When Ashley Smith Events sent Merritt + Cory’s Palm Springs wedding our way, they described it in three words: colorful, modern, and HAPPY. We have to say, it’s pretty spot-on. M + C had 135 guests, wanted a destination wedding feel, epic dance party, and a bit of a Spanish feel (a nod to their roots and many travels). The ACE Palm Springs is a rare venue that offered all that and plenty of room for the giant balloon install (on the groom’s must list!), and we’re positive the guests had the time of their lives. Thanks to MorningWild Photography for sharing the photos!
Their story… We dated for quite some time before getting engaged. Neither of us was in a rush, but we both agree that our ability to travel together is what created a bond that couldn’t be broken. We traveled all over the world together before getting engaged, from three months in Southeast Asia, a cross country road trip, to a few weeks in Europe and Nepal. We already have so many memories and funny stories, like almost getting lost at sea off of an island in Cambodia to being chased by a pack of dogs in Myanmar to seeing Everest at sunrise after hiking for seven days in Nepal. We both just love traveling, but we love it more when we are together, and we definitely have plans to continue the adventure through our marriage.
The bridal bouquet from Of The Flowers included white ranunculus, eucalyptus, white sweet pea, and forget-me-nots
Fun note, the dress code for the wedding was dubbed “fun formal”, which kinda sounds like the best way to dress up ever, right?!
On their favorite moments… Saying our vows! Apparently, we made many people cry happy tears during our vows. They were words we will never forget. Also, the time we spent with Megan Gielow was so special and intimate for the two of us. We did not have a traditional wedding party so the photo sessions were just Cory and I. Megan turned our photo sessions into snippets of time we could break away from the chaos of the day to remember what it was all about.
K, so about this giant balloon installation from Zim Balloons: Cory was hooked on the idea of a big install, and completely took the guests by surprise. Talk about a fun photo opp!
Cory is a designer, so he designed and printed our wedding invites and save-the-date. With Ashley’s help, we painted the lounge tables and cut and painted foam-core cacti for the DJ booth. Cory also designed our logo which we ended up turning into a neon acrylic sign that we cut with a huge laser cutter. We also turned our logo into a vinyl floor decal, and ironed it onto a jean jacket.
Although they created so much of the design details themselves, they didn’t want to necessarily call it a DIY wedding, as that gives off the idea that they saved a ton of money by hand-crafting details. Ashley of Ashley Smith Events explains, We spent a lot of time curating the look, which was vibrant, modern, and colorful. They really wanted lounge pieces so we built and painted the four cocktail tables in the lounges. We also laser cut all the cactus for the DJ booth to make a large size Cacti Garden. I also lined the cacti with el wire so they glowed at night. We lasered a huge 27” version of their logo on white acrylic which I also lined with el wire to make a large neon sign. Felisa of “Of the Flowers” had the triangle for the ceremony custom built as well
So many cool deets here, huh?
Clearly there were plenty of opportunities for fabulous photos with these white balloons!
Be sure to get a closer peek at the amazing details in this wedding by perusing our gallery below:
Our engagement was pretty long, about a year and a half. We made the biggest decisions right off the bat, like photographer, wedding planner and venue, but the rest of the planning and preparation really occurred three months before the wedding. The biggest hurdle we overcame was probably executing our grand vision on a budget, and we definitely stretched it. It’s a tough reality check as a newly engaged couple when you realize just how much a wedding can cost. We thought being nontraditional would end up being less expensive, but we were wrong. Luckily we had a great wedding planner, Ashley Smith, who was honest about the price of things, and supportive family who helped make our wedding-weekend dreams a reality.
Congratulations, M + C!
Photography: MorningWild Photography / Planning & Design: Ashley Smith Events / Venue: Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs / Flowers: Of The Flowers / Lounge Rentals: Witty Rentals / DJ: Dart Collective / Balloons: Zim Balloons / Bride’s Dress: Carolina Herrera ‘Mason’ from Jin Wang in San Francisco / Shoes: Stuart Weitzman / Wedding Ring & Band: Tiffany & Co / Sunglasses: Gucci / Groom’s Suit: Suitsupply / Shoes: Taft / Watch: Linjer / Sunglasses: Garrett Leight / Tie: Bonobos / Wedding Ring: Blue Nile / Flower Girl & Ring Bearers: Etsy
