Kate and Scott wanted to make sure their destination wedding was at a halfway point for all their friends and family. “I’m from Sydney, Australia and [Scott] is from London, England, so we needed a destination wedding so that it was fair to both sides of the family and to allow everyone an opportunity to come and celebrate with us,” says Kate. The couple found out that Los Angeles is exactly halfway between Sydney and London and decided a Palm Springs destination wedding would be the perfect way to tie the knot.

The couple was seeking something different and unique for their destination wedding. “The modernism, the desert, the fact that it’s so different from Australia appealed,” says the bride. “It offered a fun and vibrant destination with a unique backdrop that we knew our family and friends would enjoy. Plus, a destination that has 360 days of sunshine seemed like the perfect choice.”

The couple received all positive reactions from friends and family who loved the fact that they could turn the trip into a vacation.

The couple had an easy time planning especially, with Kate’s background as a travel advisor. “I’m used to dealing with travel and coordinating multiple suppliers and vendors, so it wasn’t all that different,” says Kate. The only thing that proved to be challenging was not being able to visit the venue or meet with the vendors in person before the wedding. “While there were some stressful moments, I kept pretty calm about most decisions and tried not to sweat the small stuff.”

Kate resorted to Instagram by searching certain hashtags to find most of her vendors. From there she was able to find pictures of her venue and was able to contact other brides who held their weddings there to exchange tips and ideas. She also found a lot of helpful reviews and referrals on Yelp.

Another issue the couple faced was the Palm Springs noise ordinance. “We knew we wanted a killer party, and music is a big part of that, so we got around it by choosing a venue that was more secluded and located between Palm Springs and Cathedral City,” says Kate.

The couple had personalized signage made through Etsy. They also made gift bags for all of their wedding guests, which included the wedding weekend itinerary, Palm Springs Life Magazines, pool floats, hangover kits, boxed water and “iconic American chocolates.”

Everyone was lucky enough to have a simple trip to Los Angeles; guests were able to find direct flights from both London and Sydney.

The couple estimates they spent less than what they would have if they would have chosen to have their wedding in Sydney or London due to a shorter guest list in Palm Springs. “Rather than the multi-day, weekend extravaganza that we had, we probably would have only been able to afford one day and we would have had about double the people in attendance, so it would have changed the vibe,” says the couple.

The bride has a couple of pointers when it comes to advice for other couples looking to plan a destination wedding. “Make sure you give your guests at least 12 months notice (if you can) that way you’ll have more of a chance for people to be able to attend,” says Kate. “I would also tell couples to be true to themselves and focus on the things that are really important to them first and then the rest will come together.”

If this real wedding has inspired you to conisder your very own Palm Springs destination wedding, then be sure to check out this Palm Springs Wedding Inspiration photo shoot!

Vendors: Photographer: Ryan Horban, Ceremony/Reception Site: Historic Cree Estate, Florist: VJ at Palm Springs Flowermart, Stationery: Paperless Post, Cake: Over the Rainbow Desserts, Makeup: Makeup by Lettie Mix, Hair: Hair of the Bride, Gown Designer: Georgia Young Couture, Groom’s Clothing Designer: Scotch & Soda, Food Truck: The Lime Truck, Margarita Truck: Rasta Rita Margarita, DJ: Alex Updike, Celebrant: Richard Cordeaux with Joyful Weddings and Events  

*This post was first published in October 2018.