At once modern and rugged, elegant and understated, this intimate Amangiri elopement is proof that creating beautiful designs in the most remote places is always well worth it.
Categories
ULUM Resort, Moab, Utah
Kirby and Manoj
Three day Fusion wedding
When Kirby and Manoj came to us to plan their wedding, we knew it would be something truly special. Their story is one of blending traditions, values, and families—Kirby’s rooted in a Quaker background and Manoj’s in Hindu-Indian culture. Together, they envisioned a wedding weekend that not only honored both of their heritages, but also celebrated the breathtaking Utah desert in an intentional, elevated, and deeply personal way.
With 120 of their closest family and friends traveling from New York, California, and India, the couple wanted the experience to feel like a luxury desert retreat—equal parts Burning Man-inspired, culturally rich, and grounded in the beauty of nature. What unfolded over three days at ULUM Moab and surrounding venues was one of the most unique celebrations we’ve had the honor of designing.
The weekend began at Red Earth, a venue surrounded by sweeping red rock formations. Guests gathered for an earthy and intimate welcome dinner catered by Culinary Craft, paired with live music from a bluegrass band sourced by Aragon Artists. Inspired by Moab's desert surroundings, our design served to enhance the beauty of the landscape. The dinner tablescapes were styled with natural materials including local stone and foliage, creating a seamless blend between the natural and built worlds for guests at this event.
Before the evening ended, Kirby and Manoj hosted a moving tribute ceremony to honor past relatives—a grounding and heartfelt way to begin the celebrations. As the sun set over the desert, the night closed with a private bluegrass performance, setting the tone for the eclectic, soulful weekend to come.
The second day was designed as a canvas for connection and joy. After a family-led morning Nalangu pre-wedding ritual ceremony, guests were invited into a day-long schedule of activities—nearly 60 in total—planned by friends and family. Whether hiking, meditating, creating art, or simply soaking in the desert, the day embodied the couple’s desire to give their guests the freedom to experience community in their own way.
That evening, we transformed the property into a desert dining experience with a custom menu prepared by Tournant, a seasonal farm-to-fire cooking company known nationally for their immersive dining experiences. Natural grasses and native sage lined the tablescapes, intertwining the raw desert landscape with an intimate, nature-inspired dining experience.
After dinner, the night shifted into a vibrant outdoor sangeet, complete with special performances prepared by friends and family. It was the perfect balance of laid-back warmth and cultural celebration.
The final day brought the wedding into full focus. At sunrise, guests gathered at Looking Glass Arch to begin a traditional Baraat procession—an energetic and joyful celebration marking the groom’s arrival. The Baraat wound its way back to ULUM, where a traditional Hindu ceremony awaited. Led by members of Manoj’s family, the ceremony design leaned into the desert landscape—minimalist and natural in form, yet accented with the vibrancy, color, and richness of Hindu tradition.
That evening, the celebration came full circle with a Quaker ceremony. Quaker weddings are uniquely intentional; without a single officiant, anyone moved to speak, sing, or pray is invited to do so. The result was a raw and beautiful outpouring of love and support from the couple’s closest people.
The reception that followed was both elegant and organic. With Hart Floral creating wild, earth-inspired floral installations and Eclectic Hive providing textured lounges and rentals, the design felt as though it grew naturally from the desert itself. Copper bowls filled with marigolds hung above, and custom paper goods by Nubo Studios tied the aesthetic together. Throughout the space we leaned into sleek linen detailing and ridged ceramics to mirror the unique textures of Ulum while creating a curated, elevated design. Guests dined and danced under the stars before slipping away to an intimate afterparty in the rocks, featuring a curated 90s rock cover band—another unforgettable addition from Aragon Artists.
For us, this weekend embodied what we love most about wedding planning: creating experiences that feel like a true extension of the couple. Kirby and Manoj’s celebration was eclectic, intentional, and elevated—seamlessly blending two cultures, two families, and two distinct approaches to life into one unforgettable story.
It was not without challenges—remote locations, unpredictable weather, and the complexity of honoring two very different traditions—but the result was a wedding that felt undeniably theirs. Set against the vast and grounding landscape of Moab, it was a celebration that reflected not just who they are as individuals, but who they’ve chosen to become together.
