At once modern and rugged, elegant and understated, this intimate Amangiri elopement is proof that creating beautiful designs in the most remote places is always well worth it.
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Le Chacuel, Joshua Tree, CA
As luxury wedding designers, we challenged ourselves to explore the intersection of Wabi Sabi and bridal design at Le Chacuel.
Carisa Wedding Bridals
This Wabi Sabi editorial bridal shoot started with a feeling. So many bridal shoots are designed around a dress or a key design statement piece, but after spending a year at home learning how to create a sense of place that makes you feel something, we started to question what it could look like if we brought the life we cultivate internally to serve our work externally.
What if we designed based on a feeling?
What if we started with something not very bridal at all, and leaned into a minimal, Wabi Sabi aesthetic?
What if we created a bridal shoot in conversation with a place in nature?
As luxury wedding designers, we challenged ourselves to explore the intersection of Wabi Sabi and bridal design at Le Chacuel: a luxury eight acre property set in nature in the heart of the desert.
From the moment we saw this romantic luxury spa and home we knew this was the perfect place for a Wabi Sabi bridal shoot. Inside, the space boasts floor to ceiling glass sliding doors that open up to views of Pipes Canyon canyon, and the minimalist, high-end terrazzo materials and smooth finishes throughout make this place one of understated beauty in nature, a true example of Wabi Sabi in practice. Outside, the property features a streamlined salt water pool, a hot tub, a luxury outdoor shower and a deck with unrivaled views rolling mountains filled wild cacti and thousands of Joshua trees.
This Wabi Sabi shoot embodies luxury in simplicity. For brides looking to plan a modern elopement in Joshua Tree, this shoot is a perfect example of how you can be both effortless and sexy. Simple and luxurious.
There is something so moving about bringing luxury to the desert, and we made sure every design detail amplified the understated beauty of this modern Joshua Tree retreat. Blue Pansy Floral created sparse, minimalist arrangements that elevated the textures of surrounding blooms and cacti. The tablescape featured neutral handmade ceramics from local Joshua Tree shops, high-end chiffon and linen fabrics, and luxe candles from The Floral Society.
The bridal fashion followed suit, with a rotation of sophisticated, minimalist looks including a vintage linen poolside coverup, a modern dress from Lovely Bride LA, and a luxury silk pantsuit. As we moved throughout the space to experience simple luxuries by the pool to a freestanding ceremony set up to a timeless modern tablescape, every detail worked in tandem to create a Wabi Sabi inspired place that you feel - a place that feels like full of natural elegance, perfect for a bride on her wedding day.
Venue: Le Chacuel
Design, Styling and Coordination: Mae&Co Creative
Photo: Anni Graham
Florals: Blue Pansy Floral
HMU: Delta Ibeaute and Riri Roya
Dress: Lovely Bride LA
If you’re interested in how Mae&Co can make your day extra special and unique to you, we’d love to hear from you
The Griffin House, Columbia Gorge, OR
At Mae&Co Creative, we believe it’s imperative to incorporate location in anything we create. Our design is always rooted in a sense of place.
Caitlyn & Jerimiah’s Wedding
At Mae&Co Creative, we believe it’s imperative to incorporate location in anything we create. Our design is always rooted in a sense of place. That’s part of what makes our style and vision for your wedding day so unique. Whether that’s bringing in the natural elements with tabletop styling or choosing colors that with blend in or stand out just right, the setting always anchors design.
For this ceremony in the Columbia River Gorge, we couldn’t wait to design a completely monochromatic palette that would not only stand out amongst the greens but also enhance the natural beauty of the location. In our soft ivory design, nothing is fighting each other, nothing feels out of place and it’s perfect.
The Griffin House served as the perfect backdrop for this earthy and ethereal wedding design. The ceremony space features sweeping views of the Columbia River Gorge, one of Oregon’s most dramatic landscapes. This location isn’t without its challenges though, as our team had to create a thoughtful design that could withstand 70mph wind gusts like a champ... without one lace detail or one flower straying out of place.
Our amazing team of vendors made this day possible. Noble Floral Co. created a stunning arch design, bringing to life our visit to use only one color flower for an elegant, high end design. The design rentals added to the day’s elegance, with diamond flutes, crystal glassware, and white linens. Every detail amplified the monochromic design, including the luxury stationary from Evergreen Ink.
