Glamorous and Intimate Palm Springs Wedding

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“We did it!” Today’s bride Mary has an enthusiasm for her big day that’s pretty infectious.

Mary & Bob got married with an intimate garden ceremony and refined, yet relaxed reception – on Halloween night! – at The Parker in Palm Springs.

Palm Springs is one of those places I’ve never been to, but I have a real affinity with all the same. Every wedding we’ve featured there has been effortlessly cool – and Mary & Bob’s was no different.

With photography by Amy and Stuart Photography, and planning by Oui Events, there’s all kinds of covetable details from their day – a meaningful yet informal ceremony, a backdrop of bougainvillea and pampas grass, an antipasti table we could dive into headfirst, and unfussy yet stylish touches, like calligraphy, coloured stones, glass chargers, greenery.

This is a fun one, that I think might make you smile!

Our Love Story

I met my husband in New York, when we both worked at the same music company. We sat down the hall from each other and started hanging out all the time.

Bobby proposed out on the pier near our apartment in Greenpoint on the lazy day after Thanksgiving. It was low key and perfect.

I’d been eyeing some rings with a friend and she gave him those hints. He picked the one I loved the most.

Our Wedding

We were engaged for a long time before doing any planning – because wedding planning is very daunting!

Once we hired Laura and picked The Parker everything fell into place – we wanted to have the wedding close to our families who are both out west and we love visiting Palm Springs.

We just wanted it to feel easy and have a relaxed indoor/outdoor setting. There were lots of candles, and greenery along with white flowers and dark burgundys.

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The Ceremony

The ceremony was really important to us. We’ve been together a long time and it felt right to be up there just us. No bridal party really, but our families were very involved.

All our siblings and parents walked down the aisle, my grandfather created the art for our program, my sister read from An Epithalamion by Tony Kushner and we were married by a close family friend who wrote such beautiful vows for us.

My favorite moments were seeing Bobby as I was walking down the aisle and feeling super calm (and also gave him a kiss right when I got up there, oops!)

Walking back down the aisle to the Ramones ‘Baby I Love You’ it felt like, ‘we did it!’

I really don’t like to be the center of attention AT ALL, but that was a surreal moment being surrounded by all our favorite people.

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The Photography

Our photographers Amy & Stuart were the first decision we made- even before we had a date or venue!

They had photographed my sister’s wedding a few years prior and not only are their photos stunning, but we love working with them.

They made us comfortable and are just lovely people to be around.

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The Reception

Funny enough the only date available was Halloween! But that suited us and made the reception pretty hilarious. During the party we brought out masquerade masks, and some crazier ones like a horse head and devil horns.

The dancing kicked off with “Shake Senora” (from Beetlejuice) which seemed appropriate for Halloween night.

After that there were couches and fire pits outside and an ice cream cake for my husband (his favorite). It felt very cozy and intimate to have everyone hanging out together. Overwhelming in the best way.

We had a massive antipasti table and really good food – a nod to the Italian side of my family. It was such a nice relaxed vibe.

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Advice for Other Couples

Ask for help where you need it and know that at the end of the day it really does all come together.

Relax the day of and make sure you enjoy the party!

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The Honeymoon

The day after the wedding we took the day to say our goodbyes to our family and friends and hang around with them.

I’m so glad we didn’t have to rush out of town or do anything!

After that we went to Kauai – the perfect place to relax completely. We rented a Jeep and explored the whole island, had many pina coladas and just chilled out.