Ray Romano’s Son Matthew Romano’s Wedding in Palm Springs

A few weeks after moving to Los Angeles in May 2015, publicist Erica Markle joined her best friend from college for a night out in West Hollywood. At Bar Lubitsch, they met up with her friend’s high school friends—including Matt Romano. “The groups merged and we chatted the night away,” says Erica. More than seven years later, Matt, who, like his father, Ray Romano, works in entertainment industry, proposed on the beach in Malibu. “After the big moment, our friends and family all came out of the house, and we had a party to celebrate,” says Erica.

Erica and Matt knew they wanted to host their 250-person wedding in Palm Springs, one of their favorite spots. “The desert is a very special place to us,” says Erica. “We have spent a lot of time there over the years and many of our favorite memories are there. We knew we wanted that to be the setting of what would be the most special day of our lives.” However, strict noise ordinances would have forced them to host an indoor reception—restricting the iconic views. “If we were going to be in the desert, we wanted that beautiful mountain backdrop throughout the whole night,” says Erica.

Finally, the couple found Buena Vista Estate by AvantStay. “It was stunning and had all the elements we were looking for: vast green lawns, a lake, a beautiful house for us to stay in during the weekend, and of course the most picturesque mountain view we could have imagined,” says Erica.

They brought in event planner Sarah Dollar of LB Events to handle the details, including creating a cohesive aesthetic from Erica’s array of inspiration. “I was torn between an Art Deco-Gatsby vibe and a classic retro desert vibe,” says Erica. “We did our engagement shoot at Jones in Hollywood, one of our favorite Italian spots in L.A., so we wanted the wedding to also feel like an extension of that. We also love going to Coachella and there is always such a special feeling in the air there—we wanted our guests to have that same special feeling of a desert night full of good music, food, and lots of dancing.”

Dollar helped the couple merge their ideas into a single vision: “The theme was Art Deco meets desert retro. The color palette was muted pastels—light oranges, peaches, and yellows with pops of green (a lot of chartreuse)!” says Erica. As the couple began reviewing design options, they found it easy to point out what they didn’t want, leaving them with an elevated mix of organic materials, warm hues, layered textures, and personal touches—plus plenty of Italian fare and an extended dance party. “There were so many decisions to be made, but it was so incredible to watch everything come together,” says Erica. “Plus, it was so much fun to have such a special project that we could work on together and with our families.”

In the days before Erica and Matt’s April 6, 2024, ceremony, near-record winds caused turbulent flights, rerouted itineraries, and almost canceled their rehearsal dinner. “If the winds had stayed that way, we would have had to move everything inside—we were constantly checking our weather apps stressing about when the winds would settle down,” says Erica. But Mother Nature relented just in time to give the couple the outdoor desert wedding they had envisioned. “The morning of the wedding, we’ll never forget the calm that set in,” says Erica. “When I woke up I looked outside and saw two hot air balloons in a clear blue sky—it was a sign that everything had calmed down. The weather ended up being perfect.” See every moment from the couple’s celebration below in these images captured by Logan Cole.

Invitations from Velvet Fox Designs were inspired by the desert landscape. “I will never forget the first time I saw the mountains of Palm Springs—it was like nothing I had ever seen before,” says Erica. “I loved the idea of everyone coming to the desert for the first time and having that experience. We had a sketched picture of the venue on the envelopes so people could get a glimpse of where they were headed, and the curved design of the invite packet was meant to reflect the shape of the mountains.”

After wedding-morning hair and makeup, Erica and her friends sipped bubbly by the pool. The bride requested a “soft, glam, and glowy” look from Sandra Merlan Makeup—with the added touch of her favorite eyeliner technique. “I wanted the look to be classic, natural, and timeless,” she says. “I LOVE a cat-eye—I saw it’s going out of style, but I won’t let it go! I wanted to incorporate this element into my look but in a softer and more natural way, since this was bridal glam, after all.” She wore her hair down in gentle waves, but made a last-minute switch from tucking both sides behind her ears to leaving one side loose. “Corinne Viruet did an incredible job accomplishing the vision, and despite my hair being super fine, the style stayed in the whole night!” says Erica.

After trying on wedding dresses at several different boutiques, Erica still hadn’t found one that fit her style. “I wanted something more unique and not super traditional,” she says. At Loho Bride, she tried on a gown from Newhite: “I was like, ‘Finally!’” she says. “I learned the designer uses elements of architecture to inspire her designs, which I loved.” At her stylist’s suggestion, she tried on another gown from the brand—a fit-to-flare with a textured tulle overlay and delicate side bow. “When I put it on, I got chills,” she says. “I am the most indecisive person ever, so even after I found this one, I wanted to keep looking just in case. I tried this one on three different times for all different family and friends and kept coming back to it.” She added Stuart Weitzman heels and a treasured pair of earrings from Matt’s mother. “[This] was such a special gesture; I loved that I could incorporate her jewelry into the bridal look,” she says.

Erica asked Layered Vintage to create a bouquet inspired by her appreciation for Ikebana and that incorporated lily of the valley—her grandmother’s favorite bloom. “I wanted it to be whimsical, full, and unique,” she says. “When the designer came in the room with it, I remember she said, ‘It’s a little funky,’ and I was like, ‘It’s perfect.’” Spirea branches with tiny white blossoms, fritalleria, and rust-colored ranunculus added texture and contrast.

Erica’s custom jewelry from Cindy Hawkins included a channel-set wedding band and an Art Deco-inspired engagement ring.

