Rimrock Ranch and Joshua Tree are close to our hearts. Domenic and I got married there 3 years ago, with Lola as the flower girl and Enzo almost ready to burst from my belly.
We had been making trips up to the high desert for years. It is a magical drive through a mountain pass to get there. And the winner is the first person to spot a Joshua Tree on the ascent. These otherworldly trees only grow in this spot in the world. You are only half an hour from Palm Springs before you see your first one and then suddenly, they are everywhere and you are transported to another realm.
You have gone from sea level to a mile high and the terrain takes on a lunar quality. As the light dances throughout the day the mountains and mesas and shadows and sky reveal themselves then hide away. There is a disorienting discovery and rediscovery as you drive down the same road and it looks completely different.
We discovered Rimrock Ranch on one of these visits as we were trying to figure out the whole wedding thing. Being the center of attention completely outside of both of our comfort zones. There was a communal, palpable dread between us that only dissipated when we drove onto Rimrock Ranch.
The Ranch had recently been bought by Gwen and Eric. Both had successful advertising careers in San Francisco before taking an auspicious vacation to the ranch that ended in them buying it from the owner.
The Ranch opened in 1947. The original structure burnt down in one of the many fires that plague the desert to be replaced by a stunning, sustainable, modern structure built to endure the extremes of the desert. The cabins had been updated along the way but were a bit of a hodge podge of aesthetics.
Eric and Gwen set about restoring the place specific to the 1940s. All of the beds and the base boards, light fixtures and switch plate covers were replaced. They welcomed rescue horses onto the property and the tack room and barns shared the same clean, consistent, functional, stunning styling.
The place had inherent beauty. Three years later it now has the imprint of Eric and Gwen’s design DNA.
We arrived a little early for our check in and Eric was in front of the cabin raking the sand in front of our cabin. Witnessing this attention to detail, in spite of the wild desert winds, brought enormous serenity to our arrival. It felt like we were entering a sacred place.
I am a big believer in always cultivating side gigs. Although running the ranch seems like it would be more than a full-time job for such a small team, Gwen and Eric have significant side gigs.
Gwen recently founded Persist Agency, a 100% female-owned progressive digital agency. Persist strives to create bold, thoughtful interactive products that are change-focused with mindful intent. The election was the next day. Gwen shared that she created an app to facilitate voter registration in Wisconsin that registered 30,000 new voters. 2 days later Wisconsin turned blue with that margin. Gwen did that.
Eric has his own namesake design agency with a specific focus on restoring vintage formula cars and motorcycles. Joshua Tree has been swirling with increased prominence in the cultural zeitgeist. You can see evidence of that in Eric’s work as Rimrock Ranch is a welcome home for creative directors seeking to place their product within this environment.
wedding photographer http://laarne.co/
flowers http://www.thebloomingypsy.com/
catering https://www.bordergrill.com/
