Palm Springs is Just Right for Intimate to Mid-size Weddings  

Not Too Big — Not Too Small

 By Barbara Beckley

It’s your Big Day! And when you want to be surrounded by cherished family and friends – yet still make it memorable – Palm Springs is your perfect choice!

With romantic inns and mid-sized hotels at every turn, framed by picture-perfect mountains under sunny skies and starry nights, Palm Springs is a dream come true for ceremonies from two (plus your witnesses) to 200 of your besties. And don’t worry about logistics. Most Palm Springs properties have in-house planners and many welcome buy-outs for added fun and privacy. Here’s a sampling of Wedding Day bliss in Palm Springs.

Engaging Inns  

A beautiful rooftop deck with 360-degree views, and 18 luxurious private villas make La Serena Villas fabulous for saying “I Do.” Its eclectic-Mediterranean-style furnishings, onsite Azucar restaurant with a full bar and unique cocktails; sparkling fountain and tiled courtyard event areas are perfect for wedding parties of up to 100.

Exchange vows amid bougainvillea and palms in the romantic Hacienda Fountain Court behind the gates of the Ingleside Inn . A celebrity favorite since the 1930s, with 30 luxe suites on two acres, it’s ideal for up to 100 guests. Gather poolside for cocktails at dusk, then party into the night on Melvyn’s iconic dance floor. Melvyn’s fine dining restaurant and onsite planners make everything easy. Consider reserving the entire estate for a blowout wedding weekend.

Give your nuptials a South Beach vibe at the Movie Colony Hotel . Its stunning 2,000-square-foot pool deck, cozy courtyard and patio spaces; and 16 modernist-style rooms including three poolside bi-level suites with mountain views promise festivities you and your guests will always remember. The in-house events team makes sure of that.

Casa Cody  is all romance – featuring winding paths, 30 beautifully renovated bungalows, including four free-standing homes; two pools, sweeping lawns and rambling gardens on 1.5 walled acres. Harriet’s Lawn is popular for weddings of up to 150 guests and the Apache Pool & Lawn is perfect for weddings of 75 to 100 guests. For pre-wedding prep: the Adobe House, which fits 12-15 people, is perfect for you and your bridesmaids; and Winter’s House, also 12-15 people, for your groom and groomsmen.

Mid-Size Marvels

Courtyards, fountains, flowers, fragrant manicured grounds – it’s as if the Avalon Hotel & Bungalows was made for weddings.

Regency-Style

This Hollywood Regency-style stunner features 76 lodgings, including 13 private villas; three pools and glamorous event venues across four acres. For starters, the Regency Courtyard boasts petite formal gardens with olive tree-topiaries and blooming citrus, and a 35-square-foot cabana with raised platform (ideal for exchanging vows) for up to 90 seated guests, and 170 theatre-style.

The Regency Pool is like a “secret garden” for up to 100 people standing (perhaps the après cocktail party). The Presidio Pool is so beautiful it was featured on the cover of Conde Nast Traveler no less!! Flanked by dramatic white cabanas, it’s ideal for the ceremony or reception of up to 170 guests.

The Presidio Courtyard features a groomed lawn perfect for an outdoor dinner or reception of up to 170. And inside – the Presidio Ballroom glitters with chandeliers and mirrors and can accommodate a sizeable dance floor and up to 120 seated guests. Its French doors open onto the Presidio Courtyard. Also, the Estrella Courtyard & Cabanas is great for bridal parties and receptions of up to 80, and up to 40 for seated dinners. In-house planners help every step of the way. Yes, you can buy out the entire property.

Hip Organic

If you like to draw outside the lines – give your wedding a hip organic/bohemian vibe at the ACE Hotel & Swim Club . It boasts 179 rooms, a spa, two big pools and 4,000 square feet of “modular creative” event space for either an outdoor wedding or a window-filled indoor ceremony and party for up to 150 guests.

Tiki Inspired

Also the fun-filled, tiki-inspired Caliente Tropics , a 90-room, mid-century charmer – and amazingly affordable hotel – boasting Palm Springs’ largest pool (legend says Elvis Presley swam in it) and a huge pool-adjacent events lawn under towering palms. The lawn easily accommodates party tents and under-the-sun or -stars outdoor weddings of up to 250 guests. The tiki-inspired lobby is also available for up to 120 people.

Spanish Hacienda

The Triada Palm Springs  offers a modern twist on Palm Springs’ classic Spanish hacienda style ambiance. Pathways connect its 56 unique rooms and 21 suites, scattered upstairs and down in multiple buildings; two pools and private sundecks. Say “I do,” poolside under the stars, with candle-lit pathways leading to your reception in the Spanish Lobby. Indoor and outdoor event spaces range from 650 to 2,000 square feet. The onsite wedding team is ready when you are.

Steve Hermann Design

More romantic than ever, following a multi-million dollar redo, The Colony Palms  wows brides, grooms and guests with three acres of verdant grounds, 57 elegant guestrooms and bungalows including the Palm D’Or Suite (once the private residence of Frank Sinatra), a spa and two pools: one saltwater and one fresh. Enjoy the intimacy of a hotel buy-out and beautiful wedding ceremony on the Garden Lawn followed by a poolside reception for up to 160 guests.

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