Tell us a little about yourselves!
We met as graduate students in film school and have been together for six years. We live in Los Angeles and both work in film and television. We started out as friends – highly recommend marrying your best friend!
Why did you decide to get married where you did?
Simply put, we love Palm Springs, but we’ve also experienced many formative times there. It’s a short drive from LA, and Alanna’s parents visit a lot in winter. We were living in Palm Springs with them in early 2020 when Alanna was going through chemotherapy. Then the Covid lockdown happened, and we ended up in Palm Springs for months longer than planned. Our relationship grew, and Jake and Alanna’s parents got to know each other well. When it came time to find a venue, we knew we wanted to bring our loved ones to a place that had been so integral to our relationship.
Outside of the sentimental nature, we’re aware that most of our friends and family would be traveling to our wedding, even if we married in one of our hometowns. Why not bring them to one of our favorite spots, and one that would be drivable for our friends in LA?
Casa Cody was our ideal venue. So many little delightful moments came about from running into friends and family throughout the weekend at breakfast, the pool, or just roaming about the grounds. Having the whole hotel to ourselves made it feel like we were on vacation with our nearest and dearest.
How many guests did you have?
110.
Tell us about your outfits.
Alanna's Attire:
Even before I started trying on wedding dresses, I’d already fallen in love with Vivienne Westwood. The Nova Cocotte was the first one I tried on. I have never felt better in an item of clothing in my life. The corsetry and drape of heavy silk reminded me of Old Hollywood, soft marble lines of Greek statues, and the works of Edith Wharton and John Singer Sargent. I kept looking for a few months, trying on dresses with my mom and girlfriends, just for fun. I knew the Vivienne was still calling my name, so I went back to their LA boutique. We had a tailor sew parts of my mom’s wedding dress into a little flower and attach it on the inside of my dress beside the bustle tie, so it was easy to find and to incorporate some of my mom’s dress into mine. I was so in love with that dress that I knew I didn’t want a dress change for the reception or after party. My mom lovingly made my veil, which meant so much to me. I can’t wait to pass it down to future generations.
In my wedding dress search, my mom found a small boutique in Ann Arbor called The Brides Project They take wedding dress donations from brides, designers, and boutiques, resell them, and donate the proceeds to the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor, an organization near to our hearts as I went through cancer treatment a few years ago. We found this amazing, embellished dress by Phuong My, never worn and with the tags still on, and picked it up as a possibility for the night before. I ended up wearing a different dress the night before (a ‘70s-inspired ruffled Doên number, paired with my mother’s pearls), but changed into the Phuong My for our pool jump at the end of the wedding night. I felt so gorgeous in the Vivienne that after we jumped in the pool, I put my wedding dress back on for the small after-party we had in the Adobe House.
My jewelry fit the bill for something old, something new, and something borrowed. I wore my grandmother’s pearl bracelet so she could be with me in a way, as she passed away many years ago. My “something borrowed” all came from Myranda Fine Jewelry. Myranda is a dear friend of my Maid of Honor’s and has become a good friend of mine as well. Not only is she a sweetheart, but she is an incredibly talented jewelry designer. I felt so honored that she offered to lend me a few pieces for the big day. She designed the tennis bracelet and earrings I wore, as well as the diamond lariat, which I felt so chic wearing (one of the first pieces she ever designed, for her own wedding day!). She suggested I throw on a pearl choker for the reception, so I did just that. And then something new would be the topaz bracelet designed by my Maid of Honor that Myranda made. Topaz is the gemstone of November, our marriage month, and I treasure it.
Jakes’s Attire:
I love tailoring, and so deciding on my attire for the wedding was one of my favorite aspects of wedding planning. For the wedding itself, I knew I wanted to harken back to the studio-era Hollywood parties of Palm Springs, and so in keeping with a kind of casual, summery eveningwear look, I commissioned an ivory dinner jacket and tuxedo trousers from Husbands Paris. I’d been itching to try their tailoring, this was the perfect excuse. Their house look has a very dramatic, 1970s cut, and it felt just right for the moment.
I picked up a vintage Gitman Bros. pleated tuxedo shirt to wear with it, as well as white moiré suspenders from Albert Thurston, and mother of pearl shirt studs from Codis Maya. My bowtie is one I’ve had for a few years now, a large, dropped shape from Labowtique, which is something I treasure, and wear any chance I get. And finally, my cufflinks were a gift from Alanna for the day, a beautiful pair of circular silver Gucci cufflinks, also purchased second hand, with just the right amount of scratches and patina to feel a little history on them.
My outfit for the night before was a bit of serendipity – I found a bespoke Edward Sexton suit, a double-breasted cream gabardine, just two weeks before the wedding. I love shopping second-hand, and it really felt meant to be. I’ve always loved the Sexton look of the very structured shoulder and soft, wide lapels, and though I absolutely wouldn’t have had the budget to have one made for myself, I felt incredibly lucky to come across such a rare find, and even luckier when it fit nearly perfectly right off the bat (I just had to nip in the trousers a bit)!
What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?
Overall, we wanted it to feel personal and unique to us. We wanted to shy away from doing things out of a need to impress or meet expectations around having a ‘perfect’ wedding and checking all the boxes. We love hosting cocktail parties, and we wanted the reception to feel like the biggest cocktail party we’ve hosted – at least so far!
One of the most enjoyable parts for us was creating our invitation suite and menus. We wanted to incorporate Alanna’s dad’s watercolor paintings and the monogram he made for us. We both love old menus and movie posters so we bought the Taschen Menu Books for inspiration and had so much fun creating our own designs (for which Jake actually did the hard work of layouts and printing).
Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?
From the beginning, we really wanted to underscore not just our love for each other, but the love of our family and friends as well, the people who made us the individuals and couple we are today.
A large reason we chose Casa Cody was so we could have a live band outside, especially since we are lucky enough to have wonderful musicians among our friends. It was important to us that Jake’s sister and brother-in-law sing our first dance, while a close friend of Alanna’s from college sang the father-daughter dance. The Bart Davenport band was amazing, and the antithesis of a formulaic wedding band. From masterful R&B and Soul to Henry Mancini and Burt Bacharach, they had our guests of all ages on the dance floor, from 5 to 83!
We wanted to highlight that our marriage was also a recognition of two families coming together, something our parents and extended family have delighted in since early on in our relationship when they all became fast friends. Alanna’s engagement ring used a diamond from a ring her father had originally given to her mother. Jake’s mom is a goldsmith and made our wedding bands, alloying them together from the same pool of gold. Our fathers officiated together – which was incredibly moving (and quite a hoot too!).
Our friends are an important part of the life we’ve created and we feel surrounded by their creativity, so we shamelessly asked for their help and talents every step of the way. Alanna’s Maid of Honor welcomed everyone to the ceremony and a dear friend movingly read a piece written by another close friend who could not attend, whose words we treasure. Our friend Adriana Serrato created the illustrations we used on our cocktail napkins and matchbooks, while another friend impeccably curated our playlists for the Welcome Party and Wedding Cocktail Hour. In one of the most fun moments of the weekend, our friend from film school gave us a joyous recessional on the bagpipes as we walked down the aisle as a married couple.
And speaking of friends, the one who had the largest part to play was Rachael Mayo, owner of Rachael Ellen Events. She is a good friend who just happens to be a wedding planner, and she was one of our first calls when we got engaged. She served as our planner and was an indispensable part of the whole event – we truly could not have done it without her. Not only is her taste impeccable, but we would have gone a bit crazy without her help in all departments. The fantastic Kenzie and Jess were there the weekend of and made sure everything went smoothly and according to plan. Putting on a wedding takes a village!
Any tips for couples getting married?
Stay true to who you are as a couple. Don’t do something just because it’s trendy or typical, make sure it’s authentic to you. Think about the things that will bring a smile to your face when you remember them months or years from now. And have fun!
Oh and if you do have the opportunity, we highly recommend having your wedding in a place where you’ll see your guests all weekend, even outside of the events, as it is a fantastic way to get to spend more quality time with everyone. We felt so lucky to be able to pop over to the café for breakfast and see friends and family each morning, so that at the reception itself, we weren’t nearly so rushed.
Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?
We simply cannot rave enough about our photographer, Tom Irwin. We reached out to Tom because we loved how he combined an editorial eye with a documentarian approach. Minutes into our first Zoom meeting with him, we knew he was the one. His attitude was exactly the one you want around you on your wedding day. He made not just us, but our whole wedding party, feel confident, at ease, and above all, excited. Whenever we look at the photos he took, we are instantly back in the day and back in the mood of the wedding. He perfectly captured the spirit of our relationship and our wedding. And he’s just plain fun to have at a party!
Good food was a non-negotiable for us, and Fire & Wood Catering knocked it out of the park. The wood-fired pizza, veggies, and meats were amazing, and don’t even get us started on the arancini or the skillets of mashed potatoes. Plus, the wood fire pizza oven made the entire reception area smell delicious. Our bartenders from That’s the Spirit also killed it. The bar program was especially important to us, as we love hosting cocktail parties and creating our own menus. Cam worked with us to create offerings that were unique, fun, and huge crowd-pleasers, while also steering clear of the overly sweet spirit+mixer cocktails that we personally like to avoid.
Emma and Matilda from Makeup Therapy did my hair and makeup, respectively, and provided a calm in the storm of getting ready that morning.
Mekai of Sparks & Sand Floral Design brought the most beautiful florals and created so many interesting and unique arrangements that complemented and added to the color and beauty of Casa Cody.
Nicola of Picnic Baked Goods created the cake of our dreams! Fresh flowers, multiple tiers, blue frosting, yuzu curd, and passionfruit curd…say no more. Beautiful and delicious.
Photographer: Tom Irwin @tomirwin.co | Planning: Rachael Ellen Events @rachaelellenevents | Flora:
Sparks & Sand Floral Design @sparksandsand.is | Ceremony & Reception Location: Casa Cody
@casa_cody | Hire: Ricky’s Party Rentals @rickyspartyrentals | HMUA: Makeup Therapy @makeuptherapy
| Catering: Fire & Wood Catering @fireandwoodcatering | Beverages: That’s The Spirit PS @thatsthespirit.ps | Cake: Picnic Baked Goods @picnicbakedgoods | Entertainment: Bart Davenport Band @bartdavenport | Ceremony & Reception Dress: Vivienne Westwood @viviennewestwood | Party Dress: Phuong My @phuong_my from The Brides Project | Suit: Husbands Paris @husbandsparis |
Bowtie: La Bowtique @labowtiquebowties | Engagement Ring: Grinstein Jewelry & Design @grinsteinjewelry | Wedding Rings: Groom’s Mother | Shoes: Valentino (Alanna) @valentino & Del Toro (Jake) @deltoro | Other Jewellery: Myranda Fine Jewelry @myrandafinejewelry | Groomsmen’s Bowties: Cinabre @cinabreparis