Holiday Wedding Plan in Palm Springs

When most people picture a holiday wedding, they may imagine snow-covered rooftops, heavy coats and a roaring fireplace. But here in Palm Springs, the holiday season offers something wonderfully different: tall palms against blue skies, dramatic mountain views, beautiful winter sunshine and evenings made for candlelight.

For couples considering a wedding between Thanksgiving and the New Year, Palm Springs can be a particularly romantic place to say “I do.”

“As a Palm Springs wedding officiant, I have found that some of the most meaningful ceremonies aren’t necessarily the largest or most elaborate. They’re the ceremonies where couples slow down, think about what marriage means to them and create a celebration that reflects who they really are,” states Diana Cruz Navratil The Desert’s Wedding Officiant.

The holiday season naturally encourages us to think about family, love, gratitude and new beginnings. Those same ideas can make a holiday wedding especially meaningful.

Why Consider a Holiday Wedding in Palm Springs?

Winter is one of the reasons people fall in love with Palm Springs.

While much of the country is dealing with freezing temperatures and snow, winter days in Palm Springs are generally mild and sunny. Couples can consider outdoor gardens, courtyards, private estates, resorts and other settings that would be difficult to use for a December wedding in colder parts of the country.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan for the weather. Desert temperatures can change considerably once the sun goes down. If you’re planning an outdoor ceremony, think about the comfort of your guests as well as the appearance of the setting.

A late-afternoon ceremony may begin in beautiful sunshine and finish in much cooler air.

That leads to one of my first holiday wedding suggestions:

Think about the ceremony time before you think about the reception time.

Your ceremony is the moment when you actually become married. Give it the attention it deserves.

The Winter Sun Sets Earlier Than Many Couples Expect

One of the easiest details to overlook when planning a winter wedding is daylight.

Those long summer evenings are gone. If you’ve dreamed of exchanging vows outdoors with the San Jacinto Mountains behind you, or having wedding photographs in beautiful natural light, work backward from sunset when developing your schedule.

Talk with your photographer and venue about the best time for photographs, then coordinate your ceremony time with your officiant.

You don’t want to discover a week before your wedding that the ceremony you’ve scheduled is going to take place after your beautiful mountain backdrop has disappeared into darkness.

Let Palm Springs Be Your Holiday Décor

A holiday wedding doesn’t have to be covered in red and green.

One of the advantages of getting married in the desert is that Palm Springs already gives you an extraordinary visual setting.

Think tall palm trees, desert mountains, blue skies, architectural details and warm winter light.

Holiday touches can then be layered into that setting instead of overwhelming it.

Winter white, champagne, gold, deep burgundy, candlelight and natural greenery can create an elegant holiday atmosphere without making your wedding feel like a Christmas party.

If traditional Christmas colors are meaningful to you, use them. If they aren’t, there is no rule saying a December wedding has to look like Christmas.

Your wedding should still look and feel like your wedding.

Consider an Intimate Holiday Wedding or Elopement

The holidays can also be a wonderful opportunity to rethink what a wedding needs to be.

Maybe you don’t want a huge wedding with many guests.

Maybe what you really want is your parents, children, siblings and closest friends standing with you while you exchange vows.

Or perhaps the two of you simply want to elope.

Palm Springs lends itself beautifully to intimate weddings because couples can turn the occasion into a romantic getaway rather than trying to reproduce all the traditions of a large wedding on a smaller scale.

Book a beautiful place to stay. Have your ceremony. Dress up for dinner. Spend the following morning together by the pool or exploring Palm Springs.

Some of the most emotional ceremonies can happen with only a handful of people present because everyone standing there has a genuine connection to the couple.

When Family Is Already Coming Together

One practical advantage of a holiday wedding is that families may already be planning to gather.

Instead of asking relatives to make one trip for Thanksgiving or Christmas and another trip for a wedding, some couples combine the occasions.

This works particularly well for small weddings, elopements, vow renewals and second marriages where the couple doesn’t necessarily want a traditional large wedding.

However, communicate your plans early.

Holiday calendars become crowded quickly. Flights and accommodations can become more expensive, and family members may have long-standing traditions of their own.

If certain people absolutely must be present at your ceremony, talk to them before finalizing the date.

Non-Denominational Doesn’t Mean Impersonal

Couples sometimes hear the phrase “non-denominational wedding ceremony” and assume it means a ceremony without tradition or meaning.

A non-denominational ceremony can give couples the flexibility to be unique.

