Karley and Alex came to me alllll the way from chilly Ontario, by way of Trish at The Walk Down The Aisle. Trish is one of the best wedding planners in the Coachella Valley and high desert, and one of her specialties is intimate, one-of-a-kind elopements. I always love working with Trish, who has a great design aesthetic and eye for detail. And I knew this one was going to be special when on my initial consultation call with Karley she said, “I just want all the happy colors!” Can do! Pinks, oranges, yellows… and then she told me her dress was pink, too! Her sparkley powder pink Teuta Matoshi dress is a work of art unto itself… simply stunning. Once she sent me a picture of it, I knew I could not only lean hard into pink, but also into decadent, ruffled texture when choosing flowers… think dahlia, zinnia, ranunculus, snapdragon, and alstromeria. Karley also mentioned that the bougainvillea was in bloom at Casa de Monte Vista, where their private ceremony would be held, and she wanted to incorporate some if possible. A very generous friend in town has huge bougainvillea bushes that she lets me forage from occasionally, and I knew they’d be in full bloom by then, since the wedding would be in November and bougainvillea tends to bloom here from October through February. So we were in luck! (A quick note on foraging: ask before you cut! You could be cutting from someone’s private property or unknowingly spreading an invasive species!) I also doubled down on Karley’s bouquet’s ribbon cascade, mixing fabrics and soft blush tones with just a touch of silver to add to the magic. 🪄
The wedding would only be Karley, Alex, and both of their parents, with first looks at the oh-so-pink Trixie Motel (owned by the amazing Trixie Matel, whose reality show of the motel’s renovation is DEFINITELY worth a watch!), followed by an outdoor ceremony, pink champagne toast, and pink cake cutting just a few blocks away at Casa de Monte Vista in the historic Old Las Palmas neighborhood of Palm Springs. My job was to deliver Karley’s bouquet and Alex’s boutonnière to the motel for first looks and getting-ready shots with their photographer, Mary Costa, and then head over to prep the ceremony space quickly at Casa de Monte Vista. Two large floral “meadow pieces” on the ground provided Karley and Alex’s altar space, which their flower-girl mothers also adorned with sprinkles of loose rose and bougainvillea petals as the ceremony started. After their sweet and tearful ceremony, while the wedding party toasted with pink champagne topped with cotton candy clouds, I repurposed the meadow pieces for a quick photo shoot with the newlyweds in front of a pink Thunderbird they’d rented from Monroe classic car rentals. (Did I mention EVERYTHING about this wedding was pink?!?!) Then Karley and Alex snuck away for a private first dance out in the desert (to a song Karley wrote herself for the occasion!) before meeting their parents for dinner at a local restaurant.
While pink is absolutely one of my fave colors (second only to orange, don’t hate!), what made this elopement special was that Karley and Alex stayed true to their uniqueness, both as a couple AND as individuals, from Alex’s two-toned suit to Karley’s Wicked-inspired pink platform heels! It was such a joy getting to know them, and I’ll forever remember their beautiful pink love story and the honor of being a small part of it. 💕
See below for vendor team tags and more of Mary Costa’s breathtaking photos of the day! You can go here to read the full feature in Green Wedding Shoes’ Valentine’s Day issue!
Vendor team Instas: Venues @trixiemotel & @casademontevista; Planner @thewalkdowntheaisle; Photography @marycostaphoto; Dress @teutamatoshi; Car Rental @monroe.ps; Cake @overtherainbowdesserts; HMU @peonyblushmakeup; Hairpiece @ohhappybrides; Shoes @aldoshoes