What is there to do and see in the area?

There are plenty of nearby restaurants and sites. We especially like Azúcar for lunch and Farm for a French farm-to-table dinner. Moorten is a family-owned botanical garden with a cool collection of cacti and the Vita Las Palmas neighborhood has great examples of mid-century modern architecture. Check out this Google maps list with all of our favorite spots.

What should I wear?

It’s hot in the desert, so plan to wear light fabrics and summary clothes throughout the weekend. Attire is casual for welcome drinks on Friday (Julia is wearing a white linen mini dress with heels, and Ren is wearing a linen shirt and shorts). Saturday’s reception is formal, but it’s not so fancy that you need a tuxedo or heavy ballgown. Julia is wearing a wedding dress (!!!!!), and Ren is wearing a black suit and tie.

What’s for dinner?

We’ll have light bites and charcuterie on Friday night. On Saturday, there will be passed appetizers during cocktail hour, followed by a full family-style meal, and dessert. The light bites, charcuterie, appetizers, and dessert will include vegan and gluten free options. For our family-style dinner on Saturday, the entire meal will be gluten free and include both vegan and non-vegan selections.

Will the event be sustainable?

Yes! We're mindful of the waste that events can generate and have put a lot of thought into making this weekend sustainable.

The Ace Hotel is almost entirely solar-powered (thanks to the 354 days of sunshine the Springs receive per year). The Ace uses second-hand furniture, low VOC paint, and surplus hardware throughout all rooms and event spaces. And the bar we’re using on Saturday was handmade by a local vendor that uses reclaimed wood from distressed barns and industrial buildings across the US.

Our floral designer works with local vendors and craftspeople to create foam-free and environmentally-friendly designs. The arrangements from our event will be donated to a local non-profit, Safe House of the Desert, for future use in their shelters and offices.

The Ace Hotel operates a farm-to-fork-to-farm, closed-loop system, diverting food waste from landfills and providing local growers with organic compost. The chef buys locally‐sourced organic produce. When the produce is dropped off, the farm takes sterile organic waste product from the Ace Hotel’s fancy compost system and mixes it into the soil back at the farm.

Is this a wedding, anniversary party, or just an excuse to lure your loved ones out for a fun weekend in the California desert?

All of the above! We eloped just before the pandemic, so this is essentially the wedding reception we never got to have. There won’t be a wedding ceremony or vow exchange, but Julia will wear her wedding dress and we’ll do a first dance. We can’t wait to share this weekend with you. See you in Palm Springs!