This Dreamy Desert Micro-Wedding Was Inspired by the Magic of a Mirage

“We met online,” say Philadelphia-based newlyweds Jen + Scott of how they started off their love story in the age of swiping right. “Internet dating is such a mixed bag, but we found ourselves falling in love after our first date! We originally planned just to get dinner but were having such a good time that we didn’t want the evening to end.  After dinner, we got gelato and then continued to extend the evening by wandering around and making out all over Center City.”

A few years ago, the couple found themselves inspired by Jen’s sister who’d started a van-life adventure and was sending plenty of gorgeous pictures from the road. Jen + Scott decided to have an adventure of their own and started planning a camping trip that would take them way out West to Joshua Tree.

“Everything was new to us,” the couple remembers of their first camping trip in the California desert. “We were inexperienced campers and had never traveled through this part of the country. We both reveled in that feeling of awe of the land that was so rugged, wild, and vast. It was almost like we were explorers.  Working as our own little team, just the two of us against the big, wide world, brought us even closer together.”

It was from this experience that the couple drew when they started planning their Joshua Tree I do’s. “That feeling of discovery and intimacy was something we wanted to share with our loved ones,” say Jen + Scott of the intimate destination wedding they dreamed up, “which is why we chose the theme of ‘wonder.’”

Together with Wildly Collective the couple created a mirage-inspired aesthetic that incorporated shimmery metallic decor and tons of gorgeous blooms and totally embraced the majesty of the Mojave desert landscape at Le Chacuel. Unforgettable details like aerialists and astronomer-led stargazing kept their guests amazed at every turn. And photographers from Cedar + Pines were on hand capturing every minute of this dreamy desert day.

“Our celebration was meant to honor the beauty of the harsh desert we loved,” Jen + Scott say of their multi-day destination desert wedding, “and to bring everyone closer together by sharing our love for exploration, adventure, and wonder.”

The Day Before

A key event of the celebration’s pre-wedding day? A desert take on a traditional Chinese tea ceremony!

We love seeing couples reinvent the tea ceremony to fit their wedding’s vibe. This high fashion forest wedding and this funky Palm Springs wedding are some of our other favorite examples.

Can we get a round of applause for Jen’s gorgeously unique tear-drop diamond engagement ring??

The Wedding Day

Jen + Scott created custom wedding newspapers for their guests full of event info, special messages, games, and more.

“Jen and I had never gone men’s clothes shopping together before, and I’d become accustomed to choosing clothes by myself,” Scott says of teaming up with his bride-to-be to choose his double-breasted white tux from SuitSupply. “Putting my look together with Jen ended up being way more fun than I imagined! Jen encouraged me to try things that were out of my comfort zone and to keep an open mind. The entire process felt so collaborative, and it felt good to feel like we were on a team.”

“The final choices were up to me, and I thought the austere formality of a crisp, white dinner jacket worked so well with our venue but was also such a stark contrast with the desert.”

We are totally in love with everything that Still Carnations dreamed up for Jen + Scott’s florals. Obsessed with the combo of those earthy avocado greens with the sweet pastel purples.

Jen added a chic hint of sparkle with these pointed toe wedding shoes by Jimmy Choo.

“I went dress shopping almost completely solo, and I found my dress within 2 to 3 visits,” Jen remembers of her journey to this pearly, long sleeved, off-the-shoulder Watters gown. “I didn’t want to hear a lot of voices or opinions clouding my judgement, and I didn’t want to be rigid about exactly the kind of dress I wanted to wear.”

“My first bridal appointment was more for me to experience the initial glow of trying on my first wedding dresses, and to just gather some information about how I was feeling internally – was I basking in the novelty of the dress? Was the dress just a beautiful white dress, or did it make me feel like a bride? I tried to keep an open mind, and to hone in on my inner voice to help me stay authentic to what I wanted to feel, and I think it turned out pretty great!”

The Ceremony

LOVE the way they balanced those maximalist mirage-inspired metallic details with floral arrangements that felt SO natural to the Joshua Tree landscape.

BTW: another amazing example of a couple incorporating some metallic silver shine into their decor is this Medieval meets futuristic wedding in Spain.

