Ruby Montanas Coral Sands Inn Retro Elopement

Colorful Palm Springs Destination Elopement

Palm Springs has so many great design elements, colorful buildings and amazing boutique hotels, it is easy to see why people from all over the world choose to elope in the desert city. Those were some of the selling points that convinced Emma & Oliver to leave Australia for Palm Springs as the setting for their elopement. And honestly judging by the stunning wedding photographs it appears this stylish couple from down under made the right choice! This destination had everything from a venue that emphasized the color pink to a rock’n roll bride and groom cruising the streets with the top down in a 1965 convertible Mustang. Seriously these two embodied that retro style that is also synonymous from the glory days of Palm Springs. So clearly this couple and this city were meant for each other. Below are some photos of Emma & Oliver’s epic elopement at Coral Sands Inn and journey to some of the iconic spots the city of Palm Springs has to offer. We will let the bride tell you more about the adventure now!

The Bride & Groom

We met at a mutual friends 40th birthday party (thanks Glenn), but didn’t start dating until a couple of years later. I proposed to Ollie spontaneously on a Tuesday evening about 3 months into us dating, we both knew from the first few weeks of dating that we were right for each other. After the wedding proposal we then started planning a Palm Springs destination wedding. Ollie found the Coral Sands Inn as our accommodation via google searches and we both loved the place (I’m obsessed with pink) and booked it! Then we realized the hotel was the perfect spot for our wedding ceremony too, so we asked Ruby (the owner) if we could have it there and she was all for it! Since we were organizing the wedding from Melbourne, Australia we did face some more challenges than the typical bride and groom having a traditional wedding. However, Instagram helped heaps for finding my makeup artist (Chelsea Nicole)! We then planned everything from our laptops, and took recommendations from our wedding vendors. – Emma (Palm Springs Bride)

The Palms Springs Wedding

We had a very short and simple (non-religious) ceremony! The hotel owner, guests and my makeup artist (and her dachshund!) attended and our wedding photographer was our witness. We then drove around Palm Springs in a 1965 Mustang with our photographer, making stops at The Saguaro, Ace Hotel, Moorten’s Botanical Gardens, and “that pink door” (I’ve just heard they’ve asked people to stop trespassing, understandable!) But lucky for us we got photos at the iconic pink door, as they are some of my favorites from the day. After touring some of the most popular hot spots in Palm Springs we then we had an outfit change and headed for the desert! Once we got there we popped champagne and drank out of flamingo glasses as the sun set over the mountains. On the way back to our Hotel we stopped past the House of Tomorrow, Elvis & Priscilla’s Honeymoon house and had photos there too. – Emma (Palm Springs Bride)

The Wedding Details

That is was in Palm Springs! That place is just magical. Popping champagne in the desert! Driving around in a convertible mustang (my dream car). The dinner at the end of the day was such a wonderful way to recap, relax and celebrate together too. After our wedding photos we had drinks with the hotel guests beside the pool and then we went for dinner, just the two of us, at Le Vallauris Restaurant . We spent two days at Disneyland/California Park as our “honeymoon”, I cried with happiness haha, it was so much fun!! We had a party back in Melbourne with our friends and family the weekend after we got back. – Emma (Palm Springs Bride)

Favorite Moment From Palm Springs

Everything about the Palm Springs elopement was very memorable! I think we went home with so many new friends and that was pretty special. We are both dog crazy so it was a happy accident to find that Ruby rescues Chihuahuas and had five there while we were staying, AND that Chelsea has a dachshund who attended the day too (we have several dogs, one of which is also a dachshund)! We only wish we could have had more time explore more of Palm Springs! – Emma (Palm Springs Bride)

Advice For Brides Planning To Elope

Just remember it’s you and your fiancé’s wedding, so don’t compromise want you want for others. Oh, and PACK SNACKS for the wedding photos! I was too nervous to eat before the ceremony and then I got starving while we were doing the photos, luckily Beck and her friend had snacks in their RV! – Emma (Palm Springs Bride)

Palm Springs Wedding Vendors

Although it was a small team of wedding vendors they did an incredible job. So thank you to Ruby Montana for being such a wonderful host (and all her gorgeous rescue Chihuahuas!) She was even kind enough to purchase us wedding cake! Chelsea Nicole for my hair and makeup, and for just being so rad. And of course Beck Rocchi, our destination wedding photographer, for encouraging us to elope in Palm Springs, and for being so much fun to work with. And well, the photos speak for themselves, she’s so talented! – Emma (Palm Springs Bride)