Playful Palm Springs Wedding With A Winding Flower Aisle

Melissa and JL’s playful Palm Springs wedding took place in the very spot where everyone’s favorite music festival, Coachella, happens each year, but their enchantingly romantic fete told a love story that was entirely their own. A winding flower aisle and verdant chuppah peppered with ivory roses greeted guests as they entered the relaxed, open air space, and a tented reception with luxe draping, dripping greenery and a lit motif dance floor welcomed them for the party time. Katie Shuler captured each heartwarming moment and considered design detail from Tessa in the best way, and we know you’re going to swoon over all the flourishing blooms from Butterfly Florals. Don’t say we didn’t warn you that your heart might skip a beat in a few – their darling P.S. I Love You theme will most definitely have that effect. Enjoy!

From the floral designer, Butterfly Florals: This romantic, enchanted wedding was a magical celebration for this couple’s marriage. Palm trees framed the altar, adorned in vinery, lush greenery and painted in white roses. This ballroom was the perfect setting for this elegant reception with white drapery, gorgeous lush centerpieces, suspending votives and delicately gold touches making it all the more dreamy.

From the bride, Melissa: We chose Empire Polo Club (Hacienda Del Toro) for several reasons. The location of Palm Springs was sentimental for us as we grew up spending weekends and holidays in the desert with our families. The venue was a big part of the planning process. I’m sure we saw every venue option in Palm Springs! Our goal was to pick something that was outdoors and had a laid back California vibe. We loved the blank slate Empire Polo Club had to offer as we had so much space to work with, an existing permanent tent structure and it accommodated our large guest list. Another selling feature was this was the only venue we came across that allowed us to play music as loudly as we wanted as late as we wanted, circumventing the local noise ordinance... a rule most venues in California typically have to abide by. We especially knew it was the right spot after our family walked the venue and felt it was as captivating and special as we felt it was. It ticked all the boxes in many aspects which was such a relief after searching for a venue for so long. I think in many ways the venue we chose made the day all the more memorable.

We both have a love for mid century modern architecture and the fun playful aspects of Palm Springs. PS is a special place for both of us, so it only made sense to tie that into the design and theme of the day. I wanted a timeless classic feel while JL wanted to be playful and out of the box which I think we combined perfectly. Details were an important part of the process.

We wanted to surprise guests along the way. “P.S. I love you” became a theme and focal point of the wedding in many ways. I always knew I wanted a pale blue for my bridesmaids dresses. It’s always been a favorite color and I think it worked so beautifully with the white and green florals. The hot pink and gold accents added another level of playfulness and elegance. The white and green florals were something we knew we wanted to keep classic, but we wanted the florals to be organic and textured which I think Butterfly Floral did a wonderful job of achieving!

The ceremony was a favorite moment for both my husband and I. We didn’t want anything too long, but we wanted it to be fun, authentic and memorable for the guests. I believe we achieved this with our hand written vows and a fun, modern song list for our processional and recessional. I loved being emotionally present in our ceremony. It was so special standing under the chuppah, taking in the moment and looking out at all our loved ones. The hot pink “P.S. I love you” escort display, cocktail menus, movie quote cocktail napkins and drink confetti were my favorite detail aspects of the day.

In terms of family tradition, we had a reform Jewish ceremony. This aspect was special for both of us, as the keeping of Jewish religious traditions was important to my husband and I was newly converted to the Jewish faith. It was full circle for both of us in many ways and was moving for our families as well. I also loved that my “something old” were fabrics cut from my mom, grandma and great grandma’s wedding dresses. The seamstress who altered my dress had cut out the fabrics in the shape of a heart and sewed it into the lining of my dress.

Don’t you just love… love? Melissa and JL are as cute as can be, and we feel so honored to share their playful Palm Springs wedding story with you today. If you’re loving their unique escort card display in particular, check out this sunshiney vineyard wedding next which has its own epic seating chart to make you do a double take.

Wedding Vendors:

Photography: Katie Shuler Photography

Floral Design: Butterfly Florals

Planning: Tessa

Venue: Empire Polo Field

Rentals: A Rental Connection

Rentals: Lounge Party Rentals

DJ: DJ Jordan

Lighting: Amber Event Production

Video: Rayne Wedding Films

Makeup: Shadi

Hair: Jason