An Old Hollywood-Themed Wedding in the Palm Springs Desert

Jordyn’s grandmother, Judy, got her hair done by Rob’s great aunt, Cookie, every Friday for 35 years. One day at the salon, Judy and Cookie schemed to get Jordyn and Rob together. “We officially went on our first date in February 2017 and the rest is history!” Jordyn says.

In September 2019, Rob was competing with Team USA at a triathlon in Geneva, Switzerland, so the couple decided to make a trip of it and visit Italy, too. After driving from Positano to Ravello, the staff at their hotel, Villa Cimbrone, took them on a tour of the historic gardens. At the end of the tour, Rob proposed at a spot overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. “It was super intimate, as only a handful of people were around including a secret photographer to capture the moment,” Jordyn says. “We celebrated together over some pizza and wine and then Face-Timed our families and friends to tell them the exciting news when it turned morning in the U.S.”

The couple shares special memories in Palm Springs, so they decided to host a destination wedding with an outdoor ceremony overlooking the mountains and a ballroom reception. They invited 130 guests to La Quinta Country Club in La Quinta, California, on October 30, 2021, and worked with Cathy O’Connell from COJ Events to pull off a black-tie wedding reminiscent of the couple’s hometown, Chicago—while still embracing colorful Palm Springs. Read on to see all the décor details of this Old Hollywood-themed wedding in the desert, which was photographed by Hannah Costello.

The celebrations started at the rehearsal dinner, where Robert wore a custom Mark Roscoe suit with brown Santoni penny loafers. Jordyn chose a white, long sleeved dress from Khaite with a square neckline and ruching details, which she styled with Stuart Weitzman square toe heels and a Paco Rabanne 1969 mini sequin bag. “I did bubble gum pink eyeshadow to match the décor which was iridescent, fun, Palm Springs-y colors,” she says. “It was a fun pop of color to add to the rehearsal look.”

At the rehearsal dinner, guests dined around a pool, where glowing white balloons were the focal point. The tables were dressed with floor-length linens, paired with white chairs, and decorated with vibrant floral centerpieces in various white vessels. They went with white dishes and knotted napkins for the place settings.

On the morning of the wedding, Jordyn got ready with her bridesmaids. She slipped into a black pajama pants set with feather details on the sleeves while the rest of the wedding party wore white pajama short sets.

Jordyn's Ines DiSanto wedding dress had a high slit, a detachable double knot bow, and a long train embellished in butterfly appliqués and tulle. She knew it was the one when she went back to try it on again and again. “The dress fabric was silk satin back crepe with illusion as straps and covering my entire back,” Jordyn says. “Ines’ fabrics are so good, you couldn’t even see the illusion.” The bow on the back and butterfly details inspired other décor elements throughout the wedding day. 

Jordyn held a bouquet of white Phalaenops orchids, plus blush and white roses. “I loved that cascading orchids to me resembled the shape of butterflies, so I knew we had to include those,” she says. “Our florist hand-pulled the yellow insides out of the orchids so they would be all white and fit cohesively with the blush, cream, and white flowers we had everywhere else.”

Jordyn accessorized with earrings and a tennis bracelet rented from Verstolo, a cathedral veil from BHLDN, crystal bow Mach & Mach sandals, and her grandmother Judy’s ring, which she wore on her right hand. “Grandma Judy wasn’t able to attend the wedding, but was the one who set us up, so I wanted to have a part of her with me on the day of,” she says. She wore Chanel No. 5 as the finishing touch—another nod to her grandma. “My grandmother had a vintage bottle that came back from France at the end of World War II in 1945 and was given to her mother and then passed down to her,” Jordyn says. “I knew it was the perfect scent for my wedding day as another way to honor my grandma, who set Rob and me up.”

Jordyn’s best friend from high school, Jenny, was her maid of honor. The couple also asked their siblings and best friends to take part in the wedding party. The bridesmaids wore black floor-length dresses of their choice. “It came together beautifully—black is black!” Jordyn says. “I didn’t have to change anything.” They held miniature versions of Jordyn’s white bridal bouquet.