We love that this design shows how intentional color design can amplify a stunning natural backdrop. This earthy, monochromatic design was the perfect fit for this Columbia Gorge destination wedding. And if you’re looking for unique ways to elevate an outdoor setting, we hope you find inspiration from this unique design!
Venue: Griffin House
Design, Styling and Coordination: Mae&Co Creative
Photo: Sarah Olivia Photo
Florals: Noble Floral Co.
HMU: NW Makeup and Hair
Dessert: Dawn Nelson
Paper Goods: Evergreen Ink
Rentals: Party Place PDX, Nuage Designs inc. , and Royce’s Prop Shop
If you’re interested in how Mae&Co can make your day extra special and unique to you, we’d love to hear from you
The Paseo, Phoenix, AZ
It’s no secret, the desert is our muse, and we loved designing this upscale, earthy wedding at the Paseo venue in Phoenix Arizona.
Styled Wedding Shoot
It’s no secret, the desert is our muse, and we loved designing this upscale, earthy wedding at the Paseo venue in Phoenix Arizona.
The Paseo is an exclusive, luxury venue surrounded by the picturesque Sonoran Desert. This romantic and completely private outdoor Arizona wedding venue is the perfect setting for an intimate celebration, and we couldn’t wait to plan and design a wedding in this space framed by the beautiful Superstition Mountains.
As luxury Arizona wedding designers, we were instantly inspired by the upscale, outdoor venue and we wanted to create a modern, earthy design that elevated the natural surroundings. At Mae&Co, we believe inspiration should always be the base for your designs, and we leaned in to the stunning golden hour warmth at this venue. Our colors palette incorporates beige, gold, and burnt sienna tones to accent the surrounding mountain terrain, along with blush and mauve highlights to add a sophisticated, modern feel.
The ceremony and reception floral installations from Flora were a perfect addition to the couture linens and distinctive furnishings we sourced for this wedding. While the colors matched the Sonoran desert landscape, we loved playing with different textures to add depth an contrast to our design - and the ivory velvet and gold metal frame chairs from Prim Rentals added a perfect touch of glam to this understated Phoenix wedding venue. Think upscale desert vibes with an earthy twist!
After the bride and groom exchanged their vows with the Superstitions as their witness, the couple wandered through the pristine desert to enjoy a moment alone while savoring the natural Sonoran desert views. And as the sunset started to spill over this modern Arizona wedding venue, guests were invited into the Paseo venue pavilion space where a tablescape filled with golden detail to match the golden hour light. Plus, we loved adding in ornate golden flatware, clay colored candles and accents, and stunning snow colored and mauve linens - all working in tandem to create a cohesive design inspired by the Paseo venue’s surrounding landscape.
Venue: The Paseo
Design, Styling & Coordination: Mae&Co Creative
Photo: Kraff Photos
Florals: Flora
HMU: Urbanista Weddings
Dress: Sarah Seven from Lovely Bride Phoenix
Rentals: Prim Rentals, Gigi & Jack Co., and Nuage Designs inc.
If you’re interested in how Mae&Co can make your day extra special and unique to you, we’d love to hear from you
Easton Broad, Portland, OR
Styled Wedding Shoot
Industrial wedding venues have been trendy for a couple of a years, but we still believe that minimalist industrial spaces are the perfect imaginative, transportive canvas for a modern bride. If you’re inspired by editorial beauty and minimalist architecture, you’ll love this unique industrial wedding.
Designed at Easton Broad, a sleek industrial city space, we designed this wedding to be modern, cool, and organic. Taking full advantage of the expansive space, we created unique ceremony, reception, and champagne tower set ups.
In the ceremony space, we designed a unique fabric installation. We created a loose, organic feel by layering and crossing the draping material to evoke a cool, editorial look. To amplify the sparse, modern feel, the floral design incorporated striking, white bare branches throughout, with luxurious orchid blooms.
In the reception space, we created a design inspired by rich, luxurious textures. The simplified cream, ivory, and neutral color palette highlights the striking textures of the soft chiffon runner, the wooden vessels filled with lunaria, and the clear ribbed glassware. The concrete canvas of the industrial space was the perfect backdrop to keep the colors muted and understated, minimal and dramatic.
