The Bride Wore Two Shimmery Gowns for This Celestial, Old Hollywood Wedding in Palm Springs

We’ve got ✨stars in our eyes✨ for Stephanie + Aaron’s glam autumnal wedding in Palm Springs.

You’ll notice a sparkly stargazing theme emerging as you look through the stunning shots that Mary Costa captured of the couple’s big day, and that was no accident. “Throughout our courtship, the moon and overall celestial theme has been reoccurring for us both,” says Stephanie, “and we looked to include a nod to that in whatever way we could.”

Stephanie + Aaron collaborated with Anything But Gray Events to create a wedding experience at Ingleside Estate that captured the sophisticated 20th Century grandeur of Old Hollywood, and they really couldn’t have picked a more perfect spot than Palm Springs to do that. Palm trees swayed. Sequins shimmered. And there were even some synchronized swimmers making a splash in the venue’s pool during the reception!

“For us, we have both been to enough weddings in our lives that we wanted to be conscientious of our guests’ comfort and needs,” Aaron says. “Great detail was shown to the atmosphere, the music, the refreshments. Every detail was attended to so that we can just focus on one another and enjoy the day!”

We can’t wait to show you the way this couple married dazzling + timeless glamor with warm Fall colors. 

Let’s dive in!

Our Musical Choices
			
Processional:  “Close to You” - Burt Bacharach & Hal David (sung live by The Moon Units) + “Can't Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley (sang live by The Moon Units)
			
			
Recessional: “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me” by Aretha Franklin & George Michael (sung live by The Moon Units)
			
			
First Dance: “Someone Like You” by Van Morrison (sung live by The Moon Units)
			
		

“Music was an essential component of our wedding,” Stephanie + Aaron say. “It is a big part of our daily lives as a couple. In addition, we both strongly believe that music helps set the atmosphere and tone for the event. We spent countless hours discussing songs and sifting through the music selections. One thing that was important to us, was to make sure that the songs were about love, connection, tenderness, joy, and happiness. We cut a lot of favorite songs by artists that we love because once we really read the lyrics or understand the meaning or origin, the songs were actually kinda sad, revengeful, longing for a love that they didn’t have anymore, a disguised break-up song, etc. We wanted to make sure that each and every song selected fit the tone and theme of when and where it was to be played.”

Loving these bold looks! So into that green fringe look from Herve Leger and that striking Tuckernuck red lace dress! Check out our semi formal wedding guest style guide for even more guest fashion inspo.

The Reception

“Closer to the wedding I decided I wanted to do a dress change for the reception. Something I could have fun with and go less traditional with too,” remembers Stephanie. “A Project Runway fan from the start, Christian Siriano was always a standout and dream designer to me. I figured what better time to experience couture and have him design a dress for me than now!”

“I absolutely loved the final look and felt like it truly was reflective of the whimsical and romantic feeling we had for our reception.”

Um, excuse us! Those sparkly wedding earrings are vintage-inspired, celestial perfection!

Some wedding day words of wisdom from the bride: “It sounds cliche, but stop and enjoy every moment of your special day. It will fly by, but that doesn’t mean you can’t savor every single moment you have been waiting for. There were several times during our wedding that I would stop, squeeze Aaron’s hand and say, pause and take this moment in and it often brought us to tears of joy to take in the whole moment surrounded by our loved ones.”

 “Your wedding should be about you and your love as a couple. Family, friends, wedding party, and well-wishers can all mean well, but they can suck the life out of you if you don’t know how to say, “no” or set healthy boundaries,” Aaron says. “Make sure of give yourself all of the self-care that you need! Eat right, don’t drink alcohol, do any drug, (the high of a wedding your soul mate is better than anything), make sure to get enough rest, stay well hydrated, meditate, do whatever you need to do be in the right mental zone to express and feel the joy for the day and wedding. If you do it right, all you get is one wedding day! Do what you need to do to be the best you can be for your partner.”

“Also, guys,” Aaron adds for all the wedding suit wearers out there, “don’t put on your tux or suit pants until the very last second, and don’t sit-down if you can help it at all! That crisp, pressed line in your crease will be impressive to your bride, your mother-in-law and everyone for the wedding photos!”

