When you’ve been dreaming of a wedding venue as long as our bride had with the Parker Palm Springs, you already have a vision: play to the vibe of the property, but make it your own. A timeless palette of black, white, and green was right at home at the Parker, and perfectly fit Shelby and Justin’s vision for an elegant garden party within the space. The couple’s classic style and black tie optional dress code kept everything elevated, while playful moments like retro portraits around the resort and dancing the night away in embellished Nikes let their personalities shine through.
Below, Shelby shares their story as we swoon over Lauren Scotti‘s timeless imagery:
Would you believe that Shelby’s mom actually designed, drew, and colored their save the dates and invitations? What could make your wedding stationery more special than that?!
Why the Parker Palm Springs?
We chose the Parker for its lush greenery, beautiful lawns and winding paths, and we wanted our theme to align with the resort vibe of the venue. I do have to be honest though… I knew I wanted the Parker to be my wedding venue before Justin and I met. My family had stayed at the Parker several years ago and I fell in love with the property. I told my family on that trip that I wanted to get married there!
The Parker feels so romantic, sexy and exclusive. We wanted our guests to feel fully immersed in the mid-century modern details of the Parker and we wanted our guests to truly feel like they were on vacation. Also, each wedding event (welcome party, cocktail hour, ceremony and reception) was on a different lawn at the Parker, which made each event feel special. Even our guests commented on how much they loved seeing different parts of the Parker property throughout the weekend!
Most memorable moment from the day?
Our first look. It was a last-minute decision to do the first look, and we were so happy we did it. We were both so nervous on the wedding day, so it was really special to spend the time just the two of us before our ceremony. We were already crying tears of joy and commenting that we didn’t want the day to be over, and the ceremony had not even happened yet!
Tell us about your dress!
My wedding dress was from Ines Di Santo. When I went wedding dress shopping, I knew that I wanted a classic dress in crepe. I walked into the store on that first day and saw my dress hanging on the rack in the store, pointed to it and said, “that’s my dress!” So, my stylist pulled it from the rack and nothing else I tried on after that could compare. I cried every time I tried that dress on, so I knew it was the one for me.
During my first appointment, my stylist asked me if I was a bow girl to which I answered, “I don’t know, but I’m willing to try on a dress with a bow!” I tried on a different dress with a bow, and immediately fell in love with the bow design. So, when I chose my dress, I decided to add the bow onto the back for a little extra something! It ended up being my favorite part of the dress and I received so many compliments on it.
Shelby’s beautiful pearl embellished veil and bouquet of white roses exude timeless elegance, don’t they?
Bridesmaids all chose dresses from Show Me Your Mumu, which allowed them to select the dresses that fit each individual’s style. Their black dresses alone come in over 30 styles, sizes XXS to XXL, and are all in the $200 price range!
Signature cocktails and custom acrylic drink stirrers are fun ways to customize cocktail hour.
Love the selfie mirror trend! Everyone is taking selfies anyway, why not set up a spot just for guests to do it?!
Biggest Saves and Splurges?
Our biggest saves were our videographer and our rentals. Our videographer was recommended by a friend, and we are so happy we chose Amari productions. They were so friendly and professional during the booking process and on the day of our wedding, and our video turned out better than we could have imagined. We’ve had multiple people tell us it was the best wedding video they’ve ever seen. For our rentals, we received a quote from a company that was much higher than we had hoped to spend. However, in the back of my mind, I had a good feeling about Ricky’s. I had seen their Instagram and just had a feeling they should be our vendor. After numerous emails back and forth with Ricky’s, I asked Ricky’s if I could visit their warehouse to inspect their inventory. They were more than happy to oblige and we were so happy with what we saw, that we immediately booked them!
Our biggest splurges were the twinkly lights for the dinner and reception and our photographer. After we got engaged I immediately booked two vendors—our venue and the twinkly lights. The twinkly lights were a non-negotiable for me—I had always envisioned having our dinner under twinkly lights. As for photography, I knew we wanted someone with a “moody” style, to match the mid-century modern feel of the Parker. There was a Parker wedding featured on another blog that had the moody theme I was looking for. The blog tagged Lauren Scotti, and when I looked at Lauren’s page on Instagram, I noticed that she had photographed (1) my sister in law’s best friend’s wedding (and I had loved her photos) and (2) a sorority sister’s engagement photos that I had fallen in love with years ago. I knew it was meant to be to have Lauren as our photographer!
Any advice for couples planning?
It took us 15 months to plan our wedding. Although Justin was always happy to help make decisions, my mom and I did the majority of the planning. She is so organized, so she was so helpful with thinking of each detail, even the smallest ones! My biggest piece of advice is to create an inspiration board. I made mine on Pinterest, and throughout the planning process, I saved photos of invitations, tablescapes, menus, etc. that I liked. I’m so glad I did that because it gave me a clear picture of what my vision was for the day. For example, when it came to picking our seating chart, I spent hours looking at pictures of different ideas on Pinterest, but eventually decided to have a hanging sign with florals, which had been on my Pinterest page for months. Another piece of advice is to trust your gut! It’s your special day, so it should look and feel how you’ve always imagined.
You can’t go wrong with a classic all white wedding cake adorned in roses!
Congratulations to Shelby and Justin!
Photography: Lauren Scotti | Videography: Amari Productions | Venue: Parker Palm Springs | Planning & Coordination: Intertwined Events | Florist: The Flower Lab | Light Canopy: Lights for Nights | Rentals: Ricky’s Party Rentals | Hair and Makeup: Design Visage | Photo Booth: Classic Photo Booths | | DJ: Peter Papadopoulos from Vive Entertainment | String Quartet: Promenade Quartet | Day of Paper: Darla Marie Designs | Wedding Dress: Ines Di Santo | Bridesmaid Dresses: Show Me Your Mumu
