Want to know the best part of a secret? Finally getting to share it with those you love! When we first heard Maria and Oscar’s story and how they had wed in secret 5 years ago all the while keeping it from their family and loved ones, even after having a baby together… We were beyond thrilled that they came to us to help them with the big reveal. The two dated briefly in high school, but 10 years later fate brought them back together. After dating for seven months they knew they couldn’t spend another day without one another so they decided to secretly elope.

Fast forward to when they came to us with the desire to honor and share the love they had found. Their ceremony was to be the first time that they would share with their guests that they actually were already married. For Maria and Oscar’s we pulled inspiration from Maria’s personal style and combined bohemian and romantic elements to create a day that felt intimate, elegant, and full of romance. Their wedding took place at the La Quinta Resort located in Palm Springs, California and set a beautiful desert backdrop for their day. For their color palette we paid homage to the Palm Springs desert with boho neutrals and shades of wine, plum, and mauve. The groomsmen (many of them police men and colleagues to the groom) appropriately wore suits in a deep shade of blue, while the bridesmaids wore flowy white dresses. Guests were greeted by an escort wall built by Back Up Backdrops that read “You’re My Best Kept Secret” and were favored with diaries hand painted and calligraphed by Betlem Calligraphy that held their names and table assignments. Guests were asked to sign in with “the secret to happily ever after” all as a tribute to our couple’s love story. Floral arrangements by Oak and the Owl that mimicked the surrounding desert landscape sat on top of Moroccan inspired runners from hostess haven with tables and chairs from Folklore. Gold flatware was placed alongside crisp white plates with intricate details, and glassware that resembled the blue dessert sky.

When it came to designing Maria and Oscar’s dessert table we wanted to keep it playful. Maria is a nurse and Oscar is a police officer, so naturally dessert began with coffee (a nurse’s go-to beverage) and an array of donuts by Home Bakeshop (because what police officer doesn’t love a good donut?!). Hey There Cupcake! Designed a cake inspired by the intricate detailing of Maria’s wedding gown. Friends and family spent the rest of the evening dancing under strings of market lights, sipping on a boysenblue (boysenberry and blackberry cocktail) and another nod to Oscar’s career, as well as “a hush hush”, a ll the while watching Maria and Oscar’s darling 3 year old bust a move on the dance floor. It was a night to celebrate family and the unveiling of Maria and Oscar’s secret – because some secrets again are best when they’re shared with those we love most!

Want to see more from the road to Maria and Oscar’s wedding day?  Check out the Style Me Pretty feature here or our previous post “What’s In Our File” where we share more about our inspiration behind their wedding day and then head over to our Engaging post and prepare to swoon over snaps from their engagement shoot!   Many thanks to our talented friend Ashley Kelemen for all the gorgeous photos!