It’s hard to believe that these photos were shot back in October. Time flies! We had an exclusive with Rock n Roll Bride Magazine and now that the issue is available, I can show you EVERYTHING!

Joey and I wanted to do something special for our 5 year anniversary so a few weeks after throwing a party at our Portland house for family and friends, we packed our bags and flew to Palm Springs to celebrate.

The Backstory

The celebrating part this time around was important because we never had a honeymoon. In September 2010, just 9 months after meeting Joey for what I thought would be a one-time drink, we got married. Yes, it sounds crazy, but I knew it was the right thing to do. I’m an all-or-nothing sort of person and I didn’t see the point of waiting…so we took off to Vegas! Our only guest was my BFF Bianca and we lived it up.

Looking back, we had a tiny budget and planning a big wedding sounded like an absolute nightmare on top of my freelance schedule at the time so I was totally happy with our decision.

Five years later though, we wanted to do something special to commemorate the occasion. Plus, any excuse to visit Palm Springs (where we’re buying a place soon) is always a good idea. We simply secured our photographers, booked a beautiful house on Air bnb and booked our plane tickets. No stress.

The Look

The biggest expense for clothing was Joey’s suit, which he found at Italia Suits in Hollywood. The guy sized him up the second he walked in, pulled out the perfect skinny black suit and sent him down the street to an alterations place. It was literally that easy! He paired it with vegan black Dr. Martens and a tie he already had.

On the other hand, I wore my original dress from our Vegas wedding five years before, a total steal from Etsy that cost me less than $100.00. I’m still as obsessed with it now as I was then! I paired it with my original wedding shoes by Camilla Skovgaard, my favorite Forever 21 choker and some bracelets I’d found at Zara.

My style icon for the day was 60s-era Priscilla Presley who slayed with her long, dark back-combed hair and graphic eye makeup. Like Joey and I, her and Elvis had married in Vegas and then honeymooned in Palm Springs (remember the photos taken in front of their amazing hideaway?)

The Setting

I’ve had mixed experiences taking photos at hotels and other private properties around Palm Springs and didn’t want any stress with moving from multiple locations so I booked a house matching the color scheme we wanted with a large pool, lemon trees and a light-filled open floor plan. I highly recommend it (and check out that beautiful Tiffany blue room below!)

The Bouquet

I never had a bouquet at my original wedding so this time, I wanted to do something special. A few weeks before the shoot, I called Palm Springs Florist, hopped on Pinterest and emailed them some inspiration. The day of, they delivered the most perfect, spot-on bouquet.

I don’t recall exactly how much it cost ($170.00 or so including delivery?) but it was worth every penny. The succulents were such a nice touch and it held up all day. I couldn’t bear to throw it away so I packed it in our rental car, shooting as many photos with it over the next few days as possible.

The Invites

You probably know what I’m going to say next. No, we didn’t have invites for our original wedding (because we only had one guest!) so I wanted those, too. I’m OBSESSED with letterpress so I designed a simple invite for our backyard shindig a few weeks earlier and took the design to Darling Press who not only did a perfect printing job but also color painted the edges to match my second look, a dress with a chartreuse stripe. I still have one hanging up next to my desk! Invest in those keepsakes, friends.

The Veil

Of course, I didn’t have a veil for my original wedding, either. Are you sensing a theme here?! LOL. Anyway, my timing for the vow renewal was perfect because my BFF Kat decided to release a veil collection with Crown and Glory.

I snapped up the custom slogan veil (emblazoned with FOREVS) and my absolute favorite, a pom pom trim version. SO GOOD.

I loved having an entire house to prep and shoot in. It was so relaxed! We woke up early on a Monday morning and I did my own makeup and nails before Joey drove me to Salon 119 in downtown Palm Springs.

A hairdresser named Nathan gave me the biggest, most bad-ass bouffant. I told him I wanted my hair to look like Priscilla’s when she married Elvis, flashed him a photo on my phone and he delivered!

To start off the shoot, we had photos taken of the usual details including our rings but in this case, I now have two — my original white gold band that stacks on top of my grandma’s wedding band.

FOREVS! Also, can you see us in the palm trees? I love a good double exposure!

Some of my favorite shots of the day were taken in the guest room which was covered in the most beautiful Tiffany blue wallpaper. Posing alongside Joey and Rocky in such a pristine setting, I felt like we were in a catalog shoot! Haha!

The rest of the house was full of chartreuse accents (which ties into our second look). The painted front doors were the perfect backdrop for a bunch of our photos and I was so happy to get Rocky to pose since he’s been with us since the very beginning but wasn’t at our Vegas wedding.

I’d already had the Kate Spade California license plate purse for a few years and it happened to be the perfect prop as we walked out of the house.

As the first shoot wound down, I was so happy. Everything had gone to plan, the slightly overcast weather meant less squinting than usual and I knew Made U Look had captured exactly what we were after. Seeing the photos now, I love the variety of shots taken on vintage cameras with all kinds of film. There’s nothing like real life light leaks, no Photoshop actions needed.

Here’s to doing your day your way.
Big weddings are overrated — if you feel like it, take a fun vacation instead!

Rock n Roll Bride Magazine

If you’re interested in seeing this vow renewal in print and reading more of our story, there’s a 10 page feature in issue #7 issue of Rock n Roll Bride Magazine and you can order it here. And yes, designing my own layout for the magazine was the BEST JOB EVER.

2010 till forevs.
Palm Springs forevs.
Rock n Roll Bride forevs.

Thanks for virtually coming along and reliving our special day.

Photography: Made U Look
Location: Private residence, Palm Springs
Flowers: Palm Springs Florist
Letterpress Invites: Darling Press
My hair: Nathan at Salon 119
Joey’s look: Suit from Italia Suits, vegan Dr. Martens Gibson
My look: Vintage dress from Etsy, Camilla Skovgaard heels, Forever 21 choker, Zara bracelets, H&M headband
Veils: Rock n Roll Bride x Crown and Glory