Robert wore a custom black tuxedo and cufflinks by Mark Roscoe Design with Paul Stuart patent leather loafers and a Cartier Love bracelet in white gold. “We gave each other the Love bracelet as a wedding day gift,” he says. He chose Tom Ford Rose Prick as his wedding day scent. “It simply smells amazing,” he says.

Jordyn and Robert were eager to share a first look before the ceremony at the back of the villa they were staying at La Quinta Resort. “We had waited long enough with postponing the wedding through Covid—we wanted to see each other before the ceremony,” Jordyn says.

The couple flew their dog, Tucker, from Chicago to California, to be part of the photos. “We didn’t have our dog walk the aisle, but it was so fun to have him there, as he’s a big part of our lives,” Jordyn says. “We made him a custom bow tie in the same fabric as Rob’s.”

Guests enjoyed views of mountains and palm trees at the couple’s ceremony, which took place on the driving range. Their chuppah, an acrylic structure decorated with baby’s breath, orchids, and roses, featured a personal touch: Rob’s tallit. Voluminous flower arrangements added drama to the head of the aisle. “Since I wanted to highlight the backdrop of the ceremony, which was mountains and palm trees, my request was minimal greenery in the flowers, which we subbed for baby’s breath, and it worked out so well,” Jordyn says. “I’ll never forget, it was so airy and truly breathtaking.”

Rob walked down the aisle with both of his parents first, and then Jordyn made her way with both of her parents. The processional music included “Landslide” by Brooklyn Duo, “Something Just Like This” by Vitamin String Quartet, and “Wildest Dreams” by Duomo.

Jordyn’s extended walk down the aisle was one of her favorite moments of the day. “I really got to take it all in and felt so lucky in that moment to see all my friends and family there in our very favorite place,” she says. The couple exchanged traditional vows, but later read private letters to each other. “We walked into the ballroom to see it for the very first time and stood in the middle of the dance floor and read the letters right before our practice first dance,” Jordyn says. “It was intimate and exactly what we wanted.” They played Natalie Cole’s “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” as they celebrated back down the aisle, finally husband and wife.

Guests enjoyed the couple’s signature cocktails, palomas and espresso martinis, as they found their table numbers for dinner on an acrylic sign, which was decorated with white orchids, roses, and baby’s breath; the stand was customized with the couple’s wedding date and location. Guests left voice messages on a rotary phone, which served as an audio version of a guest book.

The reception took place in the ballroom, where the walls were draped floor to ceiling in white fabric; black fabric was used behind the band to highlight a neon sign that read “It Was Always You.” Overhead, the rustic chandelier was transformed into a floral focal point for Jordyn and Rob’s big day: The couple’s florist took inspiration from Jordyn’s wedding dress and designed an installation with cascading butterflies and flowers.

Tables were covered in black velvet linens and decorated with a mix of high and low centerpieces. The couple sat at a sweetheart table, decorated with flowers repurposed from the ceremony, in front of the black and white dance floor. Place settings featured textured matte gold charger plates, black napkins, and mixed metal flatware.

Guests stood around the dance floor as Jordyn and Rob entered the reception to “Higher Love” by Kygo and Whitney Houston. “We had everyone stand around the dance floor so that once we were introduced into the room, everyone could join in on the intro song. It was a nice way to get the party started and everyone out on the dance floor,” Jordyn says. Guests lifted the couple up in chairs during the hora, and they shared their first dance to “Stand and Deliver" by Patrick Droney. “The band learned this song for us and sang it so well,” the bride says.

Jordyn and Robert had a three-tiered wedding cake embellished with real cascading orchids. They chose a vanilla butter cake with lemon curd and lemon mousse, as well as red velvet cake with cream cheese filling.

The couple kept the party going until late into the evening. For the epic dance party, Jordyn changed into a tulle strapless mini dress in blush pink from LouLou The Brand, which she paired with strappy Stuart Weitzman heels.

The duo spent a week after their wedding in Palm Springs for a mini-moon and are currently planning their international trip. To couples planning their own big days, Jordyn and Robert recommend locking in your highest priority vendors first. “Photography was super important to us: We only wanted Hannah Costello to shoot our wedding, so before we even had a wedding planner or venue set, we hired our photographer,” Jordyn says. “We then picked our venue based on her availability.”