Eclectic Black Tie Wedding in the Desert Boasts Opulent Details, Vivid Hues at Morada in Joshua Tree

Ciara and Gage have known each other all their lives. Connected through their parents who went to high school together, they shared a few exchanges and some embarrassing attempts at flirting but ultimately lost contact. As they were finishing high school, they reconnected and began a 10-year long-distance relationship before Gage proposed in New York. For their wedding, the pair chose Morada in Joshua Tree to satisfy the bride’s love of the California desert and the groom’s rugged style. Among cacti and boulders, Michelle Garibay Events created a black-tie event. Guests were encouraged to dress the part, as the couple described their dress code as “Desert x MET.” A mirrored asymmetrical arch adorned with flushed pink blooms and fresh winding vines rose up from the arid dirt, marking the altar at the end of a ghost-chair-lined aisle. Ciara, clad in a ballgown with a tiered skirt and floral-inspired bodice, descended the aisle to Gage. To honor the bride’s Native American background, the couple incorporated a Native blessing from Ciara’s cousin, a blanket-wrapping ceremony handmade by Ciara’s mother symbolizing the joining of two lives and a smudging ceremony to purify and cleanse the space. The celebration continued at dinner, where winding tables with angular details and pops of blush and green were set beneath elegant chandeliers. As the sun set on the vast horizon, Ciara and Gage celebrated their future together.