Inspired By "Father of the Bride" and Vintage Wedding Style, One Couple Threw the Ultimate Weekend-Long Celebration in Palm Springs

When Emily Gavin and Drew Creekmur matched on Bumble in September of 2022, it was just weeks after they each moved to Denver, Colorado. Their first date stretched into a 36-hour-long adventure, setting the tone for a relationship full of spontaneous decisions (including a whirlwind fourth date in Cabo!). In April of 2024, Drew proposed in their home and surprised Emily by flying her sisters in from Los Angeles. “We came home from running errands and they had set up candles and rose petals all over our apartment,” Emily remembers. “I was completely blown away by the ruse they had gone to.” They enjoyed a celebratory dinner together that night and flew to Illinois to celebrate with more family the following week with a surprise engagement party. 

The couple invited 130 guests to Ingleside Estate in Palm Springs, California—a venue they had selected before they were even engaged—to celebrate their wedding on February 15, 2025. Emily and On a trip to Palm Springs in December of 2024, they enjoyed a dinner at Ingleside Estate and knew it was where they'd eventually tie the knot. “Getting married in a destination that we loved, that was part of our relationship history, but also had its own charm and character that we would be excited to show our guests was really important,” Emily says, “After we drove onto the property at the Ingleside for dinner that night we both looked at each other and said, ‘I think this is it.’ We didn’t look at a single other venue.”

With their venue locked in, Emily and Drew began discussing what their wedding would ultimately look like. In the end, they decided on an upscale backyard wedding reminiscent of Father of the Bride with colorful florals, vintage décor, and chandeliers draped in greenery. With SAMKOMA at the helm, the couple transformed the property for multiple events, including a Valentine’s Day-themed welcome party to their Spanish Revival-inspired wedding day. Ahead, Shannon Yen’s stunning photographs of the couple's multi-day party.

Emily and Drew set the tone for their Palm Springs wedding weekend with a Valentine’s day-themed welcome party on February 14, 2025. The couple gave guests welcome boxes filled with heart-shaped candies and sunglasses, a hangover kit, and other necessities like chapstick and sunscreen.

“My vision for the night was vintage Little White Chapel meets middle school valentine's dance and we were able to execute it perfectly,” Emily says. Guests arrived in shades of pink and red and gathered poolside, where they found a candy bar, custom-wrapped photo booth, and two oversized hearts made of red roses framed by a vintage couch, where guests were encouraged to snap iconic photos.

The couple carefully selected rentals that would both elevate the setting and play up their theme, including tons of heart-shaped pillows for the lounge areas. Round tables were dressed in hot pink linens and decorated with vibrant red and pink centerpieces finished with heart shaped balloons.

For the welcome party, Emily wore a custom One/Of NYC dress in a sheer jacquard floral organza with an empire waist, hand-pinned 3D appliqués, pearls, and rhinestones in an ombré pattern, which was reminiscent of a classic 1960s gown. She accessorized with vintage Givenchy pearl drop earrings, satin Christian Louboutin mules, and a vintage Michael Swiss hand beaded bag.

Drew complemented her look with a vintage-inspired white suit featuring soft pink stitching that was custom-made by Bespoke Edge in Denver. He finished his look with Vince white leather sneakers and a pink pocket square. 

For a fun touch, Emily and Drew set out Valentine’s Day cards and asked guests to write them a note, seal it with a kiss, and drop it into the card box for them to read in the days and years to come.

Emily and Drew came across a green crest on Pinterest that served as inspiration for all of their wedding weekend stationery. They worked with JLF Calligraphy to customize their invitation suite, which included a map of the venue, an illustration of the estate in the envelope liners, and a monogram wax seal.

For the ceremony, Emily wore a strapless Elly Sofocli's "Amelia" ball gown with a drop waist, which she actually picked out online before a shopping appointment in Los Angeles. “As soon as I saw that gown online, I knew,” she recalls. “The 'Amelia' gown was the first dress I tried on in the store, and I didn’t need to look at anything else. It was perfect.”

She teamed up with Sara Rothan for alterations, and the two worked together to create two veils for the wedding day. She wore a long veil for the ceremony and then traded it for a shorter option during cocktail hour and the dinner reception. “I’m of the opinion that the veil truly makes the dress feel bridal, so by designing two together I got to have that moment the whole night,” the bride says. She also accessorized with Manolo Blahnik lace ballet flats and Ted Muehling pearl cluster earrings.

Her cascading pear-shaped bouquet of white and cream blooms was inspired by her mother’s wedding bouquet.

Drew wore a custom black tuxedo by Bespoke Edge paired with Gucci loafers. “I started using moisturizer and washing my face regularly before the wedding—mainly stealing Emily’s products,” he says of his big-day prep. He chose Dior “Savage” as his wedding fragrance, which he also wore on his first date with Emily.

Emily and Drew wanted to spend as much time as possible with their guests once the festivities began, so they chose to have a first look before the ceremony. “We also both come from big families, so logistically it made the most sense to do all of our family portraits before the ceremony,” Emily adds. “Before the big moment he had told me that he didn’t think he was going to cry, and that ended up being completely false and it’s a moment I’ll remember forever.”

Emily’s sister’s band, MUNA, happened to be doing a sound check for their first dance during the first look, so the song was playing as Drew turned around to see Emily, making the moment even more special.

Ahead of the ceremony, the team at Stella Rose Floral Design created a winding aisle was framed with large colorful floral arrangements designed to complement the venue’s gardens. They also installed an oversized ground arch at the altar, which served as a colorful backdrop for the couple's vow exchange. “We actually shifted the traditional ceremony direction from what the Ingleside traditionally does to allow for the curved aisle and to create more of a moment when walking down,” Emily explains. 

