A Palm Springs Wedding

This past weekend I attended a wedding held at a private home here in Palm Springs. The ceremony was a celebration of love between two people who have been together for a very long time, witnessed by a large group of friends and family. For this couple, and many others in California, the opportunity to marry could be taken away after Tuesday, so the ceremony had deeper meaning to all in attendance. The reception was elegant and festive with Chinese lanterns overhead, floating candles in the pool, and exotic flower arrangements.

above: A band was setup under the large awning, providing shade from the sun. Despite the presence of some clouds it was a warm day, and a gentle breeze kept temperatures quite pleasant. As dusk approached, the Chinese lanterns strung across the property glowed merrily; their reflection on the surface of the pool added to the ambiance and joyful mood of the evening. As I gazed across the estate, the majestic San Jacinto mountains were the perfect backdrop for the setting. Palm trees dotting the landscape, served as a constant reminder of the city's namesake. It's tough to see from this photo, but I was wearing one of my new blue and white ascots, a recent birthday gift from a friend. One of these days I need to do a post showing of all the different ones I have accumulated. Ascots have become my "signature accessory", as I single-handily attempt to bring them back in style. But I digress. Anyway, I was snapping photos all evening, trying to capture the mood, this was an ideal setting for a wedding reception.

above left: There were beautiful tables of cheeses, fruit, breads and crackers before dinner was served. The wedding cake was deeo chocolate, which was uber delicious! Above right: For most of the evening the band played a wonderful blend of standards, soft jazz. After dinner they transitioned to dance tunes which filled the dance floor with guests. Even I was drawn in by a "Kool and the Gang" song covered by the band.

above: I took these two photos trying to capture the moon in the sky, at dusk and early evening. There was a huge cloud mass hung up on the mountains, which had floated over from LA, I suppose but it never threatened our evening. (Our mountains usually shield us from most inclement weather from the coast.) If you look closely you can see the moon in the same position in the left photo as in the right. It was actually quite pretty.

above: I love these two photos. You can see how captivating the setting was.

above: As we left the house, I looked back at the front walk way and took this photo. These two palm trees seemed to symbolically represent the couple that had just celebrated their nuptials. I never stopped to think what sex each of these palm trees were (yes palm trees are either male or female). These two trees just looked happy together and that was all that mattered to me. It was a fitting way to end this post.

-Rick Rockhill

A Swank Palm Springs Soiree

Saturday evening I attended a swank soiree at the home of some friends here in Palm Springs. It was a marvelous evening, with an "A List" crowd of really nice people. As we pulled up, the valet parked our car for us, and we were offered champagne as we entered the grounds of the property. After greeting a few friends, I made my way to the martini bar outside by the pool. There was a massive ice sculpture (see photo at left). The bartenders were making Lemon Drops, pouring the cocktail into the ice sculpture to chill down the drink. Then a small cube of dry ice was dropped into the martini glass to create a smoking, bubbling effect. If you look closely in my martini glass you can see the "smoke" from the dry ice. Naturally, I stopped for my usual martini pose.

above: The party had wonderful decorations on the grounds outside by the pool. If you look closely to the left in the distance, you can see the martini ice sculpture illuminated. Dozens of fresh roses adorned each table around the pool, which was so elegant in the desert moonlight.

above: Inside, a pianist played wonderful music (he was on a break when I took this photo).

Above: The food was nothing short of fabulous. Fresh Shrimp, Crab Legs, Sushi, Rack of Lamb, salads, Carne Asada served in martini glasses and other culinary delights. The center of the table was decorated with tall glass vases with fresh white orchids floating in water, which was quite stunning.

above: later in the evening, servers brought around a tray of fresh baked, warm cookies, and a tray of cold milk in shot glasses. It was such a nice touch...hosts Greg and Brad think of everything!

above left: in the blue shirt, popular desert personal trainer Eddie, with my dear friend Skip & above right: friends Dave, Ralph and Todd share a smile. It was an elegant, enjoyable soiree; I am grateful to have such wonderful friends here in the desert.
-Rick Rockhill