Our Favorite Memory
Scott: I wanted to wait to see Jen for the first time as my bride, when she was walking down the aisle. We didn’t do a “First Look” and all of our friends and family were meticulously careful not to share any details about the bridal look.  It led to the most memorable moment for me, seeing Jen in all her bridal glory for the first time. All the anticipation and excitement that had been building up came out all at once.  My sister said that she had never seen me make the face I made when I saw Jen emerge for the ceremony.
Jen: So, no one got any pictures of it because my photographers and videographers were all running, but when I stepped out from the house to do my solo shots on the property, the wind snatched my veil out of my hair! It carried it up and over the roof of the venue. I was so shocked, all I could do was laugh, but everyone with a camera immediately went sprinting after it. My videographer managed to catch it, and everything was fine. But honestly, I was just so happy to be getting married that even if I lost my veil, I wouldn’t have been that upset. It’s just a veil! Scott is more important to me than any veil.

Jen’s wedding veil by Prim and Perverse billowed so beautifully in the desert breeze.

Jen’s sparkly wedding band came from Brilliant Earth and complemented her engagement ring’s unique shape so perfectly.

“We both agreed that we would rather host a great celebration for a small number of people, so we kept our guest list quite tight – just family and good friends,” says the couple of their choice to plan an intimate wedding. “We wanted everyone to feel like they were an active part of our celebration, so we designed our guest experience to be really personal.”

This champagne pour pic so perfectly features Scott’s brand new classic gold wedding band from Hitched.

The Reception

Bright Event Rentals outfitted the desert fete with all sorts of chic + modern furniture pieces — like this super cute arched rattan bar.

Guests enjoyed tons of delicious bites by Salt + Leisure.

We’re loving this breezy + sophisticated wedding updo by Emily Lynn + Co. and the way it showed off those sparkly wedding earrings by Lelet NY.

“I knew I wanted to do something different for my shoes, and incorporate some gold,” Scott says of those unique gold + floral wedding boots from Taft. “Gold is traditionally Chinese for good luck.”

SO into this curvy, serpentine reception setup! Check out our collection of creative reception table layouts for even more unique table configuration ideas!

When in doubt: add some pearls!

The reception’s earthy linens from Folklore connected the tablescapes to the feel + color of the desert landscape.

Catalog by Folklore outfitted the tables with modern decor details in all sorts of dreamy neutrals.

Bride Jen is an amateur aerialist herself, and she knew that bringing in the talented aerialists from Flowbox for her big day would create an absolutely unforgettable experience for her guests.

“It’s good to have an idea of how you want your day to go,” the couple reflects, “but being too rigid can stifle beautiful, organic creativity.”

Jen + Scott can attest that compromise is key when it comes to planning decisions: “Jen wanted to pivot with baker Picnic from a vintage Lambeth-style cake to a long cake, which Scott was a little skeptical of. When we learned we could book a star man from 29 Palm Astronomy for our entertainment, Scott was immediately on-board – in both cases, one of us had to be convinced, and both were big hits on the day of!”

“Don’t be afraid to push out creatively, but remember to listen to yourself and ask if your decisions are still feeling authentic.”

Scott’s amazing floral boots and Jen’s bow-adorned Bella Belle reception shoes on the edge of the pool make for such a perfect mid-party tableau–one of our favorite wedding photography trends of the moment!

The Day After

“On day three they went back to the national park for a sunset photo session just the two of them,” planner Vivien of Wildly Collective recalls. “A tender end to the weekend.”

A fun little side note from the couple about their wearable gifts for each other: “Scott and I chose a small token for each other to wear on the day of the wedding! My dress was covered in pearls, so I chose mother-of-pearl cufflinks for him to wear in homage to my dress. And by complete coincidence Scott also chose a pearl necklace for me.  He surprised me with a small pearl pendant caged in a gold teardrop that matched the shape of my ring’s diamond!”

Our Advice
Planning a wedding involves a lot of shared creative output, so the most important thing is to work as a team. The shared flow can feel really great, and having each other’s support through the more tedious tasks is important. We put a lot of time and consideration into choosing the right theme for us, which helped us maintain our focus. Our planners, photographers, and baker weren’t just our vendors, they became part of our wedding team and became part of the collaborative and creative process.

Congratulations, Jen + Scott! Your Joshua Tree micro-wedding was non-stop wonder! GWS wishes you both nothing but the best!