Emily and Drew brought in a string quartet to play the music for the ceremony. Their families walked down the aisle to the opening credits song from the movie Father of the Bride. Emily had both of her parents by her side as she walked down the aisle to Taylor Swift’s “Enchanted," a processional moment that was particularly meaningful for the bride. "My parents are divorced so it was really special, for me, to get a moment alone with the two of them before we walked together,” she says.

The couple’s close friend officiated the ceremony, and the couple opted to write their own vows. “Before the wedding we read them to each other in our house on a regular weeknight, which was really special and sweet,” explains the bride. “It was helpful to make sure we weren’t telling the same stories or anything but also helped us decide who would go first and how long we wanted them to be.”

The quartet played Hilary Duff’s “What Dreams Are Made Of” for the couple’s recessional. “It felt whimsical, fun, and romantic all at the same time,” Emily says.

Guests gathered in the property’s fountain garden for the cocktail hour where a raw bar featuring oysters, shrimp, and crab claws was on display. Passed appetizers like mini grilled cheese sandwiches with a tomato soup shooters and Cobb salad-style deviled eggs were also on offer.

"Every morning Drew and I send voice notes to each other that say ‘Morning Darlin’ and ‘Good morning Handsome,’ so we did two signature cocktails named after that," Emily explains. Drew’s signature drink was an Old Fashioned called "The Darlin’" and Emily chose a dirty martini called "Handsome."

The escort cards were designed with the custom crest that was featured on the Emily and Drew's wedding invitations.

Guests moved to the property’s pool lawn, where the couple and their planning team created a luxe dinner party-style reception. Long tables were set up on either side of the pool with a small sweetheart table for the couple at the center. Each table had white linens and was decorated with floral centerpieces in vintage vases and candles.

“When thinking of lighting I was really set on chandeliers draped in greenery to give the pool lawn a very romantic feel and truly make it feel like we brought the indoors outside, which also matched the lounge furniture rentals and the large statement bar we had for guests,” Emily says.

The place settings featured vintage dishware with floral designs, mismatched vintage crystal glasses, and a custom menu booklet with each guest’s name and the couple’s monogram.

Guests enjoyed a three-course meal, starting with bread service and a watercress salad. Emily and Drew offered attendees their choice of entrée, asking everyone to select either a New York strip steak with roasted mashed potatoes, haricot vert, and a bordelais sauce or oven roasted seabass served with whipped potatoes and a sherry leek cream sauce.

“I’m also a big sparkling water girl and we requested that our guests get the option of still or sparkling water with dinner,” Emily says. “I think touches like this really elevate a reception dinner!”

For dessert, the couple served lemon bars, chocolate eclairs, and mini New York cheesecakes.

Emily and Drew shared their first dance to “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles. The bride also shared a special dance with her father to “My Girl” by the Temptations and Drew danced with his mother to “The Words I Would Say” by Sidewalk Prophets. For a fun touch, Emily and her sisters danced with their mother to “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge, too!

Guests were offered blankets at the reception as the desert evening grew colder. They doubled as favors for anyone who wanted to bring one home.

Emily and Drew’s two-tiered wedding cake featured a vintage-inspired frosting design. They chose a yuzu cake with a raspberry buttercream as their flavors. 

Emily changed into an ivory silk satin Vivienne Westwood dress with a rounded neckline, asymmetric skirt, and cascading train. She styled her second look with Jimmy Choo ivory satin heeled sandals and a Vivienne Westwood broken pearl necklace.

As a nod to her love for Taylor Swift, she added a custom “D” pendant to her look as a nod to the “T” chain Taylor paired with a Vivienne Westwood dress at the Grammy’s. “The minute I saw her on the red carpet at the Grammy’s I had a moment where I thought, ‘Wait a minute…’,” Emily says. “My alterations goddess Sara Rothan helped me figure out how to execute it at one of my bridal fittings."

The couple brought in a 12-piece band to provide the reception entertainment. They also served espresso martinis to keep guests on the dance floor until the after-party.

Palm Springs has a city noise ordinance that requires amplified outdoor sound to end at 10 P.M., so the couple continued the party at bar on the property, Melvyn’s Restaurant. “This place has a rich history as the rat pack used to hang out there in the 70s and has such an amazing feel,” Emily says.

They covered the ceiling in silver, white, and disco ball balloons and guests were given light up batons for dancing as they entered the bar. The couple served late-night food options of french fries, cheeseburger sliders, and fried chicken sandwich sliders. “My youngest sister Maddie DJ’d for us and did an amazing job keeping the vibes high from the end of the formal reception,” Emily says, “Almost all of our guests attended the after party well into the night with us, including my grandmother!”

In lieu of a traditional farewell brunch, Emily and Drew hosted a post-wedding pool party on the property. “It ended up being the perfect way to end our weekend as guests were lounging in pool chairs, sipping cocktails, eating chicken caesar wraps, while our nieces and nephews played in the pool splashing around,” Emily says. The bride worked with stylist Emily Dawson to source her wedding weekend attire, including a 1970s Halston hand-printed silk chiffon caftan for the pool party. She also wore an ivory one-piece bathing suit, Manolo Blahnik gold sandals, Bottega sunglasses, a Bottega shoulder bag with vintage Kai Yin Lo gold vermeil, and mother of pearl clip earrings to complete her look.

Emily and Drew left from their wedding to Switzerland for their honeymoon, where they enjoyed skiing and some of the best food and wine they’ve ever had. To couples planning their big day, Emily and Drew recommend hiring an amazing planner to guide you and act as a support system. “Aside from that, remember weddings are just really big parties celebrating an incredible milestone in your life!” Emily says. “Don’t forget about the guest experience, extend the plus-ones!”