Photo: Abigail LewisDesign, styling and planning: Mae&Co CreativeFlorals: Hart FloralRentals: Eclectic Hive, Diamond event and TentVenue: ULUM MoabPaper goods and signage: Nubo StudiosCatering: TournantENTERTAINMENT: ARAGON ARTISTS
Let us plan your dream day
Events at Amangiri, Canyon Point UT
MOLLY Holm’s BACHELORETTE PARTY
At Mae&Co Creative, we love a good party. And when it comes to throwing a show-stopping bachelorette, we know it's all about creating over the top luxury, high fashion designs and creating unforgettable memories for your closest friends and family. For Molly Holm, fiancée to TOMS Shoe Founder Blake Mycoskie, her bachelorette party was nothing short of spectacular. Hosted at Amangiri, this three-day celebration was filled with spirituality, opulence and good vibes.
DAY ONE:
The bachelorette party kicked off with the guests arriving on private flights and being greeted with vegan smoothies upon arrival for a Kundalini yoga class at Amangiri. From there, the group participated in a unique meditation practice and Hapé ceremony led by Sarah Richie. This spiritual experience in somatic alchemy and breath-work allowed the girls to connect and align their hearts and chakras, setting the tone for a weekend filled with good energy and positivity. To create a soft, healing space for Molly and her girls to connect, we designed a welcome ceremony room complete with large feathery arrangements, full draping with luxe chiffon and white silk and a floral mandala. The setting was complete with a large lounge set up with fur rugs, poufs and an altar, creating a space that was truly enchanting.
In the evening, the festivities were inspired by none other than Marie Antoinette. When Molly asked us to create the most stunning Marie Antionette themed dinner for the first night of her bachelorette party at Amangiri, I could see it instantly: pink ruffles, extravagant lighting, fluffy florals and vintage scrolls as menus - and it came together seamlessly. The guests dressed up in custom-made wigs, costumes, and makeup in true Rococo fashion, with pannier skirts and decorative frills. We transformed Amangiri’s Desert Lounge into a Versailles-inspired dinner party, with overhead crystal chandeliers, cascading pink flowers and vines spilling onto the table and a lush mirror-filled floral runner. Every detail was luxe and custom-made, with specially designed pink-hued tablescapes, custom chiffon linens, rose-tinted glassware and uniquely designed cakes. The day ended with a dance party into the early hours of the morning, making for the perfect first day for this unforgettable bachelorette party at Amangiri.
DAY TWO:
For day two of Molly’s bachelorette party at Amangiri, we designed and built a full dance club in the middle of the desert. And to say we were happy with the finished product is an understatement. After a morning spent recharging with spa treatments, the girls glammed up for a space cowgirl disco-themed dinner in the middle of the moon - the hidden crater at Amangiri’s Raven’s Nest site. We loved creating the details for this perfect second dinner to a three day bachelorette, with a luxury disco tablescape adorned with black orchids, melted disco balls featured and dynamic candlelight. As the sun dipped below the surrounding sandstone, galaxy lights created an Kusama-like setting with radiating light bouncing off the canyon. As guests sipped espresso martinis and popped gold umbrellas under a canopy of suspended disco lights, the starry-night ambience set the perfect tone for a night of celebration.
After dinner, the gals made their way to a disco dance party. Building this drop dead dance club with a custom bar set up was no easy feat, but it was nothing short of extraordinary. A live DJ and saxophone player brought the energy to this extravagant disco space cowboy party that felt like a scene from a luxury Burning Man pop up - complete with a raunchy bachelorette ice luge, disco dancers and a custom s'mores set up. When clients trust us with their dreams and allow us to think outside of the box, thats when the magic happens, and this opulence disco dance party in the heart of southwest desert was no exception.
DAY THREE:
We capped the weekend with a cozy jungle themed dinner, complete with lush trees and plant installations creating an overgrown and organic jungle vibe. A perfect meal before Molly and her girls enjoyed a final spiritual, closing ceremony to set intentions for the milestone to come.
Molly’s bachelorette weekend was an experience filled with majestic canyons, disco decadence, lavish installs and truly monumental moments. And we couldn’t have been more thankful to be part of the magic for this luxury event.
Photo: KELLY BROWN WEDDINGSDesign, styling and planning: Mae&Co CreativeFlorals: STUDIO MONDINEVENUE: AMANGIRIRentals: HENSLEY EVENT RESOURCES, BLUEPRINT STUDIOS, CASA DE PERRIN, AND NUAGE DESIGNSPaper goods and signage: WILDHOUSE INKVideography: EMMA K FILMSlighting: GOT LIGHTLet us plan your dream day
Click the link below to learn more about our wedding planning services
Paradero Hotel, Todos Santos, Mexico
Whitney and Stefen’s Wedding
From our very first meeting, Whitney was one of those dream clients where we connected instantly, and we couldn’t wait to work together through thick and through thin to design her and Stefan’s dream wedding at the Paradero luxury resort in Todos Santos, Mexico. In our initial conversations, Whitney told me "I want my wedding to feel like a dream" and we were determined to make that happen for her, plus some. We wanted to find somewhere unique, that also matched Whit and Stef's personal aesthetic and vibe. When I found Paradero Hotel in Todos Santos Mexico, I knew it would be the perfect place to plan their weekend wedding experience - and they felt the same.