And to add a unique, modern twist to the ceremony space we created a champagne fountain to create a sense of decadence — paired with French macaroons for dessert!
We love that this design shows that a minimal, industrial space is the perfect canvas for a luxurious modern bride. And if you’re looking for a simple yet striking industrial affair, we hope you find inspiration from this unique design!
Venue: Easton Broad
Design, styling & coordination: Mae&Co Creative
Photo: Vic & Josh
Florals: Selva Floral
HMU: Make Me Up Cyn
Dessert: Hedonish Desserts
Paper goods: State of Reverie Studio
Rentals: Great Jones NW and Nuage Designs inc.
If you’re interested in how Mae&Co can make your day extra special and unique to you, we’d love to hear from you
Private Beach, Aruba
Jess & Dylan’s Wedding
We started our 2021 wedding season off right with a unique and tropical micro wedding in Aruba. When Jess and Dylan (the sweetest couple) came to us to help them create a destination elopement in the Caribbean, we immediately got to work working with local vendors and started designing a modern and elegant beachside wedding.
And even though we felt confident and ready to bring this day to life (we’re big believers in our well-oiled systems we’ve put in place!) this destination wedding in Aruba had a LOT of unexpected twists and turns! But it is always so worth it to see our couples have the best day of their lives, exactly the way they hoped it would be.
Our sweet bride told us: “With a six month timeframe and a little questionnaire you were able to make my destination full service elopement a walk in the park…I don’t think you could have made things any easier for us. Mae&Co went above and beyond for us even more than I knew on our special day.”
While our couple was getting ready, our incredible vendor team setup and tore down everything three times that day due to a sudden change in Aruba’s beach party policies. But at the end of the day, our couple walked down the aisle to a stunning custom-built, white wood chuppah frame with hanging lanterns and large floral installations. Then they sat down to enjoy a dinner with their closest friends and family. The modern and elegant table design featured a dusty rose runner with shaved coconut candle holders and lush, tropical floral installs and lanterns overhead.
Despite all odds, we made it happen and the day was perfect. We absolutely love what we do, so whether you’re up against challenging weather, or you’re overwhelmed planning a destination wedding, we’re committed to helping our clients experience their day without having to sweat a single detail. So if you’re looking for a dream team of in-house planners, designers, coordinators and stylists to make sure your wedding day goes smoothly, we hope you’ll trust us to bring your destination wedding to life!
Design, styling and coordination: Mae&Co Creative
Photo and Video: Karra Leigh Photo
Florals: Good Seed Floral
Catering and Rentals: The Little One Aruba
If you’re interested in how Mae&Co can make your day extra special and unique to you, we’d love to hear from you
Wonder Valley Hot Springs, Joshua Tree, CA
Styled Wedding Shoot
At Mae&Co Creative, we believe in setting trends and challenging conventions. And for this chic Palm Springs elopement, we loved debunking the myth that minimalist can’t equal luxury while setting a few of our favorite 2021 wedding trends.
When you opt for a simple, minimalist wedding or elopement, that doesn’t mean you have to scrimp on the details. We believe minimalism and luxury design go hand-in-hand. When you remove big ticket items like a live band, cocktail hour, over the top props and decor, every remaining detail matters. Every design choice stands out so much more, everything from the location to the tablescape colors become intentional parts of your elopement or wedding day.
And for this luxury Palm Springs elopement, we loved designing a ceremony arch and an intimate reception tablescape that complemented the surrounding neutral desert elements while finding textures that would contrast against the valley view. We worked in tandem with Good Seed Floral to build an arch with dried florals and palms to amplify the arid desert setting, while simultaneously incorporating soft, fresh blooms like orchids and roses to bring a soft contrast to the stark desert backdrop.
We loved designing this modern desert wedding, as the sprawling desert setting is the perfect place to elevate trend-setting wedding style details. This year, we’re calling a design trend forecast with puff sleeves, black and whites, and tablecloths in place of farm tables. And you better believe these style choices fit perfectly with this timeless Palm Springs elopement. The bride’s lace puffed sleeves in her Willow by Watters gown added another soft texture to contrast the harsh desert landscape, and the ochre tablecloth for the modern reception design added color and movement as the bride and groom sat together to toast their union and celebrate their dream desert wedding.
