Oh my goodness, y’all. I’m so excited to be sharing this Pioneertown wedding with you guys on the blog this morning. Eddie + Kelly’s wedding up in the high desert near Joshua Tree this past weekend was a dream to come true to shoot – Randy + I had looked forward to it for months! Kelly met Edward a few years ago at a local gym (he thought she was soooo cute, so he let her in for free!) and it’s been a beautiful relationship ever since. They’re both big into hiking and being outdoors, so it naturally made sense for them to get married outside under the sun and stars. And what better place to do that then out in the desert?!

This wedding was the perfect example of an elegantly styled, personalized DIY wedding, for sure! Each of their handcrafted details was DIY (with the help of Kelly’s best friend Megan, who is not only an associate wedding planner but also a super-awesome crafter and fellow Marvel-junkie). We absolutely loved the escort cards and center pieces, incorporating major star constellations together with the venue. Kelly’s mom, Bonnie, created their wedding cake from scratch (seriously!) and she did such a fantastic job with it – and it smelled AMAZING! Members from Eddie’s church all came together to provide a yummy Korean potluck dinner; it was my first time ever eating Korean food, and I have to say – I was really impressed with how delicious it all was!

What really made this wedding special was just the love between Kelly + Eddie. During the ceremony, Kelly surprised Eddie by reciting her vows in Korean – which just made everyone (including me!) cry. At the start of the reception, Kelly + Eddie changed into traditional Korean wedding outfits, called a hanbok and Eddie’s mother, aunt and grandmother tossed dates and chestnuts into Kelly’s hanbok in the Korean tradition of p’ye-baek, which symbolizes good luck to their future children (she caught 9, I’d say that’s a good fortune!). Following dinner, one of Kelly’s favorite local bands, the Paul Chesne Band, rocked the night away with some fantastic live music. While everyone was listening to the band, they also got to look through some telescopes provided by Coyote Telescopes and we got to see some of the planets and stars.

vendor love

Venue | Private Residence, Pioneertown, California

Photography | Randy + Ashley

Wedding Planner, Floral + Wedding Crafts | Megan Roa, Fan Crafted Designs

Bridal Hair | Stephanie Horn

Bridal Makeup | Aimee Beth

Bridal Gown | David’s Bridal

Bridesmaid’s Dresses | ASOS.com

Invitations | Jennifer Lee

Band | Paul Chesne Band

Rentals | Signature Party Rentals

Telescopes | Coyote Telescopes

Are you looking for a wedding photographer in Pioneertown?

Hey there, I am Ashley Durham, a western Arizona wedding photographer specializing in unposed, authentic and romantic intimate weddings that capture the love, fun and realness of couples and wedding days.

I am happy to serve couples from Lake Havasu, Bullhead City, Prescott, Kingman, Skull Valley all the way to Palm Springs, Southern California and anywhere I can drive or fly. Are you ready to have an incredible time together for your wedding?? DM me!!