Adorable Amy and Luke came all the way from the UK for a romantic, private elopement in Palm Springs. Just the two of them. Swoon!! Their elopement was also my last wedding in Palm Springs, before moving (back) to Los Angeles... Venice Beach, to be exact!

And I couldn't have asked for a sweeter, more chill couple to mark the end of my 6-year journey doing wedding florals in the desert. (Little did they know or expect that it would be a sweltering 96°F on their wedding day...in February?! But that's Palm Springs for you! And it's a major reason I decided to move my lil flower business to gentler climates...but I digress...)

I've seen elopements that range from bare-bones to all-out, depending on the couple's budget, time constraints, and personal preferences. And that includes the decision of whether to have flowers as part of their wedding. Some people MUST have flowers, while others don't see the value in them at all. (The latter are total weirdos, but I might be biased?)

In fact, Flowers have been an integral part of weddings since the beginning of folks getting hitched, dating all the way back to our most ancient civilizations. Throughout history, flowers at weddings have served both aesthetic and practical purposes — not only being used to convey emotions, but also to ward off evil spirits and mask foul odors (showers and deodorant weren't always a thing, surprise!), and to symbolize luck, fertility, and fidelity.

For me, personally, they also symbolize our connectedness — to each other, to the planet, and to the utterly mysterious magic of the Universe. (I wear my woowoo badge with pride. Haters gonna hate.)️

For Amy and Luke, they felt that "although it was an elopement and just us, we still wanted those special touches to make it personal and feel like a wedding day." I think Amy put it best: "I can’t imagine being a bride and not having a bouquet...and of course they look amazing in the photos! They tied our whole colour scheme together and made us match, I think you need that...especially when you don’t have a bridal party!" (See?! Aesthetic and practical!) Luke also added that flowers are "another special memory to have from the day. Every time we see those flowers or similar, now we’ll think of our day." In fact, Amy's bouquet meant so much to her that she hired an artist to embroider an image of it as a keepsake (pictured below). So sweet!

My deepest thanks to Amy and Luke for sharing their special day and their kind words with me, and to all the amazing vendors who helped make their wedding possible.

Photography: @thehendrys (San Francisco-based); Officiant: @bethelnathan; Classic Car Rental: @cvclassiccars; Embroidery: @loops.by.leah_