This California Desert Wedding Is the Perfect Example of DIY Done Right

Becky and Erik — Photo:
The Shalom Imaginative

When Becky Pedroza decided she wanted to propose to Erik Revelli, whom she’d met in Brooklyn in 2016, she had to work up the courage. She packed a cutesy conversation heart ring that said, "Be Mine" for their 2022 trip to Charleston, South Carolina. "After a couple of almost attempts at proposing—one of which was on a sunset cruise where a guy proposed to his girlfriend with an actual diamond ring right as I was mustering up the courage to do it—I finally got down on one knee on a quiet beach under a lighthouse," she says. "And he said yes!"

Though the couple is on the East Coast now, Becky grew up in California and had always imagined a California wedding, she says. They toured venues from Palm Springs to Joshua Tree with one primary consideration in mind. "Our vision was to be unconventional and the most 'us' we could be," Becky says. "We wanted to feel like our wedding day was our day, a day we could be 100 percent ourselves with our most favorite people."

When they found Rimrock Ranch in Pioneertown, California, they knew it was the one. "It was the first wedding venue we visited, and something about its quiet serenity and respect for the surrounding desert, balanced with the wild-west feel of nearby Pioneertown, stayed in our minds for each subsequent venue visit," Becky says.

They planned the wedding from across the country, and the bride estimates that about three-quarters of the planning and décor projects were DIY. She’s a graphic designer and stationer for Paper Daisies Stationery and has a natural eye for aesthetics, so everything from the invitation suite to the table numbers to the unique escort board had a cool and cohesive vibe. And she wouldn’t change a thing—but she does offer a word of advice to fellow wedding DIYers. "Breathe and take it all in," Becky says. "Don’t take on too much DIY. It saves you money and adds a personal touch, but it can feel hectic and panic-inducing when it starts taking much longer than anticipated. On the day of, take some time not wrapped up in the small details; have fun, drink a lot of water, and be engaged with your partner."

Setting the Tone

"The wedding didn’t have a theme, but more of a vibe, which was spring minimalism [meets] desert midcentury modern," Becky says. As for the palette? "Every pastel color!"

As a stationer, the bride wanted to set a strong aesthetic foundation with the invitation suite. "I’ve been obsessed with letterpress and was super excited to use this printing technique for my main invitation," she says. "We also had a die-cut RSVP card and a fun corner pocket to hold everything together, complete with a blind embossed Joshua Tree and our monogram that I created."

A Funky Bouquet

Becky and Erik Bouquet — The Shalom Imaginative

The couple enlisted Sparks & Sand Floral Design to work within their pastel palette and create fun florals. "We went for funky and whimsical [with the bouquet], but kept it elegant and a little classic when creating the shape," says florist Mekai. "We wanted it to be playful and cute with fun floral shapes and little floaty flowers. The flower choices and the pastel color scheme helped with executing that elegant playfulness we were going for." The finished product featured white dahlias, yellow ranunculus, soft pink sweetpeas, and blue delphinium.

A One-of-a-Kind Gown

"As a former fashion designer, I wanted my dress to be one-of-a-kind," Becky says. She fell in love with the bottom half of a Willowby by Waters gown, then worked with a specialist at White Orchid Bridal in Atlanta to rework the original bodice. "Together, we redesigned the top half to make my dress unique and exactly what I had envisioned."

An Inspired Boutonniere

Becky and Erik boutonniere — The Shalom Imaginative

"At one point, Erik had mentioned he loved seeing yellow buttercup wildflowers on the side of the road and that he would love to incorporate those somehow," florist Mekai shares. "We weren’t able to make those little buttercups last, but were able to get buttery yellow ranunculus buds to give a similar look." The boutonniere perfectly complemented his charcoal gray tuxedo with black satin lapels.

