Palm Springs Wedding: Christy & Kevin

Turn your wedding into a vacation like Christy and Kevin did in their spirited, colorful Palm Springs wedding.

It was a case of six degrees of separation when Christy Wawro, 28, was set up with her friend’s boyfriend’s friend’s cousin, Kevin Kemp, 30. The hairdresser and Whole Foods team leader dated for two years in Long Beach. In March 2013, Kevin proposed on a beach in the Dominican Republic—a vacation he had gifted her the previous Christmas. For their wedding ceremony in front of 115 guests, they chose the Alcazar Hotel in Palm Springs, where the happy couple had shared their very first vacation together. —KELLIE MILLER

The guests at Christy Wawro and Kevin Kemp’s celebration were in full vacay mode during their wedding weekend. “Our venue, the Alcazar Hotel, required a two-night minimum stay in order to rent it out,” says Christy, “so I felt like we had a two-day event.” During the reception, the newlyweds started a game of telephone alerting everyone that when they heard the song “I Don’t Care” by Icona Pop, they were going to jump in the pool. Christy, in her gown, and Kevin, in his finest, dived in—and 25 guests followed suit!

Finder’s Keepers
While dress shopping at David’s Bridal, Christy was about to give up hope until she spotted a gown left behind in the fitting room next door. It was a cotton Galina strapless dress with a lace petal pattern overlay. Although she originally wanted silk, Christy found the cotton perfect for what would be a 104-degree day.

Modern Retro Theme
Christy chose “happy colors” like mustard-yellow, navy, white, olive, and orange. Groomsmen wore navy pants, knit ties, brown leather shoes, and suspenders. The bridesmaids wore a mustard-yellow dress of their own style and paired it with their own gold jewelry, white accents, and natural-toned shoes with wooden heels.

Head-to-Toe Accessories
Her favorite accessory was her Kate Spade necklace, which she paired with diamond stud earrings borrowed from her mother, a ribbon belt, broach, and mustard-yellow Sam Edelman shoes.

Come Together
A sand ceremony added a personal touch to the wedding. They both brought sand from where each grew up—Christy from Long Beach and Kevin from Redondo Beach—and combined the two to form one.

Handmade Décor
Kevin handmade the table numbers out of wood, and the centerpieces were set in wooden boxes. The couple created envelopes that said, “Hope you are feeling as lucky as we do today,” and had Lottery Scratchers inside.

Mexican Feast
Appetizers included chips and salsa, ceviche tostadas, masa cakes topped with carne asada, and mini quesadilla rolls with green salsa. Each tray came with bottles of Tapatillo hot sauce. The meal started with a Mexican Caesar salad, followed by either cheese or chicken enchiladas, and rice and beans.