The first time I ever heard “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé it was early in the morning and I was in the car on my way to Palm Springs. A few years in a row right after high school I went out to the desert with a friends family, we stayed in rented house that opened up on to a golf course and had a private pool, it felt so fancy. We could lounge around in the sun and if we went early enough in the year we could take the tram to the top of the mountain and play in the snow in the same afternoon. It was in those weekends that I fell in love with Palm Springs. In LOVE.

It’s been years since I’ve been back to Palm Springs, but definitely not because I haven’t wanted to go. I talk about going annoyingly often. ;] When the opportunity arose for me to 2nd shoot Jana & Cory’s wedding with Dave Richards Photography at the ACE Hotel in Palm Springs I was giddy. Not only have I desperately wanted to make my way back to the desert but shooting at the ACE Hotel was on my photographer “bucket list” of places I have wanted to shoot for a loooooong time. I think I smiled the whole 2 hour drive out there.

Jana & Cory wanted to invite their family and closest friends to the ACE to celebrate with them at their intimate wedding and they brilliantly decided to get married on a Thursday afternoon so everyone could enjoy a long weekend in the desert. Here is a little peek at their day, more will be coming tomorrow. ;]

This was about 5 minutes after I arrived at the hotel… I was pretty much in love with this wedding from the moment I got there.

All of Jana & Cory’s guests came to the ACE Hotel from out of town– many from out of state! So they put together a little survival kit to help them get through their time in the desert.

All the essentials!

Riley, Jana & Cory’s dog puppy totally stole my heart. You’ll see, when you scroll down and keep seeing photographs of her. 😉

Come on! How cute is she!?!

After spending some time with Jana, I got to head over to Cory’s room as he got ready.

Best groom attire ever? I think yes.

Riley. ♥

Jana & Cory decided to see each other before the ceremony so we had tons of time for photos around the hotel before the sun went down.

Sunglasses are definitely essential for a wedding in the desert. 😀

I love her smile. ♥

The mountain in the background makes me fall in LOVE with this image.

And, because it was impossible to get this wedding under a bazillion images for a blog… this is just part 1, you’ll get more tomorrow. Promise. 😉