Whit and Stef wanted to create the ultimate three-day destination wedding experience for their guests, and we were honored to create a climatic experience for this wedding weekend. We started Whit and Stef's celebration off with welcome mocktails and s'mores in the flower field adjacent to the hotel itself. Low key music and string lighting created soft ambience throughout the space, keeping the focus on the couple’s connection and the overwhelming sense of celebration as all of our guests arrived.
For every event throughout the weekend, we challenged ourselves to utilize different spaces on the stunning property so that no experience would feel, smell or taste the same. For our welcome dinner, we completely took over the communal area of Paradero and brought in custom-built tables and installed 6-foot ribbon chandeliers above them. This design completely transformed the space and added an authentic, Mexican-inspired vibe while keeping the modern, neutral architecture of the venue itself. Every detail for this night was within our overall color palette but we learned heavily into the more neutral and modern tones like ivory, white, black and tan. Our place settings complimented our chandeliers by incorporating different "fringe" elements and we worked with our paper good designer to create beautiful, landscape style menus wrapped in a handmade crochet paper. Lastly, we kept our floral design minimal so as to not distract from our statement pieces, and utilized stone vessels and dried elements throughout.
For our Paradero wedding day design, we chose locations on the property that we had never seen used before to make the big day feel completely unique and special to Whit and Stef. We wanted to highlight the architecture of the venue while also complimenting the desert surroundings. So we placed the ceremony in the middle of the "cactus garden" and set up our chairs in a very organic formation so it would feel as though we were almost hidden amongst the landscape. The ceremony design was a true labor of love that I’d do 1,000 times over again. Because when you build an aisle and ceremony so grand, people mistake it for part of the venue’s architecture - that’s a good feeling.
Our team designed a stunning aisle and ceremony backdrop that complimented the lush surroundings, building height and depth to accentuate the ceremony as the most important moment in the day. We worked with a local production company to build, paint and install 12, 10-foot half arches that were placed in precisely the right location to create a stunning shot from every angle. These arches were color matched with the hotel building themselves and them custom tinted to a lighter shade so they would really stand out. We then adorned them with lush, monochromatic clusters of florals for a lux but organic feel, bringing in more blush and mauve tones to give it that "pop" amongst the desert landscape.
This luxury wedding ceremony in Todos Santos hit the mark in every way. Whit shared: “My heart could’ve exploded from the amount of gratitude I felt on my wedding day. With every heartbreak I’ve met, with every loss I’ve felt… it all led me to Stefan. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world that Stefan was choosing me. There was magic in the air, I was the happiest I’ve ever been.”
The magic continued at the reception dinner hosted at the half-moon pool where we created a stunning reveal for the guests. We set up our tables to mock the half-moon shape of the pool, in an arched formation and then installed twinkle lights that stretch from over the tables all the way past the pool and then water-falled down into what looked like the ever expansive desert. We intentionally designed the lighting to pass over the pool because the reflection that was created in the pool made the entire space look dreamy, almost starry, everywhere you looked. We used organic linens and stoneware but paired them with large, lush, blush toned florals for an elegant but natural feel.
Two years in the making, Whitney Simmon’s destination wedding at Paradero in Todos Santos was made possible by her and Stefan’s unwavering trust in our team, and we’ll never get over this day we created with so much love and intention.
Photo: Jordan VothDesign, styling and planning: Mae&Co CreativeFlorals: Noble Floral Co. VENUE: ParaderoRentals: Warehouse RentalsMakeup: Melissa HurkmanHair: Nicolette PagiePaper goods and signage: Carta PlenaVideography: Joyce Filmscustom builds and lighting: VVR ProductionsLet us plan your dream day
Click the link below to learn more about our wedding planning services
Top 5 Desert Wedding Venues
We love a desert venue. As destination wedding planners, we’ve travelled all over the globe to design and style elopements and celebrations, but we have a special place in our heart for modern desert weddings. We love the vastness of the desert. We love the way the moon rises to create a canvas between the earth and sky - it’s the perfect backdrop for a unique, luxury wedding. We love the versatility of the desert, too, as the textures and landscapes inspire different designs based on the venue, location, couple, etc. So whether you’re planning a luxurious, sophisticated party for 200 guests or a small, minimalist celebration for two, here are our top five places for an intimate and bougie desert wedding.
