Wedding | Abby & Paul

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We met through mutual friends in our early twenties and have been together for over eight years—through a long-distance stint, two cross-country moves, and lots of changes in between.

After spending a few years in Berkeley, California, we now live in Brooklyn, New York. The combination of Brooklyn and Berkeley sums us up well: we’re laid back but love staying busy with friends and travel.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We wanted the feeling of a destination wedding without asking our guests to deal with too much travel or complicated logistics. At the time we got engaged, we were living in California, so that’s where we started our search.

We had visited Palm Springs a few times before and always loved it. Logistically, it was also perfect—a convenient airport for our friends and family (who are spread across the U.S.) and a small, easy-to-navigate city.

When we went to tour venues, we ended up at The Parker almost by accident (and without an appointment). Luckily, Samantha, the wedding coordinator, was available to show us around, and we were immediately sold. The Parker feels like a true oasis, with grounds that are beyond beautiful. It felt like it was meant to be!

How many guests did you have?

We had 85 guests, which ended up being the perfect number. It was small enough that we personally knew and loved everyone there, but big enough that it still felt like a lively party.

What was your budget? 

Our budget was around $100K.

Tell us about your outfits.

Dress shopping was challenging because I’m incredibly indecisive, but I ultimately chose the Nell dress by Danielle Frankel. I loved its simple silhouette paired with the unique pleating detail, and the slight sheen of the fabric felt perfect for a Palm Springs wedding. My second dress was a very last-minute purchase from Simon Miller—a very shiny silver dress that was perfect for dancing the night away.

Paul wore a bespoke dark sage green double-breasted suit from Thom Sweeney in New York.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

We wanted our wedding to feel intimate, romantic, personal, and fun — for us and for our guests. We love hosting parties and wanted our wedding to feel like an elevated version of something we would host ourselves.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

It was important for our officiant to be someone who is meaningful to both of us – so we chose our great friend, Bomi, who did an amazing job. We also really wanted to include our baby nieces who were flower girls and walked down the aisle.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

All of our vendors were amazing and completely exceeded our expectations!

For starters, Randy and Samantha at The Parker were incredibly helpful and supportive throughout the entire planning process and during the wedding weekend.

Our photographer, Kaela Leone, jumped into thorny bushes just to get the perfect shots (which they were), she made us feel comfortable in front of the camera, and delivered the most beautiful photos.

Our wedding planner, Nicole Leza, went above and beyond to make our vision come to life. All the guests raved about how helpful she was. We truly couldn’t have done it without her!

Our florist, Jaus of Vern, is a true artist! I showed her one inspiration photo and she created something that completely exceeded our original vision. 

DJ Chris Paul did an incredible job, from emceeing the dinner speeches to orchestrating an incredible celebration on the dance floor. He completely blew us away. We’ll never forget the unexpected Dancing Queen / Turn Down for What mashup.

Photographer: Kaela Leone @kaelaleoneweddings | Planning & Styling: Nicole Leza @nicolelezadesign  | Flora: Jaus of Vern @jausofvern | Ceremony & Reception Location: The Parker @parkerpalmsprings | Celebrant: Bomi Kim (friend) | Rentals: Folklore @adorefolklore & Catalog Atelier @catalogatelier  | Hair: Jose Neira @hairbyjoseneira | Cake: The Parker @parkerpalmsprings | Stationery: Abby Carlson @abcarl | DJ: DJ Chris Paul @thedjchrispaul | Dress & Veil: Danielle Frankel @daniellefrankelstudio | Sequin Dress: Simon Miller @simonmillerusa | Suit: Thom Sweeney @thom__sweeney | Engagement & Wedding Rings: Trice Jewelers @trice_jewelers | Shoes: (Abby) Sandy Liang @sandyliang & (Paul) Paul Smith | Other Jewellery: Borrowed & gifted