Jennifer and Brandon were married in early June at the Parker, an iconic hotel in Palm Springs—once the desert playground of old Hollywood film stars—that was reimagined in 2004 by celebrated designer Jonathan Adler. With its frolicsome furnishings, quirky décor elements, and retro-glam vibe, the dream venue set the tone for a chic wedding filled with modern, eclectic elegance, from the beautiful bride’s sequined, sapphire-blue Miu Miu pumps to the “Mr. & Mrs. Muse” salt and pepper shakers, fittingly designed by Jonathan Adler and repurposed as cake toppers. Superbly composed, romantic, and fun, the spectacular photos shot by Matt and Molly Snelson of Mathieu Photography are nothing short of to die for.
FROM THE BRIDE
Brandon and I met at work. We were both working at a private equity company, and we didn’t see eye to eye at first. I was the very vocal office manager, and as the VP he didn’t appreciate that. ;) But even so, we would flirt, and we got along great. After we had been working together for a while, Brandon asked me out to dinner one night, and that was it. After about a year of dating, we became pregnant with our son, Henry. Two weeks after Henry was born, Brandon hid a ring tied to a bow beneath our son’s blanket. We were engaged! Brandon is so kind and compassionate, and he always knows how to calm me down when I’m frustrated. He makes me smile, and he is a great father to our little guy, Henry.
We got married on June 2, 2012, at the Parker in Palm Springs, California. The ceremony was held outside under white umbrellas, and the reception was held in the main ballroom. The hotel is probably my favorite place to stay, and the grounds are so beautiful. I wanted our wedding to be elegant but relaxed. I especially wanted our guests to have fun! That was my main goal. We stayed in the Gene Autry suite, which I highly recommend. It served as a great meeting point for family and friends.
During the whole wedding planning process, wedding blogs were a great help! I would save pictures and ideas that I loved, which helped me to plan and to see what ideas worked well together. I wasn’t a fussy bride, and the vendors I worked with made everything run so smoothly.
Holly Schoenke of Simply Sweet Weddings served as our day-of coordinator. She was so sweet and easy to work with. She understood that I wanted the day to kind of happen organically, and she went with the flow.
Matt and Molly Snelson of Mathieu Photography got the job done and got it done well!!! They, too, were so easy and fun to work with! I loved that on the day of the wedding Molly got our family members and wedding party in and out of pictures quickly so that they could enjoy the cocktail hour.
Joey of Artisan Event Floral Decor did our flowers and décor. He was great!!! We never met in person until the day of the wedding; we simply had a few phone calls during which I gave him my ideas, and he made them happen! It was more than I could have imagined! We were going to have lemons trees in the reception area, but the live trees were ugly, so Joey made topiaries instead, and they turned out perfectly!!!
Darin Owen of Capital Photo Booth provided our photo booth, and he gave us a great deal! Guests could choose from both color and black and white photos, and we got a CD of all the pictures of the night! I would definitely use them again for another event.
We got our invitations from stationer Francis Orr in Corona del Mar. Designed by Sugar Paper, they were BEAUTIFUL!!! That’s all I can say—beautiful and well done!!!
DJ Peter G (Peter Gutierrez), a friend of mine, provided the music. He did a fantastic job! He balanced the night perfectly with different songs for all the guests!
Aaron King from The Living Room Salon did my makeup. He was so sweet and not bad to look at. ;) Megan Kiefer, also from The Living Room Salon, did my hair. I wouldn’t have trusted anyone else with my hair!
The Parker provided all the food and the wedding cake! Everything was great!!! And they were able to copy a cake I wanted, so I didn’t have to spend more money elsewhere.
I got my dress at Mon Amie! It was simple and classic. I am not a beaded, too much lace, gems, etc. kind of girl, and they had my perfect dress! My bridesmaids picked their own dresses. I wanted the dresses to be gray, but they could pick any shade that they wanted. The location and season—Palm Springs in the summer—were the main factors in determining what kind of dress each girl picked. Brandon wore a black Hugo Boss suit, and the groomsmen wore their own black suits with pink gingham GAP dress shirts and gray J.Crew ties.
My advice to other brides is to just relax!!! It goes by SO fast that you need to enjoy it! Don’t worry about everyone else. It’s the day you’re getting married! Remember that.
VENDORS
Photography: Matt and Molly Snelson of Mathieu Photography / Day-of coordinator: Holly Schoenke of Simply Sweet Weddings / Flowers and décor: Artisan Event Floral Decor / Venue: Parker Palm Springs / Caterer and cake: Parker Palm Springs / Photo booth: Capital Photo Booth Co. / Stationer: Francis Orr / Invitation design: Sugar Paper / DJ: Peter G / Hair: Megan Kiefer of The Living Room Salon / Makeup: Aaron King of The Living Room Salon / Bride’s dress: Mon Amie / Bride’s shoes: Miu Miu / Groom’s suit: Hugo Boss / Groomsmen’s dress shirts: GAP / Ties: J.Crew
