Molly + Gideon wanted a venue that screamed PARTY! (Um, awesome, right?) So once they found The Cree Estate in Palm Springs, California, they were thrilled to have found a space that fit the fun vibe they were going for. Total bonus: it could also play host to their friends + fam for an event packed wedding weekend! We fell for the clean, modern desert aesthetic they infused into their design, and wanted to hear more about their inspiration. Lucky for us, Molly spills all the deets below!

Being a DIY blogger and designer, I wanted to overload the wedding with handmade projects and touches. Things to make the day our own. We made the chuppah (with a lot of help from my step dad), escort cards, menus, table numbers, programs, wood signs, hanging plant stands, linen napkins, the boutonnières, a custom croquet set, and we hand painted 300 rocks and votive candles for the tables. We also did all the florals and had an assembly line of my moms friends and sisters in the kitchen the day prior assembling the arrangements.

Thanks so much to Colleen at Color Me Rad for the gorgeous images and big congrats to Molly + Gideon!

Molly carried the picture-perfect desert bouquet by Arrangements Design!

Processional: Bridal Party: You & Me - Penny and the Quarters; Bride: Rebel Rebel - Seu Jorge

Recessional: Holiday Road - Lindsey Buckingham

First Dance: Oh My Love - John Lennon

Our favorite moment was by far the ceremony, which is not what we expected. We had a close family friend officiate, which he had never done before - and he totally nailed it. He made it so personal and loving and funny. We also wrote our own vows which was very hard to do - but in the end, there wasn't a dry eye in the place.

The weather was supposed to be over 100 degrees, so we scrambled to buy 50 parasols the week of. But, magically, it was 83 and breezy for our Palm Springs wedding (which if you've been there, you know that's rare).

Either way, we love these snaps with the parasols in the desert landscape!

We're obsessing over the escort display below. (And wondering just how many things in the GWS office we can dip-dye the same way before we'd be going overboard...)

Loving this wedding as much as we do? Check out our little shopping guide, inspired by M + G's day, below!

LOTS.

If you can afford it, hire a wedding planner. It makes a year of your life a lot more manageable, especially if it's DIY-centric. Wedding planning felt like it became our full time job, and while it was a great year - I did envy brides who seemed to be pretty relaxed during their engagement!

if you want to do lots of DIYs, make a list or a Pinterest board and choose A LOT LESS than you feel like you can make. or expect to be working days and nights the month of.

Enlist the help of your relatives and friends, it makes the process go by much quicker and creates a lot more memories at the same time. Plus your cousin can walk around the wedding bragging that she helped make the napkins.

Retire from Pinterest around 4 months before your wedding. Too many ideas will drive you insane.

If you can and want, get a family friend to officiate - it made the ceremony unforgettable for us.

When it comes to your family, be patient. everyones going to have their own opinions. expect to get some blow back on some of your choices, but trust your gut and choose your battles. Because even when they say your grandma would roll over in her grave if she knew you were serving pork - afterwards they'll exclaim "the pork was delicious!"

If you're planning your own wedding, BUDGET before booking your vendors! we got too excited and booked a couple things we really couldn't afford, and had to make a couple sacrifices because of it. decide on the things that are really important to you (i.e. great photos, great food) and devote more money to those things. we ended up hiring a friend to shoot video since we couldn't afford a videographer.

photography: Colleen Sherman at Color Me Rad // planning + design: Bride + Groom at Almost Makes Perfect // venue: The Cree Estate Palm Springs, California // florals: bride + groom + family DIY (Bouquet only by Arrangements Design) // wedding dress: Martina Liana (saved money by skipping the sash!) // flower crown: Amorebride // shoes: ASOS // bridesmaid dresses: Forever 21, Zara, Shopbop // hair: feel good spa at The Ace Hotel // makeup: maid of honor // groom suit: Shades of Grey // paper goods: designed by bride and groom // rentals: Signature Party Rentals, Classic Party Rentals // coordination + design consulting: mein schatz // dj: Smiles Davis of The Flashdance // catering + cake: Little Nelly // donuts: Vienna Donut // photo booth: Party Life Photo Booth