A Rustic, Whimsical Wedding at The Parker Hotel in Palm Springs, California

If you ask how Chelsea and Kyle met, the answer will depend on whom you ask. “Some people will tell you we met at a scuba diving class when I saved Kyle’s life,” laughs Chelsea, “but the truth is we met through mutual friends. The universe put us in the right place at the right time.”

When Kyle Crouse first saw Chelsea Martin he remembers the feeling he had was that she was “drop dead gorgeous!” “Her smile and eyes lit up the room,” he says. “Someone who I could instantaneously have fun with no matter what we were doing, but I still felt comfortable opening my heart to her and getting more serious. My best friend from day one.”

Chelsey describes him as “handsome and of course such a gentlemen. The little things, like opening doors for me and pulling out my chair. Guys don’t do that stuff anymore. I knew I found a good one. I remember thinking he was young and fun, but still had a sense of responsibility about him.”

The proposal came two-and-a-half years after they met. The day they became engaged Kyle called her with this elaborate story about one of his clients hooking him up at a new restaurant in Los Angeles which was about an hour from their home. “He said our reservations were late so we should probably stay the night,” remembers Chelsea. “He had me all dressed up with a suitcase packed. Since we had so much extra time he suggested we stop by the Griffith Observatory, somewhere I had always wanted to go. 

We walked around a bit and I noticed he was a little jittery. He gave my camera to a guy standing next to us and asked me to look through a telescope and he would stand behind me for a picture. After I heard the camera go off I turned around and there he was on one knee. He told me he brought me up amongst the stars because I am his universe and he wanted to marry me. It was insanely romantic and I will never forget it. Then he told me he made the whole story up and that we were headed to Palm Springs for the weekend to celebrate. “

The wedding date was set for September at The Parker in Palm Springs allowing 14 months to plan. “Kyle took me here to celebrate the night we got engaged and from that day on we just couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else” says Chelsea. “It’s classy, but funky and has a whimsical romance about it… very us.”

Their wedding day was magical reflecting a romantic Gatsby glam theme, something really fancy with a little 20’s roar. Kyle wanted all of their guests to “feel the love” which is where the romance came in while Chelsea wanted to look back in 20 years and still love all of their choices so they stayed away from trendy.

“We couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by all of the love that all of our friends and family brought to the day” says Chelsea. The ceremony had a lot of personal touches. Kyle’s godmother played their favorite songs as the couple walked down the aisle. The reception was so much fun with amazing speeches and much time spent on the dance floor.

The menu included lobster mac and cheese followed by steak and scallops, voodoo doughnuts flown in from Kyle’s hometown of Portland and a refreshing shanty (Hefeweizen and fresh squeezed lemonade) as the signature drink. A honeymoon to Thailand served as a relaxing getaway.