Wedding | Nicole & Lee

Tell us a little about yourselves! 

I’m a 32 y/o landscape architect, and Lee is an historian and PhD candidate. We live in Toronto, Canada and have been building a life together for 3 and a half years, though we’ve known each other for much longer than that!  

In a way, you could call us childhood sweethearts. Not in the traditional sense - there were sadly no pretend weddings as toddlers – but we did grow up  together. Our dads went to university together and have remained close friends ever since, allowing us to build and now share all sorts of fun memories of growing up over the years.  

We pursued different paths as young folks and did not see much of each other for many years, but in the back of my mind, I had always thought he might be the one for me and later found out that a similar thought had been circling Lee’s mind as well. For many years, the timing was just never quite right for us. And then all of a sudden it was! One Christmas I was home for  the holidays and decided that enough was enough; I not so casually slid into his DM’s. We spent the entire Christmas Holidays secretly flirting and chatting with each other and we’ve been doing the same ever since.  

We got engaged last winter at the family cottage. We were completely snowed in and the fire was roaring. We spent the weekend outdoor skating, warming up indoors reading, doing puzzles, and playing cards – our favourite ways to spend time together. One evening, after our favourite dinner, we danced quietly by the fire to one of our favourite songs and Lee asked me to marry him. It will remain a special moment for the rest of our lives.

Why did you decide to get married where you did? 

Palm Springs was the perfect location for us for so many reasons. From the  start, we knew we (mostly I) wanted to get married somewhere warm and sunny. As anyone from Canada can attest, by the time April rolls around, the soul longs for warmth. After much thought and searching, we decided the desert had the right kind of magic for our nuptials. It also made a lot of logistical sense; Lee and I live a fairly bicoastal life with much of our loved ones split between Toronto and Vancouver - so we knew many of our guest  would be travelling in one direction or the other. Palm Springs is accessible by direct flight from both cities, so we thought, why not south instead! 

We were initially set on getting married somewhere quiet and remote in the High Desert. We spent the weekend touring venues all around Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley, with Palm Springs serving as our base of operations. It worked out – as things so often do – that the place that would capture our hearts was right under our noses the whole time. We were staying at The Parker Palm Springs that weekend, and after a long day of adventuring around JT, found  ourselves exploring the Gene Autry lawns with drinks in hand as the sun set  over the mountain in the distance. We knew right then that we had found our  venue. The Parker’s wild and eclectic gardens and architecture captured  perfectly the whimsical beauty of the desert that we were looking for all  along.

How many guests did you have? 

80 guests for the perfect dinner party.

What was your budget?  

Lee and I had a budget in mind that we desperately tried to stick to, but never having planned a wedding before, wildly undervalued what a 2025  wedding in Southern California would cost! Fortunately for us, Nicole’s  stepmom Alexis was massively supportive of us and excited for this event,  providing the resources necessary for us to have the most magical day of our lives and we are forever grateful.

Tell us about your outfits. 

I’ve never been much of a ball gown type of gal, but I do love a long-sleeved dress and was so excited about this aspect of our wedding. I wish I could say I found my dress right away, but I dragged my poor family across Toronto to different showrooms for weeks. Then one night before bed I was perusing the White Toronto catalogue and as soon as I saw the Eisen Stein Spirit dress I knew it was the one. It was a complete work of art, so beautifully crafted and detailed, a perfect fit and perfect for the desert as well. I paired the dress with a simple, single layer tulle veil and a pair of Gianvito Rossi’s  that were a dream to wear all day and night.  

I may be biased – he is my husband after all – but I’ve always thought Lee looked incredible in black. He has such dark, intense features and they always pop next to those same shades. Lee found his outfit at Suit Supply in Toronto’s Yorkville district on his first visit. A man with classic tastes, Lee settled on a single-breasted suit accented with simple but elegant features. Lee’s cufflinks were gifted to him from his Grandfather.

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

Planning a wedding is a bit of a balancing act. The details matter but it’s easy to get lost in the minutia. You want to celebrate the day with all your loved ones but also stay focused on each other. You try to be considerate of your guests while also staying true to yourselves. You want to partake in certain traditions while feeling free to leave out those that don’t speak to you. Ultimately, we just tried to be intentional with all of our choices and reflective of our values and interests. With the guidance of both Moon Realm and Alexis, I think we all nailed it.  

Our favourite part of any wedding has always been cocktail hour. As two people who appreciate intimate chats with our loved ones and well-crafted cocktails, we just knew that we wanted this to be a central focus of our day. Our wedding planner was fully in step with our vision and helped us throw a  beautiful dinner party surrounded by stunning flowers and greenery that stood out magnificently in the golden desert sun.  

