A Music-Focused Palm Springs Wedding With a Disco-Themed After-Party

A marriage nearly 20 years in the making. Natalie Boras and Luke Morris met as young teenagers in Laguna Beach, California—and after a decade of knowing one another, they began dating. Then, on Father's Day three years ago, Natalie found Luke on bended knee on the same beach from middle school. "We were searching for starfish in the ocean," she recalls. "I turned around and he was on one knee with the ring, and his friend popped out of the sand in a tourist outfit and was filming the whole thing."

However, once engaged, the couple was in no rush to walk down the aisle and instead took their time to decide what they did and didn't want on their dream day. "We spent three years going to our friends' weddings and wrote down what we loved and didn’t love for us," Natalie explains. "The more specific our vision was, the easier our choices were."

Their resulting vision was simple: "We wanted to take our guests on a wild weekend adventure and share all the things we love doing together as a couple with everyone we love," Natalie explains. The couple hired expert wedding planner Mindy Weiss and her team at Mindy Weiss Party Consultants to plan and execute their Palm Springs wedding, which included a guest list of more than 400 people! Fun events like a poolside welcome dinner and disco-themed costume party made the weekend not only memorable for the couple but their guests as well. As for the venue, Natalie and Luke settled on the region's Parker Palm Springs hotel so that "no one had to leave for the whole weekend," adding, "The venue was perfect for our guest list—eclectic and fun."

Ahead, more of Natalie and Luke's gorgeous Palm Springs nuptials, as planned by Mindy Weiss Party Consultants and photographed by Ryan Ray.

"We knew right away the Parker was the place, and when they had a sudden opening over the weekend of the fullest moon of the year because of a cancelation, we knew it was meant to be," explains the bride of their wedding, which was held at the Parker Palm Springs on October 12, 2019.

The couple chose a green-and-white color scheme for their SoCal nuptials and alluded to a sophisticated evening with minimal and elegant invitations by Lehr & Black. The design on the outer envelope mimicked the facade of their wedding venue.

Natalie only invited her mother, mother-in-law, and maid of honor to go dress shopping with her. "The more people you bring, the more opinions, and at the end of the day, the only opinion that matters is yours and the one who will be taking off the dress, your significant other," she adds with a laugh. The mothers ultimately chose a plunging V-neck gown by Adam Zohar for the ceremony, while the bride would later pick out a second look on her own!

When Luke proposed to Natalie three years ago, he presented her with a custom triangle-shaped engagement ring from Coady Culha. "A triangle is my favorite shape," she says. The couple also turned to the jeweler for their gold wedding bands.

Natalie and Luke, along with the entire wedding party, got ready together in a house. "There was no formal first look, everyone just spent the whole day together having a great time. It was really unique," explains the couple's photographer Ryan Ray.

Luke and his groomsmen wore custom suits from Entre as the designer is a close friend of the groom.

Luke's bespoke sleeves were customized with his initials in blue thread and cufflinks.

"I had a lot of bridesmaids, thus a lot of body types. I wanted them to feel the sexiest and that’s going to be in a dress they choose," explains the bride. The only criteria she gave her bridesmaids was to follow a palette of silver, gray, and blue—and most of the fashion coordinating was done via group text!

Natalie's niece served as flower girl, wearing a pink tulle dress and flower crown to match the petals she would later sprinkle down the aisle

According to the bride, wedding planning was made simple thanks to Weiss and her team. "I told Mindy what I wanted and sent her my Pinterest board and she sent me options and we chose," she says.

The wedding party was joined by the couple's dog, who donned a black bow tie like the rest of the groomsmen!

Natalie's glam bridal beauty look was completed with a dramatic veil from Adam Zohar. She carried a petite bouquet by Bloom & Plume as to not take away from her stunning gown.

One of the most important details for Natalie and Luke was the music. "We wanted to take our guests on an emotional journey through music," offers the brides. "We spent the most time on finding and editing the perfect songs to express our feelings in the big moments of our wedding."

The ceremony took place on the lawn of the hotel where a floral arch of white roses and greenery acted as the wedding altar.

The grass lawn was practically covered in white roses too, which lined the aisle leading to the archway.

The couple worked with mixologists at the Parker to design three signature cocktails: one with whiskey, one with vodka, and one with tequila.

"We chose soundtracks from our favorite songs in our favorite film scores to walk down the aisle to," explains Natalie. Luke chose "That Next Place" by Thomas Newman (from Meet Joe Black) for his processional with his mother while Natalie made her way to the altar alongside her father to "Elysium" by Hans Zimmer (from Gladiator).

The ceremony was officiated by the couple's close childhood friend Jake Pinto.

Natalie claims the couple's handwritten vows were "short and sweet and very us."

Ring bearer duties were given to Luke's nephew, who adorably ran down the aisle mid-ceremony!

As the newlyweds sealed their marriage with a kiss, a remix of The Lion King's "Circle of Life" blasted through the speakers.

And once the ceremony concluded, the couple wasted no time getting the party started—having a guest emerge with a sign that read "Everybody dance now!"

While wedding planning was fairly stress-free for the couple, Natalie admits the guest list did pose some challenges. She admits, "Even at the very end, we were forgetting people. My bridesmaid's sister, who I am very close did not get an invite until the night before because her invite was lost in the mail!"

For the reception, Natalie slipped into an AADNEVIK number that she picked out herself.

Guests found their seats with escort cards displayed under a grand greenery arrangement.

The reception took place under a unique paneled tent, which put their wedding colors on full display.

Below, the area was filled with a mix of long and round tables. Eclectic crystal chandeliers also hung from the ceiling to add a more luxe touch to the classic affair.

The rectangular wooden tables boasted tropical runners made of palm leaves, poppies, and other white florals.

And at each place setting, guests were greeted with white linens accented by green orchids and placed on light wooden chargers.

"We surprised our guests with a choreographed dance right as we walked into the reception to a song we made and everyone’s face was so shocked at first," recalls Natalie of her unexpected first dance. "I loved surprising everyone."

After dark, the green-and-white tent illuminated while guests dined inside. Natalie's favorite part of the wedding menu? Truffle fries, which were "everywhere 24/7 because who doesn’t love truffle fries?!"

"Luke's best men—two brothers and best friend—took over the band on the guitar and keyboard and sang us an original wedding song," recalls Natalie of the unforgettable moment. "During the middle of the song, Luke and I turned around and everyone was up from their chairs and the whole wedding was singing the chorus and clapping their hands."

When it came to dessert, the newlyweds craved a Funfetti cake. The simple flavor resulted in a gorgeous four-tier confection dressed in white flowers and green leaves.

As fans of costume parties, there was only one way for Natalie and Luke to close off the night: with a disco-themed after-party! Guests were encouraged to change into their best 1970's-inspired attire for a late-night celebration in the venue's ballroom.

For her third and final look of the night, Natalie hopped into a sparkly Galia Lahav jumpsuit that she found with Luke's help. The groom also slipped into a funky disco outfit of his own—wig, iridescent platform shoes and all!

"Everyone’s costumes exceeded our expectations and it broke up the evening to feel like you were at two separate parties," explains Natalie.

The couple spent the rest of the night dancing on friends' shoulders while balloons fell from the ceiling. Natalie adds, "We chose a band that played all genres of music, so there wasn’t a hit that wasn’t covered."