It’s pretty evident this couple likes to have a good time. From the very start, thanks to the hot pink welcome sign, their eclectic Cree Estate wedding (this venue is one of our favorites in the desert!) shows off their personality. Anne & Kyle were all smiles from first look to final dance. And with a name like Let’s Frolic Together, is it any surprise they chose these fun-loving photographers to capture their big day? Read on for the photographer’s great takeaways from getting to be a part of this rad desert wedding as well as sweet words from the newlyweds!
Let’s Frolic Together share…
Anne & Kyle threw an amazing, eclectic, and charming desert wedding on 4/7/18 at historic Cree Estate in Palm Springs. From the classic charm to the incredibly gorgeous estate to the springtime blooming desert backdrop, this day was pure magic. Anne’s buttons-for-days lace gown was a jaw-dropper, and Kyle’s incredible first look reaction to it was epic; He turned to us and said, “Holy shit, have you SEEN this?” We love the way our sweet couple turned tradition on its head at their classic Jewish ceremony by having a friend surprise guests by singing New York by St. Vincent (a song with some rather off-color lyrics).
This couple collected succulents for months for a simple but effective table decor plan with rustic farm tables gathered in the open meadow. Instead of selecting their meals, guests selected their pie flavor in their RSVP’s. From the sensational moves their entire community brought to the dance floor to the piles and piles of individualized pie, to the awesome solution of a silent disco thanks to a noise ordinance, this day was full of surprises and delights. The spectacular Cree Estate wedding is not to miss!
Anne & Kyle share…
The entire day was better than we could have imagined, but a few moments stand out in our memories. Before the ceremony, we gathered in a little room with our immediate families to sign our ketubah (the Jewish marriage contract). In the months leading up to the wedding, we had written this contract together and used those discussions to craft what amounted to shared vows. Having this moment to read this document out loud right before the ceremony was incredibly emotional and helped remind us why we were there in that place, on that day.
The ceremony itself was magical. We stood under a copper chuppah that we covered with prayer shawls passed down from our families. Our brilliant officiant spoke beautifully. Our talented friends wrote and read blessings for us. And two friends’ performance of a favorite song brought the group to tears.
We wanted our wedding in Palm Springs to be a sunny getaway for our guests, most of whom were coming from a very cold winter in New York and Connecticut. And we knew we wanted to have a home base for the weekend where we could stay with a few friends and where we could host multiple events, so a pool and hot tub were must haves. Our guests ended up enjoying them late into the night – hours after the reception had ended. We chose our venue because we loved its natural beauty. Towering palm trees, an array of cacti, and brightly colored flowers meant we could keep the décor we brought in fairly simple. For centerpieces, we purchased miniature succulents (when they were still only 75 cents each), potted them in our yard and grew them for several months until they were large enough to fill out the tables. We found some fonts that we liked – and that suited the environment – and designed programs, menus and place cards. A friend who’s a talented calligrapher designed and painted signage. A few of these small touches made the whole space feel very personalized. In general, we wanted everything to be aesthetically simple but to still reflect some of the classic mid-century desert style Palm Springs is known for.
We love having dinner parties, so we knew from the beginning we wanted to serve dinner family-style. This ended up creating a wonderfully intimate, communal feeling. Kyle has an obsession with pies, so instead of a wedding cake, each guest got their own individual pie, the flavor of which they had selected when they RSVP’ed. That went over well, especially when everyone began tasting everyone else’s. (Cherry was the surprise hit.) Our DJs really killed it. Our friends and family are game to dance and we couldn’t have imagined a more amazing dance party. And because of noise ordinances in the area that forced us to turn off the music at 10 pm, the last hour of our reception was a silent disco. Being in the middle of a sweaty crowd, pulling off the headphones for a moment, and watching all the people we loved in the world dancing their hearts out to music we couldn’t hear will be a moment we’ll never forget.
