Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met digitally on Google Plus the night it launched, and happened to be at the same party IRL life the next day. Cody had a costume panda head he was using for a photo project and Nicole wore it all night long, even when Cody bought her a drink in an attempt to get the head off, she managed a way to drink with the head on.
This explains us pretty well, as we’re both fun-loving nerds that compliment each others creativity.
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
The desert has always been our go-to vacation spot since we began dating, as we both like to adventure around and make art and play around there. We especially loved The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs because we felt its style matched ours and the wedding vibes we knew we wanted; part 70’s does deco, part 60’s does art nouveau, a little western, and a touch of 50’s motel pulp.
How many guests did you have?
Around 50.
Tell us about your outfits.
Once we knew the vibe we wanted we did some mood research and loved the idea of his suit being green. We also knew we wanted his suit to bring the western and reached out to Ft. Lonesome around a year in advance. We didn’t expect the fabric we did, though, until we got the samples of fabrics and we both fell for the silk wool. (Always get the fabric samples, because this was our least favorite option when we were looking online.)
Nicole had been a fan of Danielle Frankel for the big day but didn’t think any of the dresses they had, at the time, quite fit the mood. She initially thought she wanted more beading than she ended up with, to complement Cody’s suit, but noticed herself being drawn to gowns with pleats more. Then Danielle released Scarlet and the rest is history.
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
That it felt “us”. We planned it mostly as a party to celebrate our love which felt less held to traditions we didn’t care for. We knew it was more important for us to love the day than to try and please others and in the end the guests loved it just as much as we did!
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
Film Photography was one. Since our passions align with photography in a multitude of ways we knew we wanted to include multiple aspects photography that also felt like it had some permanence to it. We knew we wanted our guest book to have instax pockets because we loved the idea of having that moment captured on instant film. We also wanted the guests to capture some moments on disposable cameras, not knowing they’d be such a huge hit with the kids. We still haven’t gotten the film developed but love the idea of seeing our wedding from their perspective. We had a viewfinder of some special moments for our guests to look at, slightly inspired by an exhibit we saw and enjoyed the nostalgic medium.
We also knew we wanted our photographer to have a slightly more editorial yet indie eye and also be someone who shoots film. We’re both very particular about the photos we like. The Shalom Imaginative checked all those boxes and then some and honestly so great to work with.
Personal Style and Conscious Consumerism was the other. Because of Nicole’s personal styling work, she really wanted to avoid single-use purchases that didn’t fit the wedding party's individual personality so she coordinated with everyone to wear something they had in their closets. If any items were bought, they filled gaps in the wearer's closets and could be worn again in the future.
Guests were also told to show off their personality with what they wore and we’d like to believe that just made it more fun for everyone.
Any tips for couples getting married?
If you plan a wedding for something that you’ll both love, then your loved ones will love it just as much!
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
All of them! We honestly would not have found them all, though, without
the help of Sabrina at Moon Realm! ( Aside from Hair and Makeup Artist Janet Mariscal, who Nicole has worked with regularly and adores since the time they were with the same talent agent.) Sabrina helped turn our vision into a reality by connecting us with all the perfect vendors, kept us on track despite our crazy schedules, and let us simply enjoy and soak in our special day by being the day-of coordinator.
Photographer : The Shalom Imaginative @theshalomimagnative | Ceremony + Reception Location : The Ace Hotel Palm Springs @acehotelpalmsprings | Celebrant : The Vowkeeper @thevowkeeper | Entertainment : Supermoon DJs @supermoondjs | Styling : by the Bride Nicole Lippman Bratt @nikilips | Planner : Moon Realm @moon__realm | Rentals : Palo Verde Party Rentals @paloverdeparties | Flora : Still Carnations @stillcarnations | HMUA : Janet Mariscal @muajanet | Cake : Picnic Baked Goods @picnicbakedgoods | Nicole's Dress + Veil : Danielle Frankel @daniellefrankelstudio | Cody's Suit : Ft. Lonesome @ftlonesome | Engagement Ring : Gucci @gucci | Wedding Rings : Maiden Voyage @maidenvoyagejewelry | Nicole's Shoes : Badgley Mishka @badgleymischka | Nicole's Clutch : Alexander McQueen @alexandermcqueen | Cody's Bolo Tie : Claire Sommers Buck @clairesommersbuck | Wedding Party Attire : Coordinated by the Bride Nicole Lippman Bratt @nikilips