We opted to do away with things like having a wedding party or separating the night before, trying to keep our focus inward and on one another. Instead, we had our close friends and family join us for some champagne and photos at the Gene Autry House before the ceremony. We also took all of our photos beforehand so that we could enjoy our cocktail hour. We did elect to uphold traditions that were important to us, like walking down the aisle with our parents, making vows publicly, as well as sharing our first dance with each other and our parents. 

And while much more elevated than we consider ourselves day to day – we  simply hoped the wedding would be a reflection of the things that matter most to us. Great food, great cocktails, great coffee, great music, great people, and a great damn time.

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

The closest thing we have ever found to church is a concert hall. We saw the musical group Big Thief on our first date and continue to share and indulge in a profound love for live music. We’re actually road tripping to Vermont in a few weeks to see Waxahatchee (tigers blood was our wedding song!) and Kevin Morby perform. Anyways, having a band that not only reflected our love for live music but our favourite genres and styles as well was a huge focus for us, especially Lee. S/O to The Straytones!  

As a landscape architect, I have always had a deep love and appreciation for greenery, floral arrangements, and all things natural, which is something that Alexis and I share. We’ve spent years drooling over different gardens,  weddings, and arrangements together, and from the start of the planning  process, knew that the flowers would be the main event. We wanted the  arrangements to be romantic, whimsical, vibrant, and architectural, with  different “rooms” or areas being unique to themselves yet collectively cohesive. It took a lot of work, planning, and iteration between us all, especially considering the lawns were completely bare to start, but what Brit Floral, Moon Realm, and their teams managed to accomplish was beyond anything we could have imagined. 

Any tips for couples getting married? 

Oh my gosh so many things.  

First thing, hire a wedding planner if you can. We would not be here without  Moon Realm! 

Lee and I elected to share an extended version of our vows together over coffee first thing in the morning. It was so beautiful and intimate and without pressure. It allowed us to say all the things meant just for us. And of course, gave us a little practice for the shorter ceremony version!  

Neither of us were too keen on a choreographed first dance but we did take a few dance lessons prior to the wedding day to help us feel more comfortable on the dance floor. It was such an unexpected delight and a wonderful way to stay connected and grounded during those last few stressful weeks before the big day.  

Your photographer is probably the most important wedding choice you’ll make. Besides being with one another, we spent the most time with Cedar & Pines. One of the best! 

Also, 10/10 would recommend jumping on the bed to start your day! And of course, the day really does go by in a flash so do everything you can to  savour the moment and move slow and take it all in together. 

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

We had the best experience with every single one of our vendors. If we could  do it all over again, we’d choose each of them in a heartbeat. 

Most importantly, we owe the success of our incredible wedding to Sabrina Zeile and the team at Moon Realm. Not knowing much about Palm Springs or the High Desert to begin with, hiring a local wedding planner who knew the climate, the city, the vendors, and the venue intimately was a top priority. We were immediately taken by Sabrina’s nature and vision and I knew we’d craft something extraordinary together. She steered us in every right direction, brought to us all of our vendors, and delivered a magical day that we will never forget.  

Neither of us particularly love being in front of the camera, so we were so grateful for the direction and ease that Cedar & Pines brought on the day of our wedding. Megan is extraordinary at what she does, and her energy was so calming and relaxed. She captured some stunning moments between the two of us and we are so grateful. 

We found our officiant David by a stroke of luck. At one point we thought we might want to have a close friend or family member officiate our ceremony,  but after our first conversation with David, we knew that he was an absolute pro and was the right guy for us. His organization and process were very  impressive; however, one thing that really stood out to us was how much he  loves what he does. The passion and love he has for being able to officiate  weddings was comforting and inspiring.

Photographer: Cedar & Pines @cedarandpines | Planning: Moon Realm @moon__realm | Flora: Brit Floral @britfloral | Ceremony & Reception Location: The Parker Palm Springs @parkerpalmsprings | Celebrant: Your Perfect Ceremony, @ministerdave | Rentals: Signature Party Rentals @sigpartyrentals, Luna Design Studios @luna_design_studios, Found Rentals @foundrentalco, Casa De  

Perrin @casadeperrin & Lola Valentina @lolavalentinadesigns | HMUA: The Understated Bride @the.understatedbride | Catering, Cake & Beverages: The Parker Palm Springs

 @parkerpalmsprings | Stationery: Rebel Creative Co. @rebel.creativeco | Entertainment: The Straytones from Crowd Theory Entertainment @crowdtheoryent | Lighting: SociaLights  @sdsocialights | Invitations: Papier June  @papierjune | Wedding Website: Bliss & Bone @blissandbone | Expresso: Good Hart Co @goodhartco | Wedding Dress: Eisen Stein Bridal @eisen.stein.bridal | Afterparty  Dress: SAMSØE SAMSØE @samsoesamsoe | Suit: Suit Supply @suitsupply | Wedding Ring: Nicola Lauren Handmade @nicolalaurenhandmade | Shoes: Gianvito Rossi @gianvitorossi