Tell us a little about yourselves!
We have been together for around six years. We met in the Bay Area, where Courtney was a dancer, and Zach was wrapping up law school. A lot of our first dates were going to dive bars, biking around the lake, and making dinner in Zach’s Oakland apartment.
Courtney now runs a period tracking app and platform called Orchyd, and Zach works at a nonprofit called the Legal Aid Association of California. They live in Los Angeles with their 7-year-old chihuahua-rat terrier mix named Jolene (our processional song was “Here You Come Again” by Dolly).
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
It was a place we had visited when we first moved to LA in 2020. We love the natural beauty of Palm Springs: The mountains as the backdrop for our ceremony, and the setting sun as people hung out before going inside the space. We valued the inside-outside dynamic. The Ace has such a wonderful, chill, yet fun vibe. It gave people a place to relax and swim and party, in addition to our wedding.
How many guests did you have?
64. The Shalom Imaginative captured our day.
Tell us about your outfits.
We both wanted to wear white, or some derivation thereof. Zach found a wonderful combination of high-quality items from Industry of All Nations in Venice. It was the perfect balance of structured and relaxed. Courtney found Kamperett and loved the ethereal nature of their designs. She only tried on two dresses. The Loretta Midi struck the balance between elegant and approachable. Both of our outfits brought us joy and made us feel pretty.
We enjoyed including some small touches, like the socks from Carne Bollente, the hairband from Hair of the Dog, and the shared scent from Le Labo.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
When selecting flowers, we both wanted a bouquet, and it was fun working with the vendor to design complementary ones.
We chose to walk down the aisle together. Neither of us wanted to feel “given away” and instead wanted that moment to represent our union, the depth of our relationship, and the journey.
We opted out of a wedding party and kept it very intimate. It was just us three up there. However, both of our sisters were non-official maid-of-honor and best man and held on to the rings.
Our BFF was the officiant, and we talked at length about the language used in the ceremony. We wanted it to feel more equitable, fluid, emotional, and human.
We did two “first” dances. We did the classic slow sway to Valentine’s Day by Bruce Springsteen and added a second dance, choreographed by a friend, to Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes.
Instead of keeping it to just family, we asked a bunch of close friends to give speeches. We balanced them between the welcome event and the reception. It was so impactful to have friends from different eras of our separate lives and relationship together contribute to the atmosphere of the event.
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
We were inspired by Bruce Springsteen on the cover of Tunnel of Love, Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, the smell of Jack Daniels, and funky natural wine.
We both took the Interior Design Style Quiz by Cristina Cleveland and got Pottery Studio and Pop Arcade results. The combination of soft and pop inspired us. It helped us navigate choices.
Words that described and shaped our wedding: Gentle, intimate, blobs, twinning, ceramics shop, Studio Ghibli, 2005, abundant, floral, sandwich shop, dive bar, and clean slate.
We loved stomping on the glass, a Jewish tradition symbolizing an array of things, but most prominently for us, the fragility and preciousness of our relationship.
Any tips for couples getting married?
Patience, soft communication, collective decision-making, and being imaginative. Take any moment to remember that you are marrying one another and marvel at that.
We both do a lot of administrative work, and when we started planning, we thought intentionally about how to divide tasks based on skills and interests.
Say thank you.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We adored our wedding planner, Kari of Feathered Arrow Studio, who did a fantastic job keeping everything moving and coordinated.
Nic from Picnic created such an amazing blue cake. Courtney’s favorite color is blue; having this edible blue centerpiece was a dream.
Photographer : The Shalom Imaginative @theshalomimaginative | Ceremony + Reception Location : The Commune at The Ace Hotel + Swim Club @acehotelpalmsprings | Celebrant : Stephanie Casey @sunkissedmalibubarbie | Entertainment : Mother Tierra @mothertierra + Second Song @secondsong_official | Planner : Feathered Arrow Studio @featheredarrowstudio | Flora :
Sparks + Sand @sparksandsand | HMUA : Feel Good Spa @feelgoodspa | Cake : Picnic
@picnicbakedgoods | Stationery : Designed by Bride, Courtney King @courtneyfjking
Courtney’s Nails: Oracle Nails @oraclenails | Sign: George + Willy @georgeandwilly | Wedding Dress : Kamperett @kamperett | Zach's Outfit : Industry of All Nations @industryofallnations | Engagement Ring : Family heirloom from Zach's family + Kaye Blegvad @kayeblegvad (Zach) | Wedding Rings : MAAARI @maaari_co | Shoes : Zou Xou @zouxoushoes (Courtney) + Alohas (Zach) @alohas | Headband: Hair of the Dog @hairofthedog.scrunchies | Shared Fragrance: Le Labo @lelabofragrances | Zach's Sunglasses: Crap Eyewear @crapeyewear | Zach’s Socks: Carne Bollente @carnebollente
Comments