Tell us a little about yourselves!
Julie and I met at work in 2016 at an agency in Seattle. I was all in from the day we met, but it took Julie a little bit longer to realize I was the one. But once we were finally on the same page, it was game over.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
Palm Springs, and the Parker in particular, holds a very special place in our hearts and in our relationship. We fell in love many times over every time we visited. And, It is aesthetically 100% us – a little bit weird, continuously intriguing and the right level of bougie.
How many guests did you have?
85.
Tell us about your outfits.
Neither of us aspire for on the nose traditional anything, but being our wedding, we wanted to feel like brides and that it was not just your ordinary black-tie event. For the ceremony, Julie wanted an elevated twist on a classic wedding dress. After looking at multiple designers she quickly decided she wanted a Pronovias dress(es). She planned a trip with her best friend to Rodeo Drive where she fell in love with not one, but two, and decided to get both—no one is mad about a reception dress moment, right?
The ceremony dress was jaw dropping, with a feather train, light peach undertones, classic mermaid silhouette and delicate detail throughout. Her reception dress leaned more classical, was tight in all the right places, but with enough comfortability to dance the night away.
I am far from traditional, and knew my outfit needed to portray that, while fitting with the vibe of The Parker and our wedding aesthetic. I wanted something structured, androgenous, and elegant. Shockingly, it was the first outfit I tried on, a Fendi, white suit with black leather trimming. To tie it all together, Lyndsey from Lynden Lane Co, hunted down a pair of white, lace Givenchy loafers that I had seen 5 years prior. This is the moment I knew the Lynden Lane Company was on a different level than the rest!
Although I never planned on a second outfit, Julie informed me that I might want to consider a reception moment, as she definitely was. For that, I wore a Black Dolce & Gabbana jacquard suit paired with the black version of the same Givenchy shoes.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
We wanted the entire weekend to be a vibe—where the flow was seamless and just made sense, that the energy was on 100% every moment and that there was intention behind every little detail and design choice. From the cocktail napkins at the welcome party to the surprise drag show performance at the reception…to us, it was about the entire experience and how people felt. When it came to the party, we were ok if people left wondering if they were at a Beyonce concert or a wedding reception. RedShoe DJ was heavily vetted and did not disappoint. Our performer, Calypso Jete and her team, truthfully brought the party to a whole different level. I mean, if you don’t have drag performers at your wedding, you’re doing it wrong.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
A few non-negotiables that we established early on that made our day : An officiant that understood our love story and the journey it took for us to get to our wedding day.
Limited, but meaningful speeches. We had only two friends speak at our wedding. There is no bigger vibe kill than 15 repetitive, drawn-out wedding speeches. We chose two people who knew us individually and as a couple. And that are borderline professional speech writers, they crushed it!
Our guest list was very intentional. It consisted only of people that we both knew, supported our relationship and brought joy to our lives.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Hire wedding designers.
Be prepared to go over budget…and feel good about that.
Let go of the little details (that’s why you hired professionals).
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We landed the dream team. It was important to us that we had a diverse and female-led team of vendors who aligned to our values and would not just understand our vision but elevate it…and we got just that!
The Lynden Lane Co. team understood us to our core and made that come to life in their design of our wedding. There is good reason that they are in such high demand: amazing humans, incredible talent, impeccable taste.
MK Sadler is a literal queen. She made us feel so safe, understood – she just got our vibe and took our photos to the next level. We feel very lucky to have had her as part of our crew!
Studio Mondine – they made our lunaria dreams come true. We very much did not want your typical wedding florals and they nailed it.
Anna Lord – We went back and forth on having a videographer and decided to cut this out (see aforementioned budget woes) … but after seeing Anna’s work and necessary encouragement from Layne at Lynden Lane, I surprised Julie the day before our wedding, and it was the best decision ever. If you are debating this for your wedding, just do it, and hire Anna Lord.
Photographer : MK Sadler @mksadlerwed | Videographer : Anna Lord @annalord | Ceremony + Reception Location : Parker Palm Springs @parkerpalmsprings | Celebrant : Personal Friend, June Chee | Entertainment : Orchid String Quartet, RedShoe DJ + Calypso Jete @orchidquartet @calypsojete | Planner : Lynden Lane Co. @lyndenlane | Rentals : Found Rentals, ARK + Table Method @foundrentalco @_ark @tablemethod | Flora : Studio Mondine @studiomondine | HMUA : Makeup Therapy @makeuptherapy | Catering + Beverages : Parker Palm Springs @parkerpalmsprings | Stationery : Swell Press @swellpress | Mariah's Suits : Fendi @fendi + D+G @dolceandgabanna | Julie's Dresses : Pronovias @pronovias | Engagement Rings : Cartier @cartier + T. Anthony Jewelers @tanthonyjewelers | Mariah's Shoes : Givenchy @givenchy | Julie's Shoes : Stuart Weitzman @stuartweitzman | Watch : Omega @omega | Tennis Bracelet : Suzanne Kalan @suzannekalan