The Desert Meets the Sea in this Stunning Ethical Wedding Inspiration

If you’re looking to plan a sustainable + ethical wedding, this editorial is proof that you can design a beautiful day without all the waste. We’ve covered how to plan an eco-friendly wedding, so let’s see what that looks like! Wildly Collective conspired to create a day that blended the seemingly opposite landscapes of the Joshua Tree desert and coastal northeast into a single design. Photographer Cedar and Pines and dress designer Nordeen Bridal were on board, with the collective value of ethical wedding design leading the way:

When we were developing the ethos for this editorial, we knew sustainability would take priority. On a personal level, we love exploring the earth’s different landscapes through hiking, rock climbing, and camping. We know the value the land brings us and we want to do our part in preserving it.

On a business level, we also bring our couples into these spaces. We have audiences who value landscapes just as much as we do. However, they may not understand the footprint they leave behind when planning their weddings. As vendors, we know part of our role is educating couples on sustainability in any way we can. 

Let’s have a look at the photo by Cedar and Pines!

Getting Ready in the Airstream

The location for the editorial was set in Joshua Tree at Cedar and Pines’s Airstream, which had been their home on wheels for several years!

The bride wore a selection of dresses by Nordeen Bridal. Each one, crafted with mindfulness of the environment and with the intent of them being worn in natural, adventurous landscapes.

And for the florals, Wildly Collective foraged lovely desert textures like tumbleweed, creosote bush, and palm fronds. Other pieces were repurposed from past events. Like Lunaria, which was meant to create an opalescent texture reminiscent of the sea.

 The Ceremony: Mirrors in the Desert

For the ceremony backdrop, the team utilized mirrors from local flea markets to create depth, layers, and the illusion of water. The aim was to create the feeling of elongated time and space and also pair with the reflection of the Airstream.

Love her boots!

After the Ceremony: Ethical Wedding Reception Ideas

The team set up the loveliest of reception tables for the couple after the ceremony!

For the tablescape, they utilized rentals from Wildly Collectives inventory and from Cedar and Pines’s home.
The centerpiece was reminiscent of a desert garden or an underwater reef scene: layers of dried elements, sand, wobbly tulips, open water in the centerpiece vessel, twisting candlesticks, and ochre pillar candles.

Oysters from Maine held the spoons at each place setting and a piece of dried cholla cactus sat on each plate.

Portraits in Joshua Tree

For portraits, they headed into Joshua Tree National Park where Nordeen‘s gowns came alive in the wind!

STUNNING.

Such a beautiful day with stunning ethical wedding practices that are inspiring and simple to implement! Some lovely final words from Wildly Collective:

We hope you feel more deeply connected to the earth and know that so much intention can be paired with sustainable practices. Beauty and sustainability go hand-in-hand.

photography: Cedar and Pines // venue name: Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA // event design: Wildly Collective // planning: Wildly Collective // florals: Wildly Collective // wedding dress: Nordeen Bridal // paper goods: Wildly Collective // tabletop rentals: Wildly Collective // models: Kendall Wilson and Abraham Bencid Sanchez