A New York snowstorm helped Oliver Hammond to know the timing was right to propose to his then-girlfriend, celebrity stylist Halle Reum. The Los Angeles-based couple, who met in 2012 at Miami nightclub Story (on New Year’s Eve, no less), had been dating long distance while Oliver, a principal at investment management firm Tennenbaum Capital Partners, was stationed at his company’s Manhattan office. When his flight home got canceled due to inclement weather, it was a wake-up call: “Something in my heart gave out; I was just like, this has to be permanent.”

Soon after returning, Oliver visited West Hollywood jeweler Jean Dousset to design a classic emerald-cut engagement ring, and later proposed at San Ysidro Ranch, the site of the couple’s first vacation together. The significance of the destination wasn’t lost on Halle: “The entire car ride there she just kept looking at me and laughing,” says Oliver. “She definitely knew.”

They chose the Parker Palm Springs as the venue for their October wedding, in part due to the groom’s family history in the desert; his great-uncle was publisher, philanthropist and diplomat Walter Annenberg, whose estate Sunnylands has a long tradition of hosting politicians and foreign dignitaries.

The bride was intent on a formal affair: “Everyone was like, ‘You’re doing black tie in the desert?’ ” she reports, echoing her guests’ incredulity. “I’m a fancy person—I was not going to have a boho-chic wedding,” she adds. 

Halle’s custom Elie Saab dress was designed with Saab over meetings during Paris Fashion Week; beaded with small pearls and sequins and embellished with lace appliqués, the gown fit the reception’s outdoor enchanted-garden theme, brought to life with a lush trellis adorned with curly willow, hanging green amaranth and Louisiana smilax (a vine flown in from Louisiana especially for the occasion) from Mark’s Garden.

Both electronic dance music fans, Halle and Oliver enlisted friends DJ Zen Freeman and Australian musicians Nervo to play the reception: “My dad was like, ‘Wow, so this is what a rave is like!’ ” recalls Oliver with a laugh. Halle adds, “We had music blaring until 4 a.m.—we never made it to the brunch the next day, but people said it was really nice!”

For Oliver, the evening’s defining moment was his bride’s entrance, which echoed the night they met. “I’ll never forget when I first saw her—there must have been a thousand people where we were and no one else mattered,” he recalls. “That’s the way I felt when she was walking toward me.” 

VENUE The Parker Palm Springs PLANNER Lisa Vorce Co FLORIST Mark’s Garden ENTERTAINMENT DJ Zen Freeman, Nervo RENTALS Town & Country Event Rentals VIDEOGRAPHER Artisan Production GOWN Custom Elie Saab SHOES Jimmy Choo SUIT Custom Dior STATIONERY Amber Moon Design.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY Elizabeth Messina.
WRITTEN BY Melissa Goldstein.