This amazing rich orange, greenery-filled bar arrangement is just one of the day’s floral masterpieces. “Leta Verbena outdid herself,” remembers planner Holly of Anything But Gray Events, “with the cascading installation on the gate overlooking the desert mountains behind and floral strays bubbling from the center cherub fountain at the ceremony sit followed by a floral encrusted cake and sweetheart table in warm, Fall tones and textures.”

The evening’s twinkly string lights from SEP Lighting added a celestial glow to the round table reception setup created by pieces from Town & Country Rentals.

Love that the couple went with a rich orange velvet table linens from BBJ La Tavola! So autumnal + glam!

“We adore our cat, Licorice, and since she could not be part of our wedding we looked at ways to include her,” Stephanie says. “I had a custom bridal purse with her face beaded on it, and a replica of her sat atop our wedding cake and there was even a cleverly placed cutout of her to greet guests at the bar.”

We are obsessed with the off-white vintage-iced splendor of this three tier wedding cake from Over the Rainbow Desserts.

“We had was a beautiful custom full moon by Paper Moon Shoppe,” says the couple of their reception’s romantic Old World photo op moment. “We met under a full moon and always take time to point out the moon when it’s looking especially beautiful.”

Our Advice To Those Planning Now
Stephanie: "I would definitely make a list of must-haves, would be nice to have and least important elements for the day. Knowing what parts of your wedding are most important and to focus on is helpful. If you’re able to hone in on the most important aspects of your wedding it really helps with budgeting and design."
Aaron: “My best advice to other couples is to try to enjoy it! That said, weddings can bring out unique sides to family, friends, and acquaintances. Stephanie and I committed to one another to always stay on the same page and work out any disagreements between ourselves. Even when you are in great sync with your partner as Stephanie and I usually are, it is a lot of work and can be very frustrating at times. We really tried to face any setback or problem with a "happy accident attitude" and tried to turn every minus into a plus. Sometimes that came with time or an adjustment of our expectations, others we found something way better than what caused the disappointment. 
Planning a wedding is a journey and experiencing a great story. Like any great story, there will be heroes and villains, triumphs and defeats, but always having one another’s back and keeping a sense of humor about things makes the tough times rewarding and the great times even better! If it is possible, embrace the journey of planning a wedding. Also, it comes to finding the right Wedding Planner. Stephanie and I are a little older than a lot of other marrying couples. We both have had more life experiences in business, event planning, party planning, printing, and hosting clients, as well as attending many, many weddings. Therefore, we were likely far more fastidious and opinionated than other younger couples. In addition, we had done a lot of the details, (i.e. location and venue tours) all ourselves. We were fortunate to have a Wedding Planner in Holly Gray of Anything But Gray Events who could adapt to our specific needs and style. Also, keep your sense of humor! 
One last point, if you both know in your hearts that you’ve done everything that you can to make it a great wedding, there comes a time you have to hand over the reins to the people you’ve entrusted to do their jobs, and then just have fun! Any mistakes, hiccups, gaffs, guest curveballs, what have you, try to have a laugh in the moment and embrace it. Just go with it! It’s out of your hands and just enjoy, relax, and have fun. I had a saying that I took from playing in bands and doing improv, “Meet ya at the end.” In other words, the show has started and we’re going to go all the way to the end! If someone misses a cue, plays a wrong note, or if there is a marching band playing or a Veteran’s Day flyer (both of which actually happened to us), we keep going and we’ll have a laugh at the end. (Luckily, the parade ended so the band stopped playing just before the wedding ceremony started and my Father-in-law looked like he pulled a string with the United States Air Force, which wasn’t true but made him look like a mogul! That said, it was a relief that because of the hard work pre-planning every detail when the day came, all I had to do was show up, look good, relax, and be ready. Okay, one last thing, if you can, try to make the wedding as much as you can a reflection of your own relationship with your partner, it is unique to you both and your own connection. If possible, try to keep and focus on the things that matter the most to you both as a couple.”

And don’t miss their stunning film below by The Quail and The Dove!

Congrats, Stephanie + Aaron, on your glamorous, autumnal, and celestial celebration in Palm Springs! GWS wishes you both all the best!