This elegant and romantic desert wedding at The Royal Palms from Ashley Rae Photography +  Rachael Ellen Events walks you through the process of creating a wedding design that is unique to you. Whether you’re a modern bride with traditional roots or a boho bride with edgy flair – see this gorgeous shoot as it proves that no matter how incompatible your wedding theme and dream location seem to be, there is always a way to bring your vision to life in a thoughtful, cohesive way. To offer up some inspiration, check out these gorgeous photos captured by Ashley Rae from this day, bringing together the rugged desert landscape with classic bridal style

Our design was centered around pairing the rugged dessert with this romantic, classic vision. The key to this design was bridging the classic and desert gap with romantic and edgy bridal details. The bride wore a gorgeous Claire Pettibone gown that was equal parts classic and romantic. The beaded, textured lace played off the landscape while the cape and lace created an über classic and romantic look. 

From Rachael Ellen Events… This design was inspired by real brides and the process of creating something that is true to their vision, location, and their love. Often these three things don’t necessarily blend, but with intentional details and thoughtful design, you can create not only a beautiful balance but a playful mixed design that is absolutely unique to the couple. In this case, the location was Scottsdale Arizona. This is the desert – the landscape is rugged, it is hot, and it evokes a more exotic feel. Our bride was absolutely timeless and classic. Her color palette was soft, pink, and very traditionally bridal.

Our flower girl wore a simple, classic spray rose crown to complete the classic, timeless section of our design. Overall, this look was all about pairing two things that don’t naturally go together. Desert doesn’t have to mean bohemian – ballroom doesn’t have to mean classic – beach doesn’t have to mean casual! It’s all about creating unique interpretations of the location centered around what makes our clients unique and that will make their love story stand out.

The paper goods, designed by Ink & Press Co. Donned a combination of luxe textures and romantic details to pair the desert with the romantic look. Gold foil on handmade paper with a custom floral envelope liner created the perfect compliment to the design. Other favorite paper elements included the art sketch florals as well as the scrolled name cards and boutonniere tags.

We took the envelope liner design and had this applied to the foam on their rosé tower for an unexpected twist on their cocktail hour. The tables-cape was made to look lush and opulent against the muted dessert shades of the resort. Using blush velvet, gold rimmed dinnerware, textured paper goods, romantic candles and garden inspired florals, we created something fit for desert royalty.

Instead of decorating only the bride and grooms chairs, we opted for floral decor on the entire head table. The florals were focused on a romantic, feminine side of the design. We used shades of white, rose, and blush to create dimension in the subtle palette while using textural elements like spring Spirea, Sword Fern and mint to balance the feminine feel of the design. Our bridesmaids held all sweet pea bouquets – one of our favorite 2019 floral trends. This allowed the brides bouquet to really stand out and gave them something soft and understated to hold.