Erica’s two sisters, the maids of honor, wore gold satin dresses, while the rest of the bridesmaids donned satin gowns in complementary hues. “I knew I didn’t want all my bridesmaids in the same color or same dress—I wanted it to be more of a palette,” says Erica. “I went a little crazy and scoured the internet for satin dresses in the gold/champagne/taupe color family. I created a spreadsheet with 50-plus choices—all different styles, cuts and colors—and let the bridesmaids choose from that or anything similar they found. I loved the way it all came together with everyone in different shades.”

The pre-wedding festivities were a family affair, with Matt’s twin brother serving as best man and his parents, Ray and Anna Romano, joining the groom for portraits. Matt complemented his Ralph Lauren tuxedo with an Eton shirt, Paul Stuart bow tie, and To Boot New York shoes, adding a sentimental accessory in the moments before the wedding. “Erica gifted me cufflinks with my letter right before the ceremony that I wore,” he says. The groomsmen wore notch lapel tuxedos from The Black Tux.

Erica and Matt didn’t want to distract from the iconic mountain backdrop with a floral arch, so they chose an arrangement of pillars in varying heights, topped with textured flowers in warm shades of peach, gold, and terra-cotta. “For the aisle, we had florals and grasses weaving in and out of the chairs and two different styles of chairs to add a bit of flair,” she says. “The ceremony design was softer and more whimsical overall, and then we added in more pops of color for the reception.” A cellist provided background music as guests stopped by a stand serving spiked lemonade before finding their seats.

Matt and his parents walked to the altar together, followed by the bridal party, to a live instrumental version of “With a Little Help from My Friends” by The Beatles. Though the couple’s flower girl felt “a little too shy to walk down the aisle,” her brother Victor, the ring bearer, had double the energy for his own enthusiastic processional. “He is so charismatic and funny, and was so adorable walking down the aisle, high-fiving people and laughing,” says the couple.

Erica’s father, Dan, walked her down the aisle to “Silver Soul” by Beach House. Erica’s entrance was the first time the bride and groom saw each other on their wedding day. “We did our first look on the aisle, and though it meant we’d have to do a lot of photos after the ceremony, it was such a memorable moment,” she says.

Erica’s cousin officiated the couple’s ceremony, which included personal vows written by the bride and groom. “Her speech was perfectly sentimental and funny and added such a personal element to the ceremony,” says Erica. “To have her marry us was such a full circle moment that we will never forget.” 

Exchanging their vows was another unforgettable moment for Erica and Matt. “Personal vows were a great way to share our story with everyone there to celebrate with us, and even though we were surrounded by over 250 people, it truly felt like it was just us,” says Erica. “After all the prep and nerves of the beginning of the day, everything slowed down for this moment and we could really take it all in. It was our favorite moment of the day.”

In place of signature drinks, Erica and Matt chose a “His and Hers” pasta bar, which served spicy penne alla vodka and cacio e pepe during cocktail hour. “Matt comes from a big New York family, so we also wanted to tie in a bit of the Italian culture with our food options (and amount of food!),” says Erica. Other appetizers included buttered lobster rolls, fried rice, and spicy tuna on crispy rice, while an escort card display served individual bottles of limoncello.

Sweeping views of the mountains and iconic palm trees surrounded the couple and their guests during the outdoor reception. Geometric light fixtures and brown and green pendants hung overhead, while a mix of patterned linens and bare wood tables created an organic color palette. “We included some fun lounge furniture for additional seating outside the main structure that made for great photo spots,” says Erica. “For a little personal touch, we used a line (and title) from a favorite song, ‘You Make My World Go Round’ by Natalie Bergman, as the neon sign at the photo booth.”

Ikebana-style florals lined the long tables and sat in the center of each round table, accenting the patterned linens, rich wood, and vibrant chartreuse cloths. Tablescapes included colored glassware, gold-trimmed napkins, and pearl-topped napkin rings. “Folklore had the most amazing collection of tableware,” says Erica. “It was so hard to choose, but we landed on doing three different place settings using various neutral colors tied into the florals and lighting.”

Fringed light fixtures and garlands of greenery shaded the couple as they shared their first dance to “Love You for a Long Time” by Maggie Rogers featuring Sam Gendel and Sam Wilkes. The evening also included a dinner menu from F10 Catering and Events, which featured a tri-colore salad with burrata, chicken Milanese, steak Tagliata, and miso-glazed cod.

During dinner, the celebrants listened to a mix of speeches (including a heartfelt one from the father of the groom) and relished time spent together. “Seeing our families and friends from so many walks of life come together in one place was such a special element of the night,” says the couple. “It really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience to have everyone you love in one place, all getting to know each other. It was magical to see it all unfold, and we are so grateful to everyone who came out to celebrate with us.”

After Erica and her father danced to Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” and Matt and his mother danced to Coldplay’s “Yellow,” Erica’s mother requested a mother-daughter moment. “[It was] a medley of ‘In My Daughter’s Eyes’ by Martina McBride, ‘I Got it From My Mama’ by will.i.am, and ‘Mamma Mia’ by ABBA,” says Erica. “All the mothers and daughters at the wedding joined us for a dance and it was a very emotional, heartfelt moment. There was also a special dedication song to my late grandmother Ginny from my mom—‘Close to You’ by The Carpenters.”

The newlyweds cut a heart-shaped cake from Over the Rainbow Dessert; then served rainbow funfetti sheet cake alongside cream puffs, cookies, and mini churros.

After the reception, the couple invited their guests into the venue’s barn to continue the celebration with musicians from Dart Collective. They served classic pizza slices—in boxes personalized with a sketch of the couple from their engagement photos—as both a nearby rocket launch and a shooting star lit the sky. “We had pizzas on the dance floor, some of the bridal party in PJs and slippers, and we even extended the set when no one wanted it to end,” says Erica. “By this point everyone really let loose, and it was so much fun dancing with friends and family in a barn-turned-club.”