You can have a simple and luxurious elopement in the desert, trust us. And if you’re planning to ditch a traditional wedding and elope, make sure you go big and do it exactly how you want to. Bring us along for the ride, you won’t regret it.
Venue: Wonder Valley Hot Springs
Design, styling and coordination: Mae&Co Creative
Photo and Video: Karra Leigh Photo
Florals: Good Seed Floral
Dress: Willow By Watters
Hair and Makeup: Peony Blush Makeup and Styled By Jordan
If you’re interested in how Mae&Co can make your day extra special and unique to you, we’d love to hear from you
Autocamp Yosemite, Midpines, CA
A Few of Our Favorite Weddings at Autocamp Yosemite
Yosemite is one of those places that never loses its striking grandeur — the place is an experience in itself. This iconic National Park is well known for its dramatic viewpoints, like Glacier and Taft Point, but the park is filled with lesser-known elopement locations in the valley too. If your dream day includes hiking to waterfalls and exploring majestic natural beauty, let us help you plan an adventurous wedding experience in Yosemite —and let’s start with finding the perfect basecamp.
One of the best lodging options near Yosemite National Park is Autocamp: a new experience-based accommodation rental. Autocamp Yosemite is conveniently close to the park entrance, giving you the freedom to spend the day hiking, climbing, or exploring the park. The modern space stands in sharp contrast to so many of the rustic cabins in Yosemite Valley. This boutique lodging experience offers sleek airstreams, minimalist cabins, and glamping tents, and their warm, mid-century modern clubhouse is the perfect Yosemite wedding venue. With a lower lawn and flexible wedding set up locations, we love the modern, versatile design of Autocamp Yosemite.
Brian & Lindsay’s Micro Wedding
From the very beginning, Brian and Lindsay knew that they wanted to do things differently, and they were looking for something that was unique and authentic to their relationship. Yosemite was the first place they traveled together, and we knew that planning an intimate micro wedding at Autocamp Yosemite would be the perfect fit for these two adventurers.
While we’ve styled and designed many weddings in Yosemite, this experience was completely unique. A week before Lindsay and Brian’s micro wedding, Yosemite shut down due to hazardous smoke, and because Yosemite was operating with a limited visitor capacity and a permit system, the park was so still and quiet. We planned and replanned (as stylists and planners often do behind the scenes!) to bring this intimate wedding to life despite all odds for our couple. And at the end of the day, everything turned out exactly as it was meant to be. In a traditionally busy season, Brian and Lindsay ended up having one of the most iconic vista points in Yosemite, Tunnel View, to themselves without another soul in site.
These two spend the morning saying their vows and exploring the park in complete privacy. After a day of adventure, they ended their night celebrating at Autocamp with their closest friends. We wanted to create a space that took full advantage of Autocamp’s beautiful, modern property, so we designed unique areas for the guests to enjoy throughout the property. After a casual happy hour, the guests wandered down the slopes to the lower lawn to find styled lounge areas and an intimate dinner tablescape.
The tablescape colors were inspired by the fall bloom in Yosemite’s valley. Rust, ochre, sand, and blush colors elevated the golden magic of the surrounding landscape, creating a sensation that the wedding venue flowed seamlessly into the neighboring national park.
To create an intimate, upscale design, we used string lights to illuminate the long farm table dinner. The tablescape design featured modern gold rimmed chargers and dinner plates, brass flatware, amber goblets, and rust colored napkins, to integrate with the surrounding colors of Yosemite valley. The design was simple and understated, with florals filling ceramic bud vases and candlesticks standing tall in their modern brass holders. And after the sun went down, the lights illuminated a desert disco dance party — the only way to celebrate having the park and a beautiful Yosemite wedding venue completely to themselves for this national park micro wedding.
