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Sunset desert wedding at The Ruin Venue in Joshua Tree

January 31, 2018
Sunset desert wedding at The Ruin Venue in Joshua Tree

What do you do when your desert destination wedding is almost completely rained out? Guys, we are completely obsessed with Dee + Sunny’s style, and their story makes it all the more beautiful: They were both born and raised in Portland, Oregon (yep—they met at a local craft brewery)​ so the idea of traveling with 140 fam and friends down to the desert in Joshua Tree seemed like such a magical escape. Fawn Events helped them plan a sunset-inspired wedding at The Ruin Venue filled with corals and pinks and one epic post-storm ceremony. Be sure to read their story at the end of the post, after perusing these images by Cody and Allison Photography:

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What did we say?! This bridal party color scheme is quickly becoming our new fave. They went with desert, sunset-inspired earthtones like pinks, beiges, and reds. Saying I Do in the desert, they knew they wanted something a little less traditional for the fashion and décor.

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This jaw-dropping coral + peach bouquet by Ophelia Floral Co was filled to the brim with garden roses, red roses, ranunculus, gardenia foliage, ferns, eucalyptus, spray roses, and carnations.

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Dee came across The Ruin Venue on Insta, and knew she had to see it. She says, I’ve always wanted an outdoor wedding and the venue was beautiful on its own. I knew I didn’t have to do a lot to make it amazing. The owners Tony and Paul were so amazing to work with. The day I met him, Tony cleaned my ring for me and shared his fresh baked cowboy cookies… Which he also made on my wedding day per my request! They really made all of us feel so special.

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Dee dyed all the dinner napkins herself. Such a cool DIY!

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The bride’s talented friend Lindsay whipped up the macramé hanging at their altar.

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BTW, Dee’s wedding dress? It’s a Watters separate from BHLDN. The top is actually a bodysuit paired with a tulle skirt. She loved it not just for the price, but because with BHLDN you’ll get your dress within a few weeks rather than months like other bridal boutiques. Win-win!

Sunset desert wedding at The Ruin Venue in Joshua Tree Sunset desert wedding at The Ruin Venue in Joshua Tree Sunset desert wedding at The Ruin Venue in Joshua Tree Sunset desert wedding at The Ruin Venue in Joshua Tree Sunset desert wedding at The Ruin Venue in Joshua Tree Sunset desert wedding at The Ruin Venue in Joshua Tree

Gotta have those sunset colored cocktails for an affair like this, right?

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Not to mention, a cute macrame + cactus cake. Dee says one of the hardest part of planning a wedding at The Ruin Venue was being long distance. They had to go with their gut on some vendors, since they weren’t able to meet with every single one in person. Be sure to check ’em all out in our credits below if you’re planning a Joshua Tree wedding!

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We got married September 9th in the desert. The day before there was a weather alert about possible flooding, which sounded completely ridiculous to me. The morning of my wedding, I woke up to rain. No big deal, it will stop. The ceremony was supposed to start at four but it had to be delayed because of thunder and lightning. It was so crazy! So by 5 or 5:30, I couldn’t wait any longer! I was getting married rain or shine. No backup plan and no cover. By the time the ceremony started, it actually stopped raining and rainbows appeared. It was like magic! The best part was when guests were trying to leave at the end of the night, the roads were all closed. They had gotten all washed out from the rain. The owners of the venue said they hadn’t seen it rain like that in at least 10 years. I will never ever forget it and neither will the guests. I was secretly happy that people couldn’t let yet because I didn’t want the night to end. No worries though—about 30 minutes later the roads opened back up and everyone got home safely.

Sunset desert wedding at The Ruin Venue in Joshua Tree Sunset desert wedding at The Ruin Venue in Joshua Tree Sunset desert wedding at The Ruin Venue in Joshua Tree

OK, one last story from Sunny + Dee… The proposal, of course:
One day Sunny asked me if I wanted to go to the beach for a night and I was so excited to get out of town. I only packed sweats because the Oregon coast is so rainy and it’s just very casual there. Of course, it was pouring down rain and he asked me if I wanted to take a walk on the beach, but it wasn’t just any part of the beach. It was where Sunny spread his best friend’s ashes years ago. A very special place for him. Of course I wasn’t going to say no!

We walked down the beach towards this small waterfall and he asked to take a photo of me on this giant rock. After the photo as he’s helping me down he grabbed my hand and pulled out a ring and proposed. I was so caught off guard. It was one of the best surprises of my life. After I say yes, I immediately wished I didn’t have sweats on! You imagine so many different ways it might happen. So for me being soaking wet and in sweats… It’s kind of hilarious. I will never forget the feeling! He our best friends to come celebrate with us after. They brought flowers and champagne. It was so much fun celebrating with our favorite people.

SO sweet. Cheers to Sunny and Dee!

Photography: Cody and Allison Photography / Venue: The Ruin Venue in Joshua Tree (Yucca Valley, CA) / Planning & Coordination: Fawn Events / Floral: Ophelia Floral Co / Hair: Mod Salon PDX / Makeup:​ Vanity Belles / Invitations: L Shannon Designs / Menu: Fawn Events / Cake: Elise Cakes / Catering: MIHO / Bar: Twisted Spoons / Vintage Rentals: Sundrop Vintage & Circa Vintage Rentals / Farm Tables & Arch: Lights for Nights / DJ: Music Media Entertainment / Bride’s Skirt & Bodysuit: Watters Beaded Top & Tulle Skirt from BHLDN / Shoes: Joie / Rings: Renvi / Groom’s Attire: Custom Mario’s / Groomsmen Pants: Bonobos