The First Look

"Our biggest goal for our wedding was to feel connected with each other, so we wanted a first look before everyone arrived on the property," Becky says. Their photographer from Shalom Imaginative found the perfect private space near a copse of vintage airstreams on Rimrock Ranch’s property. "Before the first look, I was a little nervous but mostly excited," the bride remembered. "During the first look, I felt an immediate sense of relief because it just felt like us, like home."

A Desert Setting

The couple envisioned a quick, light wedding ceremony. "The only ceremony décor we had were two large aisle floral arrangements," Becky says. "We wanted our guests to soak in the natural beauty of the desert."

A Short and Sweet Ceremony

Becky walked down the aisle with her parents to "She’s a Rainbow" by The Rolling Stones and exchanged personal vows with Erik. "Erik surprised me and everyone by revealing that he had actually stumbled across the ring I was going to propose with a couple of days before the proposal and had been sweating out the weekend waiting for the special moment," Becky says. "He had kept this under wraps for nearly two years of being engaged."

The Party Begins

The newlyweds recessed down the aisle to an upbeat and old-school classic: "The Oogum Boogum Song" by Brenton Wood.

Cocktail Hour

Becky and Erick — The Shalom Imaginative

The DJ spun chill tracks during cocktail hour while the couple’s 85 guests sipped signature palomas and noshed on mini bean burritos and red snapper ceviche.

Sunset Photos

The couple worked their photography timeline so that they could enjoy cocktail hour with their loved ones. They took family portraits before the ceremony, then did a sunset photo session between cocktail hour and reception.

A DIY Escort Board

Becky put the finishing touches on the DIY escort board just hours before the wedding began. And it was worth it, creating some of her favorite moments of the day. "First, the quiet moments before the wedding began, listening to music while pinning dried citrus name tags to the escort card display with my youngest brother and his girlfriend, and starting to believe that all of our DIY efforts might actually be coming together to create something special," she says. "Then watching everyone pin them to their jackets as boutonnieres."

Midcentury Minimalism

Minimalist floral arrangements were inspired by ikebana, the Japanese art of floral arranging, and surrounded by pillar candles and flower-shaped candles on the tablescapes. "Each table had a simple light and airy white cheesecloth runner, and plates were set with mustard yellow cotton gauze napkins," Becky says.

Tables With a Personal Touch

Creativity was poured into every detail. "My mom and I handmade candles for the table decor," Becky says. "My mom also washed, hand-cut, and knotted each napkin with love."

Mirrored Table Numbers

Organic-shaped mirrors adorned with vinyl stickers marked the numbers on each table.

The Sweetheart Table

"My favorite decor element was the backdrop to our sweetheart table," Becky says. "We had my parents’ neighbor make the frames, and my mom and I wove yarn through them. They were the perfect additions to the reception." As the sun went down, string lights overhead lit up the desert.

A Taco Dinner

Just like with every other detail, Becky and Erik eschewed the traditional when it came to catering, opting for a taco dinner. "Tacos are one of our top favorite foods, and since a lot of our guests live in New York, we knew they needed a taste of good Southern Californian tacos."

A Heart-Shaped Cake

They cut into a funky (and funfetti!) heart-shaped cake with vintage-inspired Lambeth piped buttercream.

The First Dance

"Erik and I initially bonded over music from the ’60s and ’70s, so it seemed only fitting to choose a song from that era," Becky says. They listened to a lot of options and landed on one that just felt right: "Dedicated to the One I Love" by the Mamas & the Papas.

The Dance Floor

The dance floor was active. "We put together a list of must-play songs that consisted of mostly Y2K bangers sprinkled in with some Abba and a touch of the '80s," Becky says. It created some favorite memories. "We watched a wedding guest’s cowboy hat be passed around the reception to find its way to every more-than-willing head—and then saw the photo evidence later," the bride says. "Seeing all our loved ones from many different walks of life bump into each other and have a great time together on the dance floor [was so special]."

A Perfect Finish

The couple delayed their big honeymoon but finished the wedding weekend with a minimoon tour of the California Coast, starting in Palm Springs and traveling up to Big Sur and Carmel by the Sea.