Boho Wedding In Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree Wedding With Sam & Karl

Joshua Tree is currently one of the most trendy spots in Southern California for elopements and small weddings at the moment. And rightfully so! Assuming the bride and groom didn’t choose a Summer month for the wedding date because the desert can get pretty freaking toasty, and those blistering hot days can make wedding guests super grumpy! However, when a bride and groom choose one of the cooler months of the year the result can be absolutely epic. With golden light, peaceful nights and an amazing backdrop of rock structures, Joshua Tree literally is magical. That is why our editors were so stoked when Paige at Going Home Productions shared a recent boho wedding with us. The bride and groom had awesome style, and the wedding photos were seriously gorgeous. Below are some of the photographs captured at Karl & Sam’s Joshua Tree destination wedding that was documented by the dynamic duo at Going Home Productions! Now we will let the wedding photographer tell you more about the day!

Tell Us About Joshua Tree

This was our first time shooting in Joshua Tree! We’ve traveled through the area before but we never had the opportunity to shoot a couple there, against that incredible backdrop. We couldn’t think of a better couple than Sam and Karl for just the occasion!
 Our favorite part about visiting Joshua Tree had to be the accompanying inn at the wedding venue! The owner has transformed this property, just up the hill from the venue, into the most magnificent location. Every detail was thought of and it made for a great location for those getting ready and first look images… we even knocked out a few portraits while we were there.

Shooting In Joshua Tree

Our favorite part about shooting in the area had to be the Joshua Trees. Is that what everyone says? Well it’s true. My husband is the biggest and best nerd I know so he spent days researching the area, it’s geological attributes and biological structures. By the end of the trip I found out not only how scarce Joshua Trees really are, and not just the extremely specific climate they need to survive… but that Joshua Trees will very likely one day be extinct from this planet. Isn’t that crazy? I feel honored to know we had a moment among them… a moment many will never the opportunity to have.

The Bride & Groom

Sam and Karl met after working briefly together. They became reacquainted over iced coffee and their love for grilled cheese, which I think proves what perfect humans these are. We met at a creative business retreat in California called CAMP. Sadly, CAMP has ended but the connections we all made there will last a lifetime, and this story is evident of that. I was there teaching a course on photography, and they were there with their leather crafting business, Anvil, teaching how to make a belt! I was engaged at the time, so I made a belt for my fiancee, in their class, with our wedding date stamped into it. I gave it to him as soon as I returned home and he’s worn it everyday since. Almost two years now. It has their Anvil logo on it and everything. So when they reached out about photographing their wedding, it was an obvious and resounding yes!

Joshua Tree Wedding Best Moment

There’s too many to count. The wedding day was filled with such special details, like the wedding party wearing denim and leather jackets while popping champagne in the desert, to the friends and family of the bride + groom singing during the ceremony, and even the absolutely hilarious speeches that had me crying with laughter. I think our sunset portrait session in the National Park was the biggest highlight for us. There’s nothing like the freedom of running through the desert with your best friend, during the absolute best moment of your life. They really embraced that and we had such much fun dancing and being ourselves among the Joshua Trees.

Joshua Tree Wedding Vendors

Everyone pulled together a really beautiful wedding. Obviously a shout-out to Rue de Seine for making the most swoon-worthy dresses. But Shirley from Everly Events was incredible and very communicative with us, which really helps us provide a quality day of work. Also, Circa Vintage supplied all the pieces that really brought the venue together. Their vision and work with Sam, the bride, created such a unique and magical atmosphere.

About The Joshua Tree Wedding Photographers

Paige Denkin of Going Home Productions


My husband and I started shooting weddings very casually a few years ago. We had moved to New York City and found really incredible jobs in the industry, but they weren’t providing us with the type of creative ventures we craved. Going Home started as a way to keep us invested and shooting new work. We had always had the company and idea in the back of our heads, but no real path or expectations for it. Weddings fell into our lap as soon as our friends got to that point in their lives where engagements were frequent and wedding photography wasn’t on trend in the way it is now. We were the go-to photographer and film maker in our friend group and we quickly realized we enjoyed doing it, even with all the stress, and it was worth our time to invest wisely in our business. Since then, we’ve considered ourselves a wedding production company, with myself specializing in photography and my husband specializing in film making. We both have degrees in subjects but more than anything, it’s hands on experiences we crave! So we travel often and shoot as much as we can. I work for B&H Photo in New York and travel for a living as the lead marketing representative for young adult campaigns, workshops and projects. I get to support young creatives on their ventures and provide them with practical education and non biased information about gear and products. It’s incredibly rewarding but an ongoing battle. I work for a family owned business and getting the word out to young people, in the era of Amazon, is a challenge I’m willing to combat.

Those interested in checking out more photography in the desert can check out Tayrn and Kirkland’s recent couples session in Joshua Tree!