Vendors Vendors Vendors! (Part One: Venue)

Wedding planning has been some of the most stressful fun I've ever had as the OCD organized crafter that I am. 

One of the most important/stressful/fun parts of wedding planning is carefully curating your vendors. 

At times it's very hard for me to make decisions while others I know exactly what I want and there is no swaying me. I've experienced both of these while wedding planning. 

It all began with the venue hunt. Like most unmarried women, I had a "Wedding Venue" pinterest board before I was even engaged. As time went on I'd cross some of the venues off my list because someone I knew got married there. Now, that's not to say I wanted to get married where no one else has ever gotten married before but, I definitely wanted some place special and unique. (And I didn't want my guests to be comparing my wedding to the last one they attended at the very same venue.)

After ruling out a few local venues I made the decision to move this party to the desert! For as long as I can remember my family has had property of some kind in the desert, most recently a family vacation home on a man-made lake in Indio. Some of my very favorite memories are out there including spending time at the country music festival Stagecoach with Sam. So, Palm Springs it was!

So the search had been narrowed down but the amount of amazing potential Palm Springs wedding venues is endless! We started by looking at some hotels both big luxury hotels and small boutique hotels. We also were open to the idea of a private estate. I made the "mistake" of touring The Parker way too early on and, like anyone would, I fell in love. It was beautiful and it's price reflected that. I was graciously given a very modest budget and at $245/person it just wasn't doable. I had a bit of a bridezilla moment of "If I can't have it, I don't want anything" and I even talked to Sam about eloping. Go ahead, laugh at me. But then something great happened. While on a visit to the desert to continue the venue hunt, we went back to The Parker to see if we still loved it as much as we originally did. It was during that visit that I realized how cookie cutter all the weddings there were and how hotel guests (in bathing suits no less) can involuntarily be part of your special day. And then the kicker... while walking the grounds I spotted a bride and groom about to have their first look. At first my heart melted realizing how special that moment was. Then I took a step back and realized oh my gosh, I'm a complete stranger and because their wedding is happening at this hotel, I just witnessed one of the most special moments they will ever share. I realized in that moment that's not what I wanted at all. So the hunt continued. 

I really began scouring the internet for private estates (I didn't want a stranger-first-look incident). Because Palm Springs was a hot spot for young Hollywood back in the day there are endless gorgeous estates, it just became a matter of finding the right one. And then.... I did. 

The Sand Acre Estate. It still had the amazing "secret garden" feel that The Parker had but with the privacy and elegance of a private estate. When we walked in we were still greeted with the "wow factor" that we were at The Parker. We had found the location for the O'Quinn Wedding!

Stay tuned for more on my vendor selection process and wedding plans!