Weddings at Palm Springs’ most romantic resort, the Ingleside Inn, might mean floating candles in the pool and marrying on the south lawn with views of the San Jacinto Mountains.
The Ingleside Inn has been welcoming serenity-starved Hollywood types for close to 100 years. Now, just as when the Palm Springs resort first opened, they come for its hidden-in-the-middle-of-everything location. While Palm Canyon Drive may be buzzing with visitors looking for martinis and midcentury pieces, you’re tucked away a block off the main drag, in the company of people looking for a peaceful escape.
Generations of couples have made it legal in the Ingleside Inn’s courtyard.
That location, plus generous outdoor space, make it a beautiful wedding resort. The courtyard, centered by a bubbling fountain, is Ingleside’s traditional ceremony spot: Guests create a free-form arrangement on the newly sculpted gravel pathways, while you exchange vows with a mountain backdrop. There’s also a pool with a pair of green lawns: Use the south lawn for the ceremony and adjourn to its twin for cocktails. There’s plenty of space around the pool to set up a seated dinner and dancing after.
Alternatively, you could head indoors to Melvyn’s, the on-site restaurant where Frank Sinatra married for the fourth time. The staff wear tuxedos, the piano bar hums, and there’s a picture of Old Blue Eyes himself on the cocktail napkins.
Wedding Party Particulars
The Ingleside is a small-scale property, with just 30 guest rooms, but it’s surprisingly well suited to accommodating wedding parties. The two large suites can each sleep up to six guests, with three bathrooms so there’s plenty of room for getting ready. A head-to-toe renovation introduced an elegant, understated design scheme throughout the compound (touches of velvet, marble, leather, and stunning tile work) while keeping the original footprint intact.
A complete renovation gave the Ingleside Inn a handsome update while staying true to its past.
It’s not simply its beautiful grounds or celebrity past that make the Ingleside stand out from the rest of the Palm Springs pack. There’s an easy-going sensibility here that has very little to do with being cutting-edge or the travel world’s flavor du jour. Marry here and you’ll feel as though you’ve invited your guests to a house party, not a hotel. Call it a Palm Springs wedding with heart.