Amangiri
Amangiri is a 5 star, luxury resort that lies within 600-acres of private desert wilderness in Southern Utah. The modern and simplistic architecture of this hotel venue features clean lines, natural materials and uninterrupted views of the surrounding desert and mesas. But Amangiri is more than a luxury hotel, it’s a staggering landscape of canyons, mesas, mountains, and desert with so many unique locations, and every wedding we create in this space is a unique, one-of-a-kind experience.
If you’re seeking adventure, this venue offers unparalleled access to slot canyons hikes, desert helicopter rides, and unlimited exploration. But if you prefer a bougie retreat, you’ll love the multi-course meals and state of the art spa facilities. We love that there’s truly something for everyone at Amangiri - with luxurious, private rooms, full service spa amenities and privileged access to National Parks and Lake Powell guests of Amangiri experience the convenience of a high-end hotel with easy access to speciality guided adventures. An added bonus? The staff at Amangiri will do anything and everything to ensure your stay at the resort is absolutely unforgettable and bespoke.
Click here to read more about Amangiri weddings, designed by Mae&Co creative
Images from Laurken Kendall
Willow House
The Willow House is a modern desert retreat, located on 250 acres of private land and boasting stunning, unobstructed views of the beautiful Chisos Mountain Range. The clean lines and muted tones of the building blend into the vast surrounding desert - at Willow House, the design options are truly endless.
This desert wedding venue feels unique. Set in Terlingua just outside Big Bend National Park, the venue boasts access to some of the state’s largest ocotillo plants and some of the most colorful floral and fauna in Texas. Yet the brutalist style casitas evoke a neutral, modern feeling, perfect for a contemporary desert wedding. With 11 unique casitas on the property and a modern gourmet kitchen, the Willow House is the perfect place for a weekend-long wedding celebration with your closest friends and family. And with a new patio structure in progress, this desert wedding venue promises to be one of the most under-the-radar boutique hotels in 2021.
Click here to read more about our most recent wedding at the Willow House, designed by Mae&Co Creative
Images from Karra Leigh Photo
Under Canvas
With locations all across the United States, Under Canvas offers adventurous couples the perfect place for a bohemian-inspired wedding. While each Under Canvas glamping wedding venue lets you experience the great outdoors with modern comforts, every location is unique. We love the desert Under Canvas locations in Moab, Grand Canyon, Zion, and Lake Powell where you enjoy can luxurious, safari-style canvas accommodations with unparalleled access to nearby national parks.
If you’re inspired by the American Southwest, we have endless design ideas for Under Canvas Zion: a haven located upon 196-acres of remote desert terrain, surrounded by views of soaring sandstone cliffs and majestic red rock. And if you love adventure, we think you’ll love Under Canvas Lake Powell-Grand Staircase: this location is perched on a Canyon Rim Plateau with easy access to Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, and Glen Canyon, the Lake Powell Marina and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park. Regardless of which Under Canvas location you choose, we promise these venues are the perfect mixture of high-end comfort and big-time adventure.
Images from Dawn Photo
Casa Santal
Located just outside of Joshua Tree National Park, Casa Santal is a modern, desert paradise. Designed as an artist’s retreat on a bluff overlooking a valley of Joshua Trees, this minimalist home boasts panoramic views from every angle. If you value Wabi Sabi design aesthetics, we can’t think of a better place for you to tie the knot in a place that marries love of design and nature.
Casa Santal caters to high-end, desert elopements with options for a private chef, yoga and massage offerings to help you enjoy the space and relax and feel pampered. We love the sexy, luxe feel of this Joshua Tree desert venue, and we think this is the perfect place enjoy some of the best views in the Mojave Desert. With canyon views, a large deck, and a shaded pergola, this venue has so many options for a unique ceremony space that will allow you and your guests to celebrate and enjoy the scenery.
Image from Anni Graham
The Joshua Tree House Tucson
The Joshua Tree House in Tucson, also known as the Posada House, is a 5 suite inn bordering the west side of Saguaro National Park in Tucson, AZ. Situated on 38 acres of land with a forest of Saguaro cactus, native plants, and an abundance of wildlife this is a space to reflect, reset, and create.
Each suite has its own unique feel. And when you book all of the suites for this Arizona desert hotel venue, you have access to a chef's kitchen, pool, rooftop lounge, yoga room, dining patio, fire pit, and living room with a projector, in case you want to end your wedding celebration with a movie night. This venue is perfect for off-beat desert brides who are ready to throw the party of the century. And trust us, we’re the team you want to have by your side to bring this bash to life.
Images from JTH Tucson