a desert fete

Remember that wedding I went to last fall? In Joshua Tree? With the special owl story? Thought so. Well, the bride and groom (or, husband and wife) were kind enough to let me post a little bit about it here.

Ben and I feel so lucky to have Britt & Scott as friends, they are an insanely inspiring and loving couple, who light up our lives not only by their presence, but by their never ending creative contribution. Britt's botanical designs are slowly taking over our house (yay! more!), and Scott is a rad photographer, who was kind enough to take pictures at my graduation. We knew their wedding was going to be epic.



Here are some words from Britt;

advice: keep it simple and meaningful. practice learning how to be fully present and in the moment long before the wedding so you can be sure to take in as much as possible. it wizzes by at breakneck speed! have someone video as much of it as possible for those who can't make it and of course, your own future tear-spillings. awwww.


my own memories: group meditation & energy work the morning of, deep & beautiful breathing during the ceremony, my hubs break dancing with my nephews, endless laughter, being amazed my heart didn't burst from so much love, our feather blessing, realizing we'd never have all these people together in one place again, the owl imprint, the magic of the desert enveloping us and never letting go.




what i learned: enjoy the process. every crazy second of it, even the stressful planning. also, even though you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD (like trying to create your own bouquet at 2am the night before). delegate delegate! responsibility cards are a must...especially for the morning of. consider hiring a day-of-coordinator no matter how tight your budget. you are worth it!




what made it special: our community: the center of our union. acknowledging and celebrating the heart tribe. forcing people out to the high desert and watching them connect with the magic around them. a gift for all.



-The wedding was held at one of my favorite places on Earth, Jim Austin's Rimrock Ranch in Pioneertown, California.
-Christopher Wilson was behind the lens. *
-Francine Ribeau kept everyone sane as day of coordinator (first hand, I came to her with a few near crisisisisis that day and she was always cool as a cucumber).
-Set designed collaboratively between Tend (aka the bride, she was not joking about 2am arrangements) and Bells & Whistles.

And countless other friends & family members came together to make everything happen. From the videographer, the bartender, the hairstylist, the officiant, the paper goods (yours truly!), to the tunes being spun (Scott- the groom- is also a dj, and his many DJ friends took turns behind the table. It was good, people) to the entire stock of beer & wine being home made…. the list goes on & on. A community indeed!

This is also a perfect time to mention that Britt has finally started a blog! tending to it (notes from a garden hoe) here you can moniter all her advantures in modern botanical design, which are many. And she has been doing a ton of weddings lately. (Lucky. Lucky. Lucky brides and grooms.) Check it out! (Scott is also finally starting a photography blog, but it isn't ready yet, s0 I can't link to it yet. Pout.)

Congratulations again you two!

*all images courtesy of Christopher Wilson (Thank you!) except #1 (Scott Neubacher Caligure) and #3, 7-9, 12 (Me!)