our day of wine tasting to surprise me with a romantic sunset overlooking all of downtown DC from one of the nearby memorials. He started his proposal by pointing out all the places we had gone on dates, and I thought it was so sweet that he remembered all of these little details. Of course, once I realized he was proposing, I started crying and obviously said "Yes!" right away.
We knew that we really wanted to have our wedding out in Palm Springs. We had already had so many wonderful memories in Palm Springs, and we wanted to include our wedding with those other memories. After so many vacations in the desert, we knew it would be the perfect location for us. Plus, I think it was a great excuse to fly out a few more times before our wedding!
We love the outdoors and wanted to incorporate natural elements, so we were highly inspired by different textures and colors found in the desert; the pink sunsets and the warm effects of lighting on the desert sand contrasted with the palm trees and greenery. We chose our venue due to its luxurious, natural setting right against the San Jacinto mountains. To add elegance and warmth, we included hints of ivory and rose gold, featuring the beautiful lighting from the sun setting behind the mountain during our ceremony to the string of lights over the dinner tables for the outdoor reception on the lawn.
We also love the kitschy, fun vibe that Palm Springs has and that certainly inspired incorporating flamingos! As an interior designer, I’m constantly sourcing materials, and when I came across the fabulous flamingos wallpaper from Albany Wow!, I knew we had to incorporate it somehow. Our wedding planner, Joey Lizotte from Artisan, was totally on board when I asked about using it as the backdrop for our escort display. We worked with Tasha Rae Designs to establish a font and selected the blush cardstock for all our wedding guests' names. Joey made the display extra flashy with some fun marquee letters with our initials to light up the escort board. We also tied in the flamingos with two fabulous, rose gold oversized pool floats that greeted people as they entered the venue as well as entertained our guests at cocktail hour around the pool. And lastly, we had a pair of elegant and delicate flamingos in love made by Ann Wood from hand dyed paper in the soft blush color we used throughout wedding color scheme.
So many things made our day amazing. It started with waking up in the beautiful L’Horizon Hotel. Our room looked out over the mountains and in to the beautifully manicured courtyard. It was a great backdrop to get ready for our big day. The hotel was also an awesome back drop for our first look and early photos.
Having 80+ of our closest friends and family at our wedding was also an incredible feeling and made our wedding that much more special. All of our guests were from out of town, and a majority of them flew over from the east coast. It really surprised us how many people came to support us on our a special day.
Our photographers, Stacie and Callie, were incredible and made our day so special. From capturing all of our intimate moments to making the trek out to the desert and having a fun time at the wind turbines, we couldn’t think of spending our day with any one else. Not only are our photographs insanely beautiful, but they also capture the feelings behind each moment.
I would say the most memorable moment was our first look – when I came around the corner and saw Benjamin for the first time. His face lit up, and he was seemed so wowed to see me in my wedding dress with my hair and makeup done. I asked him what his most memorable moment was, and unprompted, he said the first look as well.
I also really loved having one of my childhood friends read aloud a love sonnet by Pablo Neruda during our ceremony. It really gives a taste of love as an elusive concept that is always felt and experienced but never truly captured as a tangible thing.
I guess I can’t leave out the fact that Benjamin’s father broke out in song at our reception dinner during his speech with "God Bless America." Ben and I just looked at each other and started laughing, while the rest of our wedding guests chimed in and started singing along. I’m sure no one else has sang this at their wedding reception!