One partner may come from a religious family while the other doesn’t. Two families may have different traditions. A couple may consider themselves spiritual but not religious. Others may simply want a ceremony centered on love, commitment and family.

You can still include a meaningful blessing, reading, family tradition or moment of remembrance if it feels authentic to you.

The important question isn’t, “What is a wedding ceremony supposed to include?”

It’s:

“What is meaningful to us?”

That is where a personal ceremony begins.

Remember the People Who Cannot Be There

The holidays can make the absence of loved ones especially noticeable.

If someone important has passed away, couples sometimes struggle with whether mentioning that person will make the ceremony sad.

It doesn’t have to.

A brief acknowledgment, a photograph, an empty chair, a piece of jewelry, a flower or a short remembrance can honor someone without changing the joyful spirit of the ceremony.

There are also private ways to remember someone that guests may never even notice.

The important thing is to do what feels right for you.

Include Your Children and Grandchildren

Holiday weddings frequently bring blended and multigenerational families together.

If either partner has children, consider whether you would like them to participate.

Children can escort a parent down the aisle, present the rings, participate in a unity ceremony, offer a reading or simply stand beside you.

Older children may want to say a few words.

Grandchildren can participate too.

Marriage isn’t always just the joining of two individuals. Sometimes it’s the beginning of a newly defined family, and acknowledging that during the ceremony can be incredibly meaningful.

Don’t Let the Ceremony Become an Afterthought

Couples spend enormous amounts of time choosing flowers, dresses, menus, music and photographers.

Then someone suddenly asks:

“What are we actually going to say during the ceremony?”

Your ceremony shouldn’t be the item you deal with after everything else is finished.

Talk with your officiant about your relationship.

How did you meet?

What made you realize this was your person?

What have you been through together?

What do you admire about one another?

What does marriage mean to each of you?

These are the things that turn a wedding ceremony into your wedding ceremony.

Pre-Wedding Coaching can be an Important Part of your Wedding Planning

Diana Cruz Navratil is a licensed Relationship Coach and offers a complimentary coaching session prior to getting married. This can be planned months or weeks before the ceremony.

Christmas Weddings Can Be Beautiful Without Being Complicated

If Christmas itself has special meaning to you, embrace it.

Perhaps your families have always gathered on Christmas Eve. Maybe Christmas lights were part of your first date or proposal. Perhaps you simply love the season.

Use the traditions that matter and leave out the ones that don’t.

And remember that vendors, venues, accommodations and travel schedules may be different around major holidays. So start making those calls right away!

The closer your wedding gets to Christmas or New Year’s, the more important early planning becomes.

Consider the Symbolism of a New Year Wedding

There is something especially appropriate about getting married as one year ends and another begins.

A New Year’s Eve ceremony can be glamorous and celebratory, but it can also be deeply symbolic.

You’re closing one chapter and beginning another together.

You can even incorporate that idea into your vows.

What are you leaving behind?

What are you looking forward to?

What do you promise to carry into the future together?

For couples who don’t want the expense or complexity of a New Year’s Eve celebration, New Year’s Day can be equally meaningful.

What better way to begin a new year than beginning your marriage?

Remember the Marriage License!

The romantic details are important, but so is the paperwork.

Couples marrying in California need to make obtaining their marriage license part of their wedding planning.

Don’t leave this until the last minute, particularly around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s when government office schedules can be affected by holidays.

Confirm current requirements and office availability directly with the county before making your plans.

Your officiant Diana can also help you understand where to go and what you need to get your marriage license and what happens after you say “I do.”

Your Wedding Doesn’t Have to Follow Anyone Else’s Rules

Perhaps that’s my favorite thing about holiday weddings.

The season already gives couples permission to focus on what matters: love, family, gratitude, hope and being together.

Your ceremony can be formal or relaxed, religiously influenced or completely non-denominational, traditional or unconventional, large or intimate.

It can include two people standing alone together or an entire blended family surrounding them.

At Diana Desert Weddings, my philosophy is very simple:

I marry all couples in love.

Because at the center of every beautiful wedding ceremony should be the two people making the commitment.

If you’re planning a Palm Springs wedding, holiday elopement, intimate ceremony or vow renewal, I would be honored to help you create a ceremony that feels personal, welcoming and genuinely yours.

Diana Desert Weddings
Non-Denominational Wedding Officiant
Palm Springs, Temecula and surrounding Southern California communities
(805) 766-7278
dianadesertweddings.com