Fun fact about our free-spirited couple Judson + Claire: They met in Brooklyn where they both lived, and after a short time decided to buy a van, quit their jobs, drive across America and move to Los Angeles. These east coasters came to love the California desert so much that they had to share it with all their fave people on their big day. Find more photos from photography by ben & kadin of their DIY wedding Pioneertown, below!
Just wait till you see more of this unique Mara Hoffman dress our bride rocked…
Air plants and fresh eucalyptus lined the tables, along with minimal decor pieces that complemented the desert landscape. Being on a budget, they did just about everything themselves (with the help of friends and fam). Luckily Claire knows how to manage large scale events and budgets for her day job, so planning in advanced + staying organized really helped.
Claire tells us, Discovering the desert after moving out here has been one of our favorite things and we wanted to create a desert adventure for friends and family. This meant the whole wedding took place outdoors in the Joshua tree desert. We used the colors and textures of the landscape and kept things informal… We looked at every venue in the entire area for over a year and Jud would only compare it to Le Haut Désert Aerie. We felt like in the end we had to choose this as it is something unique, we were allowed to pretty much take over for the whole weekend, and people could stay in the glamping tents and airstreams.
The desert bouquets by Bloominous featured garden roses, ranunculus, tillandsia, pincushion protea, succulents, billy ball, veronica, eucalyptus, and coontie fern.
On choosing a photographer… We were very wary of any over stylized or cheesy wedding photography, so we had a hard time finding a style that we liked that was natural. I found photography by ben & kadin last minute when someone cancelled and desperately searched Instagram for a photographer. These two were very good at getting to know what we wanted out of the photography, very sweet on the day, and gave us way more than we even expected—I got lucky!
Wouldn’t it be so neat to attend a wedding here?! So so fun.
Claire’s mom whipped up their desert-inspired wedding cake.
Click on into our inspiration gallery for more from C + J’s wedding:
All the best to Judson + Claire!
Photography: photography by ben & kadin / Venue: Le Haut Désert Aerie in Pioneertown, CA / Flowers: Bloominous / Hair & Makeup: Ivana Kiss / Cake: Bride’s Mom / Catering: Mojave Monaco / Brunch Catering: Ryan Gordon via Feastly / Bride’s Dress: Mara Hoffman / Shoes: Marc Jacobs (similar here) / Arm Cuffs: Free People / Groom’s Suit: Indochino / Shoes: Cole Haan / Belt: Bosca / Tie: Bar III