Photography: Anni Graham
Design & Styling: Mae&Co Creative
Venue: Autocamp Yosemite
Rentals: Standard Party Rentals and Charming Treasures
Catering: Chef Melissa
If you’re interested in how Mae&Co can make your day extra special and unique to you, we’d love to hear from you
Todos Santos, Baja California, Mexico
A Few of Our Favorite Weddings in Todos Santos
Todos Santos is a romantic paradise in southern Baja California. This sleepy coastal town is full of wild possibility: you can spent a long weekend surfing breaks, you can lose yourself wandering the charming cobblestone streets, or you can even find your way to Todos Santos for a destination elopement. Todos Santos is brimming with boutique properties that are perfect for an eco-conscious, modern wedding. If your dream day involves sipping mezcal while you watch the sun fade into the Pacific, you should explore our favorite Todos Santos hotel venues.
As a Todos Santos wedding planner we’ve spent years cultivating rich relationships with local vendors. Between the stunning venues and the unbelievable kind and talented creatives, we love designing weddings in this sunny paradise. If you’re dreaming of a destination wedding in Todos Santos, let us help you plan a luxury event in beautiful Baja California.
Melissa & KB’s Wedding
Edgy, elegant, modern, eco-conscious — this Todos Santos elopement at Pachamama is one of our favorite destination weddings in Mexico. Pachamama is a unique Todos Santos resort with luxury villas, unsurpassed coastal views, and white, adobe tepees. We love the versatility of the resort, as there are endless opportunities to create a timeless, polished event or curate an eclectic, bohemian celebration.
For our designs, we always consider our couple: what are their likes and dislikes, how can we create something that is unique to them? For this Todos Santos destination wedding, we turned to our couple: Melissa and KB. KB is a luxury suit designer and Melissa is a multi-media artist. They understand the beauty in creating art through texture, color, and style, so we wanted to create an elopement design that would keep them and their talent at the center.
Inspired by the white-washed terra-cotta and the turquoise tile throughout Todos Santos, we created a vibrant color palette that would play off the warm, coastal feel of the sleepy beach resort town. Using our couple as our design muse, we worked with Good Seed Floral to incorporate tropical monsteras and inviting neutral blooms throughout the modern ceremony installation and tablescape to elevate the warm ocean setting. KB wore a muted teal suit while Melissa played with textures of silk and fringe in her dress and accessories. By creating an elegant, neutral understated backdrop for our couple, we created a space that allowed their personal style to be at the forefront — a perfect way to celebrate their shared love of bold design.
And to play up the chic, edgy feel of Pachamama, we sourced unique, soft black rentals from Warehouse Rentals to help modernize our tablescape design. With black fringe chargers at every table setting, white ceramics, and modern blush accents, we loved finding textures and materials that contrasted perfectly with the couple’s bold style and the breezy ocean backdrop.
Photography: Monique Serra / Design & Styling: Mae&Co Creative / Venue: Pachamama / Florals: Good Seed Floral / Rentals: Warehouse Rentals / Gown: Flora Bridal / Suit: Kenneth Bloggs
Styled Wedding Shoot
Pachamama is one of our favorite venues for elegant destination weddings in Todos Santos, and this boho, beachy, monochromatic elopement at Pachamama is one of our favorites. This versatile Todos Santos resort is equal parts wild jungle and sophisticated luxury, and we loved leaning into the white-washed terra-cotta resort elements to create a neutral, monochromatic design for our couple.
For this elopement design, we wanted to create boho feel that matched our bride and groom’s style. We created a color palette inspired by Pachamama, featuring white, sand, copper, amber, and muted sage tones to establish an understated, modern backdrop. To add depth to our monochromatic wedding design, we played with texture. Inspired by the natural, wood thatched doors at Pachamama, we incorporated fringe lanterns throughout the custom ceremony design, complemented by pampas grass and rattan chargers throughout the modern elopement tablescape. We balanced our dynamic textures with smooth copper flatware and ceramic plates, too, mirroring the suave, white-washed walls of Pachamama’s villas and teepees.
Our neutral design not only created a timeless, modern feel for this elopement, but also celebrated the location. Here at Mae&Co, we’re big on finding textures that will contrast again the location and the view, and we loved the way this elegant monochromatic design came together to celebrate beach setting of Todos Santos. The cool turquoise waters lining this warm, Baja California coast stood out against the soft, neutral tones, creating a beach feel that perfectly matched our couple’s style.
Photography: Peyton Rainey Byford
Design & Styling: Mae&Co Creative
Venue: Pachamama
Florals: Good Seed Floral
Rentals: Warehouse Rentals
Gown: Flora Bridal