Everyone who knows Rachel + Chris knows of their love for good design. Design is both an integral part of their lives individually, and also a big part of what brought them together: Chris is a set decorator and Rachel has been assisting him for the last 5 years! They share a love for Mid-Century style and Hotel Lautner, designed by well-known architect John Lautner, served as not only a perfect wedding backdrop, but a huge inspiration for the design of their day.

Below in Katie Pritchard's beautiful captures, you'll see Rachel + Chris represented through + through. From her rad striped Hailey Paige wedding dress (from Nordstrom Bridal Suite), to the pretty blooms by Tic-Tock Couture Florals, to the am-a-zing ceremony backdrop Chris built, there is just so much to love + be inspired by from this desert celebration!

Rachel: I know everyone says this, but our first look was the most memorable for me. It felt so good to have a private moment with my groom before the ceremony, I knew we weren't going to have many throughout the night!

Christopher: For me, most of the day was spent doing 'my job' decorating and getting everything together. I was still in the work frame of mind -even during the "first look" and my head wasn't clear and aware of the moment until I was at the alter. I was up at our backdrop I'd made for her standing with my brother who was our offficiant and looking out on the sun setting over the San Jacinto Mountains. I heard Rachel's processional song start up and I got goosebumps. As I turned around, I'll never forget the feeling I had as I saw her come through the gate. The wind was crazy strong and as she walked towards me, her veil blew off. We both were constantly reassuring each other with our eyes to keep from crying and I'd reach over and touch her head everytime I saw her start to break and we just held each other together. A close runner up to that moment though was seeing her in that incredible dress for the first time. She was so beautiful!

We are pretty obsessed with that wooden ceremony backdrop that Chris built for Rachel!!

The ghost chairs were such a cool choice, and they added a nice touch of airiness to the surroundings.

Get a coordinator! At the very least a day of coordinator which is what we did. Britney from night and day productions was incredible and we could have never pulled it off without her. Delegate as much as you can to those who want to help, we're lucky we had so many hands on deck and we're forever grateful to the family and friends who helped so much.

photography: Katie Pritchard // venue: Hotel Lautner Desert Hot Springs, California // event design: The Bride and Groom // event planning: Night and Day Productions // florals: Tic-Tock Couture Florals // wedding dress: Nordstrom Bridal Suite, Hailey Paige "Guindon" Gown // shoes: Alexander McQueen // hair: Bethany Brune // makeup: Tina Mit // groom's suit: Ted Baker at Bloomingdales // paper goods: Falmari Paper Co. // catering: Paella Valenciana // cake: Sweet Lady Jane // rentals: Signature Party Rentals, Little Bohemia Rentals // officiant: Groom's Brother // music: Our own playlist spun by Barry Martin AKA DJ Baz