Have we got a totally rad, relaxed and inspiring wedding for you today! This Palm Springs wedding comes to us from Our Labor of Love and it is packed full of personality, sense of humor, 1950’s inspired glamour, birds of prey, and hilarious serenades!
Marchelle, a California native, met Iain, a British bloke, at the Chateau Marmont when they were both attending a dinner party. Says Marchelle: “We initially weren’t seated together, but James Bobin’s wife (author and woman extraordinaire Fran Beauman) somehow rearranged us next to each other. Iain was out working on Flight of The Conchords and I believe they had just shot the pilot for The Inbetweeners, which he promised would be a big failure and that he would be moving to Los Angeles. We spent the next few years flying back and forth between London and LA (many iChats were involved) before he proposed back at the site of our initial meeting: at the Chateau Marmont. I found him in a closet pulling out the ring so he proposed pretty much right there in the closet on 2 knees, not 1. That sealed it for me.”
Marchelle wanted a dress with sleeves a la Grace Kelly – however, she found that most bridal gowns with sleeves were a la Princess Di! Her style was also influenced by Madonna’s Evita. She finally found the perfect dress in the “Opera” by Pronovias, which she accessorized with a mantilla veil – a nod to her Italian Catholic heritage. The Royal Wedding was a week before Marchelle’s and while it did seem like Kate had stolen her thunder a bit with lace sleeves too, Marchelle hopes that now this style will be more accessible to brides who want something different from strapless styles.
To honor his mother who hails from Glasgow, Iain and his groomsmen wore kilts. Each of the groomsmen hired their kilts and shoes individually after knowing to look for the Murray tartan (the clan from which Iain and his mother descend).
Marchelle searched high and low for vintage inspired marigold colored dresses for her girls to play off the great colors at the Parker. Finding a good shade of yellow proved to be very difficult but she finally ended up finding the perfect yellow and the perfect dresses at a small bridal boutique in Koreatown in Los Angeles. The ladies paired their super cute marigold bridesmaid dresses with nude shoes from Aldo.
For their processional, Iain’s cousin piped in the bridesmaids and entrance of the bride on his bagpipe.
During the ceremony, Iain’s best friend Jimmy Carr recited the poem “Vow” by Roger McGough. We love the opening line of the poem: ”I vow to honour the commitment made this day / Which, unlike the flowers and the cake, / Will not wither or decay”… It was chosen to honor their close supportive friendship over the years.
We luuurrrve that guests went around taking photos on vintage Diana lomo cameras!
For Marchelle & Iain, it was important that their wedding reflect their personalities: “a good mix of the traditional and irreverently personal.”
OK, confession time – We’re developing a bit of a girl crush on Marchelle, she’e beaming from ear to ear or laughing her socks off in almost EVERY picture. It’s contagious! And isn’t that how it should be on your wedding day? Just so happy that you’re bursting at the seams?!
How straight-up rad is it that they hired birds of prey to mingle with their guests during the cocktail hour?! Specifically, the birds of prey were an auger hawk and an eagle owl.
Marchelle & Iain were hugely inspired by “the old school Hollywood feel of Palm Springs in the ‘50s as well as traditional elements from our heritage.”
For the speeches, Iain’s best men, James Bobin and Damon Beesley gave a rousing speech with a slideshow of photos of Iain. Marchelle’s sister and Maid of Honor also got in on the A/V action. According to Marchelle, “no one was spared!”
One of their favorite parts of the wedding day was listening to Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords, James Bobin and Damon Beesley serenade them with an original and hilarious number about the night Iain and Marchelle met at a dinner party at The Chateau Marmont. We wish we had the audio to include here, as it was apparently a riot!
Don’t you just love that their cake topper represents them giving each other high-fives?!
The bride and the father of the bride danced to “I’ll Be Standing By” by Al Green. And for their first dance as husband & wife, Marchelle & Iain danced to Cat Stevens’ “The Wind.” Marchelle said they picked this song because it was under two minutes (so they didn’t have to dance for ages in front of people!) and when they listened to it, they both cried.
After dinner, a Celtic band performed for guests, a cultural musical addition which Marchelle says “went down much better than I anticipated since pretty much none of the Americans knew what was happening”!
Following celtic tunes, the guests hit the dancefloor to the beats of DJ Knew Jack and Tiger of Pony vs. Tiger. To make the wedding day even more perfect than it already was, Marchelle & Iain say that the night couldn’t have ended better than everybody joining in a full-on group kick line to Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen.”
Marchelle has some great advice for current brides: “Hiring a babysitting service was amazing; everyone could enjoy the night and know their little ones were being looked after.”
She also adds:“It’s OK to micromanage and concern yourself with the details up until the very end, but on your wedding day, just relax and enjoy the day. Things will go wrong, but no one cares as long as you’re having fun. I still can’t believe what a good time we had!”
Huge thanks to Marchelle & Iain for sharing their incredible wedding day with Reverie! We are sure your words of wisdom and the way in which you filled your wedding with so much of your personalities and sense of humor will inspire brides for years to come.
Thanks go out to Our Labor of Love for sending us these incredible photos and to all the creative professionals who made the wedding so stellar – kudos to Mint Julep Social Events, Milkfed Press, Fiore Designs, and all the other creative professionals who made this wedding so special for Marchelle & Iain – especially the auger hawk and eagle owl!
Wedding Creative Team:
Venue & Catering & Cake: The Parker Palm Springs / Wedding Planner & Designer: Michelle Buckley of Mint Julep Social Events / Photographer: Our Labor of Love / Stationery: Milkfed Press / Calligraphy: Rosalie Anelli Yerby Designs / Florist: Fiore Designs / Birds of Prey Hire: Joe Suffredini at Avian Entertainment / Celtic Band: Caliedh Band / DJs: DJ Knew Jack, Natasha Noramly aka Tiger of Pony vs Tiger / Dress: The “Opera” gown by Pronovias / Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Short evening dress: Sue Wong / Suit: Murray Tartan / Bridesmaid dresses & shoes: local Koreatown shop & Aldo / Minister: Mike Anderson of Oklahoma City / Make-up: Caren Elle / Printed Materials & Custom Palm Springs map totes for welcome bags: Sarah Epstein at Lucky Penny Designs
Such a cool wedding!
Absolutely gorgeous!
Such a fab wedding! Love how relaxed it is))
Too gorgeous for words. Love this so much – amazing photography!
Stunning!!!!
very hip!
WOW! Love this collection of images from their wonderful wedding. My favourite is of the Marchelle & Iain in the hanging wicker seats – so dreamy…
Thanks, guys, so glad you enjoyed this wedding as much as we did! Marchelle is also a super talented singer – check her out here: http://t.co/EZAsaZ0w
Was an amazing day! Bride was stunning, groom was debonair and whole wedding party was superb! Loved the whole American / Scottish theme. Could have danced all night to the Scottish band! Ambience of location was perfect. So honoured to have been invited and able to meet up with friends once again.
We can only imagine this must’ve been an incredible wedding to attend! Thanks so much for your comment!
x
Beautiful! Thank you so much for writing this and putting it all together.
I worked with Marchelle on her Wedding Invitations and I can attest that she is truly as charming and fun as her photos depict. So fun to see!
Gorgeous and quirky…my two favorite combinations!!! Love this! Thanks for posting! And love your new magazine
…simply stunning!
Love this wedding and our labor of love kills it. So fun and great emotion!