other folks weddings: {malia & michelle}

i'm thrilled to feature this gorgeous wedding that took place last year on september 25...a lovely desert wedding at the ever so fabulous ace hotel in palm springs.  disclaimer:  i've known malia {in suit} since the early 1990's and i'm over the moon that she found michelle, the girl for her.  this relaxed, joyous wedding is full of love and fun... and i adore michelle's vintage style and yes, malia is woman who wears men's clothes...and wears them well! so get yourself a tasty beverage that reminds you of the relaxed summer vibe that this wedding emits, think sunny california desert thoughts and toast to malia and michelle!

how long were you together before you got married?

we have known each since the mid 90s but were a couple for about two years before we got married.

did you diy anything?  what did you leave to vendors?

we did the save the dates ourselves...our invitations were done custom by kimberly austin at austinpress in san francisco.  our beautiful flowers and the decor were done by luna at arrangements design in palm springs.  both ladies were a complete treat to work with and really understood what we wanted!

tell me about the day{s}.

we got married on sept 25 2011 at the ace hotel in palm springs...we love going there year round so we thought it would be perfect to have the wedding there...lots of happy times there for us...we had about 120 friends and family from all parts of the world join...we pretty much took over the hotel for the week! it felt really special to see all our loved ones in one giant magical place. the day of the wedding was filled with swimming, eating, the ceremony, and lots of dancing and more swimming! and a ton of love!!!

how did you approach the planning process?

we have a wonderful friend heather who can arrange parties with her eyes closed!so thankfully she helped us! also taneka at the ace hotel helped with arranging everything dealing with the space and vendors and the delicious food!!! 

what was important?

music!!! luckily the wonderful zach cowie lent us his talent for the night! no one wanted to stop dancing! it was awesome because the space had a private pool so people could dance and jump in the pool too.  zach really took time out of his crazy music world life to understand what we wanted to dance to and it turned out perfect!

what was your favorite part of the day?
the unreal amount of love that everyone brought...sounds cheesy but it was really so sweet...

one piece of advice?

just really enjoy each part of the planning and relax on the day of...it goes by really quick!

{photographer: eyla cuenca}

{dj: zach cowie}

{flowers & decor: luna at arrangements design}

flowers {gilly flowers}

every morning when i walk to work, i see the folks at gilly flowers hard at work, up to their elbows in greenery and flowers.  gilly flowers has been in silver lake for years, but only recently did they move into their new shop.  when i was a photo stylist, the owner used to help me out with amazing arrangements.  the gorgeousness that oozes out of the store front is amazing...i love stopping by the store, petting the dogs and poking my head in to see what they are working on.  i've always wondered where those beautiful arrangements are going.  now i know...

{not that i'm a big fan of cut flowers, but they are so darn pretty...however, he does do living arrangements, i bet he could do some amazing living centerpieces.}

{photos from gillyflowers.com}

so you're enGAYged launch

today the new site so you're enGAYged launches.  living in liberal los angeles {and not using many vendors to begin with}, i didn't run across much of the bias, ignorance and discrimination when planning our wedding as many others did.  a fellow bride and blogger {and photographer} has taken the matter into her own hands and created an online resource for the lgbt community {and their allies!} to find friendly, supportive vendors.  from kelly, the creator:

So You’re EnGAYged seeks to match same-sex and allied couples with wedding vendors who actively support LGBT rights and freedoms, including, but not limited to, same-sex marriage. By highlighting voices from within the LGBT community, So You’re EnGAYged further works to build a community that can dispense advice, recommendations, and support to couples in the wedding-planning process. As the wedding industry has grown larger and more ubiquitous, we hope to serve as a reference for those who seek vendors whose business practices align with deeply held values.

there are several guest bloggers in addition to kelly's own ideas and lists of vendors.  be sure to pay them a visit when planning your wedding of any stripe!

{photo credit: soinviting via so you're engaged}