“There is something magical about the desert,” says Adam, who effused an emphatic “Yes!” when Sean proposed in October 2020 on the rooftop deck at Villa Royale in Palm Springs. The Louisville, Kentucky–based lovebirds had flown the coop during lockdown to find a little R&R.
“We picked Palm Springs because neither of us had ever been, and we wanted to experience the midcentury glamour, the dining, the hiking, and Joshua Tree — and of course the LGBT community.” They ultimately chose to wed here the following year, too.
Exploring options remotely, Sean and Adam connected with local planner Stacey Jones and, for their venue, landed on the Ingleside Inn, a storied 1920s-era boutique hotel in the shadow of Mount San Jacinto. “We liked the idea of having all our guests staying together on property,” Sean shares about Villa Royale. “We loved the classic beauty and history of Ingleside Inn and the coziness the full buyout would bring to our wedding weekend.”
A Friday welcome party at nearby Spencer’s Restaurant kicked off the wedding weekend, which wound down at the inn with a Sunday lunch, open bar, and pool party.
As for the big day: “We didn’t have a traditional wedding party,” Adam says. “We kept it really small and simple and had our three children serve as our ‘best people.’” Vibrant florals added the perfect Palm Springs pop to timeless attire, and DJ Danni Ammon kept the dance floor buzzing all night.
“The desert is just a great place to recharge and bask in the sun, totally removed from it all. And the people that gravitate here are kind, accepting, and value balance and positivity.”
—Adam
