A Backyard-Then-Steakhouse Wedding at Mr. Lyon's in Palm Springs

Champagne in the Yard. Palm Springs Steakhouse Reception to Follow

The champagne came out the moment the ceremony ended. Jim and the groomsmen popped the bottles and the whole backyard raised a glass before anyone moved. Then the couple slipped off for portraits in the late desert light while the guests helped themselves to cake, cut right there in the yard and served before the group made the drive across town.

November in Palm Springs means the afternoon light runs long and warm, the kind of golden-hour desert glow that made the portrait session stretch out naturally. The forty-two guests milled around the yard, the November air mild enough to stay outside, the cake going fast while Vill and Jim worked through their portraits in the last of the afternoon light before the crowd loaded up for Mr. Lyon's.

Ricky's Party Rentals had the yard set with tables and linens, the same rental setup that had just held the ceremony guests now rearranged for the wait before dinner. Forty-two people in a Palm Springs backyard in November is an easy crowd to hold, the air was mild, the cake was good, and no one was in a hurry to leave before Vill and Jim came back from portraits.

Dinner at Mr. Lyon's, the Palm Springs Steakhouse Reception

Everyone headed to Mr. Lyon's for the reception. The steakhouse first opened in 1945 as the Lyons English Grille; its Conservatory room is done in green marble and lush greenery, with a fireplace out on the terrace. Vill and Jim made their entrance to 'Teddy the Toad' and dinner followed. Their first dance brought the room in, and the floor stayed busy well after the last speech.

Speeches came after, a thank-you toast from the couple, words from Vill's dad and Jim's uncle, then the bridesmaids and groomsmen. When the dancing wound down, the two of them and their closest people carried the night on to an after-party.