By now you’re all wishing you could have either been invited to this wedding, been disguised as a beach ball lounging in the pool, or squeezed through the pool gates, yes? Us too. After two already magical-filled days, we’ve now reached day 3. This is where some of the unexpected J + A wanted to include comes into play: a high school marching band, a Saturday morning shave & haircut from Rudy’s Barbershop for all the dudes, a Jaguar baraat groom entrance. In case you haven’t already, don’t forget to take a peek at Part 1 & Part 2!
Go ahead, start pinning Jessica’s gorgeous Reem Acra dress, now!
Aaron was great about finding little ways to keep Jessica focused during their three-day event, like leaving a vintage valentine typewriter in her room with this sweet little note.
Major cute custom guest totes made by Bash, Please.
We always love when bouquets have hints of blue thistle, so seeing an entire bouquet of it is amazing.
We kicked off the wedding with a homage to the Indian Baraat, which is a procession for the groom. We were inspired by a friend’s wedding in Goa, India. We danced for two hours under the hot Goan sun while delivering the groom to the altar. It was the most fun I’ve ever had. Instead of the traditional horse, we chose a vintage jaguar. Instead of a traditional Indian band, we hired the local Palm Springs High School Band (AMAZING!). This was a very special moment for Aaron (that lasted about an hour). As the bride, I soaked up so much of the focus and attention, so it was nice for Aaron to have some time where our friends and family honored him and only him. This was his time and, as you can tell, he worked it and had a blast.
Then it came to the ceremony. We kept it super simple. We decided to keep the vows loose and unrehearsed and wanted everything to be a surprise so that we would stay in the moment and hopefully remember all of those little details. Aaron and I wrote our own vows, but in addition to the vows, we shared “promises” to each other. We did not rehearse or share the promises with each other before the ceremony, so they were new, fresh, and incredibly touching. The little blue rug we were married on was something we brought from the home we share in San Francisco.
Our bridesmaids and groomsmen sat on the rocks surrounding the circle we were standing in.We had benches for our family and some of the guests, but most of our guests sat on the ground or stood around us. Surprisingly, it made the ceremony feel more intimate.
How these love cats met: We were introduced via Facebook by our mutual friend, Dave Morin, in 2007. After a few messages back and forth, we decided to take the plunge and meet for dinner. We met at Blue Plate in San Francisco for a little blind-ish date. I’ll never forget my first glimpse of him — he was sitting at the bar with his little old man cardigan on with a confident yet timid smile. I immediately thought he was my kind of guy. It didn’t take us long to realize that we had a lot in common. We both love design, technology, and adventures. We probably should have met years and years ago at WWDC or Macworld, but I’m pleased our first encounter was at a blind date. It’s more dramatic that way.
Really, we know it’s tough work to photograph a wedding, nonetheless a three-day celebration, but Max Wanger, we kinda envy you for this one. We’d gladly trade places with you to experience the magic that we see in your beautiful photos!
My dad and I decided to skip the sappy and sentimental Father-Daughter dance that we had been practicing and instead cut-a-rug with the Rebirth Brass Band. That was one of the best decisions I made all weekend. The guests made a circle around us and the energy was unbeatable. At one point Flashdance played “All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem – which is one of my all-time favorite tracks. I danced my face off with… wait for it — ALL OF MY FRIENDS! It was the perfect song to bookend our weekend.
Around 8pm, we opened the gates to a swell of food carts. Our guests ate at the leisure and mingled. It was a great way to make sure our guests had a chance for a great meal, without breaking the flow of the evening.
We figured everyone would be exhausted after a few solid days of socializing and partying. We expected most of our guests to peel off right after the band stopped playing. Instead, we found a dance floor full of people with energy to burn, so Flashdance jumped on the decks and we danced clear through the night and straight into the morning.
And that’s it Cakelets! When it comes to our favorite weddings, this one is definitely at the top of the list. The memories these two and their whole lot of guests get to walk away with and cherish forever are magical. HUGE thank you to Jessica + Aaron for giving our blog major eye candy today.
How does one let such an event end? Jessica + Aaron, we congratulate you a million times over and wish you the best!
Event production: Bash, Please / Photography: Max Wanger / Officiant: good friend, Chris Cox / Florals: Bash, Please / Cake + desserts:Sweet Lucie’s, Beachy Cream, Fry Girl, Ace Hotel Palm Springs / Rentals: Casa de Perrin, Yeah! Rentals, Classic Party Rentals / Lighting:Classic Party Rentals / Linens: La Tavola / Music (ceremony): Evan Lowenstein singing Buddy Holly’s “Everyday” (pool party) Leftover Cuties (reception) Rebirth Brass Band (after party) Michael Antonia aka The Human Jukebox (barat) Palm Springs High School Marching Band / Photobooth: Smilebooth / Makeup: Stacy McClure / Makeup & hair: Fiore Beauty / Grooming: Rudy’s Barbershop / Videography: Brian Morrow at Shark Pig / Transportation: vintage Jaguar by Klassy Kars / Invitation design: Gary & Robert Williams / Venue: Ace Hotel Palm Springs / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Bride’s dress: Reem Acra / Wedding bands: Cathy Waterman / Veil: Toni Federici / Jewelry: Fred Segal / Food vendors: Ricky’s Fish Tacos, Heirloom LA, Let’s Be Frank, Handsome Coffee
