The first decision we made, before we even had our venue, was that we wanted to ask our good friend Andy to officiate our ceremony. He just gets us and has the right stuff. In addition to becoming an officiant for the day, Andy interviewed us separately and spoke to our families. The result was an incredibly personal ceremony that was partially a surprise even to us!

Tim and I love singing “I Got You Babe” at karaoke bars so I thought the phrase was perfect to engrave on his wedding band. It’s followed by “…all the way,” since that’s the Sinatra song we picked for our first dance.

If you read this blog then you know I am a huge Jonathan Adler fan. I don’t enjoy most containers that florists have to offer, but our incredible designer had these Adler-like vessels that I just fell in love with. The florals were the one area where Tim said I could do whatever I wanted (except “no purple”) so we went for insane color against the white lacquer.

On the dessert table we placed photos of our parents are their respective weddings. In the sixties and seventies when they were married, weddings were nothing like they are today, but there’s something so beautiful and simple about these photos and I loved seeing them there that night.

Tim had the genius idea to use a record as our guestbook. Since we had an Old Hollywood theme and Palm Springs is so associated with Sinatra we went with “Ring a Ding Ding,” which we scored off eBay for a few bucks.

Instead of table numbers we went for vintage travel postcards that cost a buck a piece. We put them in modern double-sided frames from IKEA and picked cities that we had been to together.

Whether you’re having a wedding or a simple birthday get together, I think it’s always great to inject your own style and personal details wherever possible. Go for the signature drink or the inside joke. We’ve all been to what I call the “beige” wedding. If you have any other ideas for personalizing weddings and events I’d love to hear them!

Photos by Candice Benjamin